Nihanth Adina received his Bachelor of Technology degree in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from the Manipal Institute of Technology in 2017. He worked for a year at the LVPEI Center For Innovation before joining The Ohio State University. He is currently pursuing his Ph.D. degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering at The Ohio State University. His research interests include system modeling, control, protection, large-scale hardware building & real-time implementation of power electronics.
The reliable operation of power systems on the lunar surface is crucial for carrying out critical research activities and supporting life. These systems can be viewed as standalone or interconnected DC microgrids that integrate intermittent power sources and distributed energy storage systems. Lunar microgrids need to be highly reliable, highly reconfigurable, and highly efficient. To address the requirements for lunar dc microgrids, we propose a Flexible DC Energy Router (FeDER), which is a modular and scalable power management unit that utilizes power electronic circuits for interconnected lunar DC microgrids. The FeDER integrates local energy storage and provides an all-in-one solution for microgrid power management requirements, including fault management, stability enhancement, power flow regulation, and power quality improvement. The design, protection, and control of the lunar DC microgrids are realized using a three-layered approach. The first layer utilizes graph theory and fault diagnostics for sustainability, resiliency, reconfiguration, and fault isolation, utilizing the FeDER. The second layer involves an energy management system that performs effective coordination and dispatching of distributed energy resources. The third layer utilizes smart resistor control of the FeDER to improve stability, enable power flow control and reconfiguration. Overall, the FeDER-based design provides a comprehensive solution for managing power in lunar DC microgrids. Its modular and scalable nature, along with its integration of local energy storage and advanced control strategies, make it an ideal solution for addressing the unique challenges associated with lunar power systems.
The attendees will get to learn about WBG-based power electronics design for space applications. The different architecture topologies utilized to study space power systems. The design, control, and protection of the dc microgrid are useful and relevant.
