Varuna Subsystems: Electronic Power Conditioner (EPC)/ DC-DC Converter

Honor Roll

• Rabi Narayan Rath

• Pankaj Kumar Meena

• Shital Bava

Space-Readiness

• Using a closed-loop control system the EPC can dynamically adjust to changes in line, load, and temperature. It maintains stringent output voltage regulation criteria, even under conditions of fluctuating power loads or potential surges. These modifications are integral for the EPC to maintain a stable output voltage for powering sensitive subsystems.

• All EPC outputs are galvanically isolated from the raw DC input. This ensures that the power provided to the subsystems is electrically separated from the input power source for improved grounding, noise reduction, and enhanced safety.

• The EPC is fortified with built-in protection mechanisms like Overpower Protection, Inrush Current Limiter, Pulse by Pulse peak current protection, and Fuse—-all aimed at protecting the unit and DC bus against any single point failure within any subsystem.

Challenges

• Ensuring reliable deployment for the Hold Down Release Mechanism HDRM. To address this, our engineers incorporated three levels of redundant deployment circuits into the design. This layered redundancy ensured that, in the event of a failure at one level, the other levels would maintain system functionality, and safeguard the success of mission-critical operations.

• Enacting thermal management with a high-power dissipation density. To mitigate the risk of overheating, we made precise mechanical arrangements between the semiconductor ICs and the PCB enclosure. This optimizes heat dissipation and prevents thermal build-up that might negatively impact system performance, resilience, and stability.