Operation of High Power Converters in Parallel

High power converters that are used in space power subsystems are limited in power handling capability due to component and thermal limitations. For applications, such as Space Station Freedom, where multi-kilowatts of power must be delivered to user loads, parallel operation of converters becomes an attractive option when considering overall power subsystem topologies. TRW, under NASA contract NAS3- 25093, has developed three different unequal power sharing approaches for parallel operation of converters. These approaches, known as droop, master-slave, and proportional adjustment, are discussed in this paper and test results are presented.