Power Conditioning & Distribution Unit
SPACE
Based on the requirements for the ESA Galileo
spacecraft Terma has developed and qualified the Power
Conditioning and Distribution Unit (PCDU) with the
following special properties:
• Regulated 50 volt, up to 3000 watt power bus
• Low mass of 16.3 kg
• High power transfer efficiency
The unit is built in the power module technology developed
by Terma for the Rosetta mission. It comprises of the
following module types:
• (3) Shunt Regulator (S3R / S4R)
• (4) Battery Discharge Regulation (BDR)
• (3) Equipment Power Distribution (EPD)
• (6) Heater Power Distribution (HPD)
• (1) Propulsion Power Distribution (PPD)
• (2) Thermal Knives Actuation (TKA)
• (2) Command and Monitoring (CM)
• (1) Back plane module
The PCDU provides interfaces to 20 independent solar array
sections. Each section interfaces an individual shunt
regulator cell, operated under common Main Error Amplifier
(MEA) control. Four sections are prioritized for battery
charging when not needed for main bus support.
Galileo Power Conditioning and Distribution Unit Flight Model
Space Engineering and Knowledge
The BDR modules provide the discharge regulation for one
common Li-Ion battery. The BDR modules provide as well a
voted battery charge regulation control and a cell balancing
function for the battery.
The bus voltage is regulated by a voted set of Main Error
Amplifiers, regulating all nine power modules in a 3-domain
characteristic and providing an excellent load transient
performance and very low bus impedance.
The power bus is provided to external interfaces by
protected power distribution functions, for spacecraft
equipments, heater, propulsion control and thermal knives
activation.
All PCDU functions can be commanded and monitored via
two independent dual MIL-STD-1553 interfaces. All
adjustable control parameters, protections and switch
function settings can be uploaded and reset from ground
control.
Each of the applied power modules is a self contained
function able to initialize and start up providing bus power
whenever energy is available on either solar arrays or
batteries. The system will recover autonomously from any
single point failure without any bus power interruption.
Reference:
• One unit onboard each of the four Galileo IOV
spacecrafts. The first two spacecrafts were launched in
October 2011.
Specifications:
Dimensions (L x W x H) 508 x 235 x 156 [mm]
Mass 16.3 kg
Reliability 12 years > 0.983
Regulated bus voltage 50V ± 0.5%
Output power capability, sunlight mode up to 3000 watt
Output power capability, eclipse mode up to 2400 watt
Output impedance < 30 mΩ
Bus voltage transient regulation @ ∆10A < ± 1%
Idle power consumption < 28.3 watt
Solar array interface 20 sections of 3 ampere
Transfer efficiency > 97.8%
Battery interface Li-Ion, 22.5 to 39 volt
Discharge power up to 4 x 600 watt
Discharge transfer efficiency > 95.5% @ 30V
Equipment Power Distribution lines 49
Heater Power Distribution lines 96
Propulsion power lines 29 volt, 80 watt 4 lines
Thermal Knives Actuator lines 2 x 12
DMS Interface 2 x Dual MIL-STD-1553

Galileo Power Conditioning and Distribution Unit Functional Schematic

Terma A/S Space

www.terma.com