ST Engineering Power Control & Distribution Unit (PCDU)
ST Engineering Satellite Systems
Modular, scalable satellite power control and distribution unit delivering up to 4 kW with >97% conversion efficiency for LEO missions.
Technical specifications
- System Power
- 4000 W @ 32 V
- Solar Power
- 2000 W
- Payload Power
- Up to 3300 W @ 32 V
- Primary Bus Voltage
- 22 ~ 38 V (battery follower)
- Solar Array Regulation
- Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT)
- Battery Management
- Constant Current (CC) & Constant Voltage (CV) Control
- Battery Charge Regulators
- 2 out of 3 redundancy
- Power Conversion Efficiency
- > 97%
- Reliability
- Single-Point Failure Free architecture
- Battery under-voltage protection
- Disconnect Non-Essential Loads by TC; Configurable hardware cut-off for satellite safe-hold
- Latching Current Limiters
- 56 LCL @ 10 A or less; 48 LCL @ 5 A or less; 4 RLCL (retriggerable) for critical lines
- Heater Latching Current Limiters
- 72 heater lines
- Thermal Knives Deployment Driver 1
- Support 4 mechanisms with ARM & FIRE @ 20 V, 8 A
- Frangibolt Deployment Driver 2
- Support 4 mechanisms with ARM & FIRE @ 22 ~ 36 V, 2 A
- Solar Array Voltage
- 42 ~ 100 V
- Battery Discharging Current
- Up to 130 A
- TC/TM
- Redundant CAN bus to OBC
- Separation Switch from Launch Vehicle
- Triple redundancy
- Mass
- 24.5 kg (with current configuration)
- Volume
- 453 x 340 x 279 mm3 (with current configuration)
- Thermal
- -20°C to 60°C operating range
- Radiation TID
- 20 kRAD
- Radiation SEE
- 40 MeV·cm2/mg
- Lifetime
- 5 years
- EMI/EMC
- MIL-STD-461
About
The Power Control & Distribution Unit (PCDU) controls the power flow from the Solar Array and the battery and distributes that power to the whole satellite. It provides efficient power regulation and management of 2 kW of solar power, and outputs up to 4 kW of electrical power with protection to the bus, payload and all heaters. Its modular and scalable design suits all missions in LEO, with adaptability to HEO/MEO missions with parts updates. The unit is an in-house heritage design now in its 7th year in orbit without anomalies (TRL-9), with an upgraded design also available at TRL-8. It is compliant to ECSS power interfaces, de-rating and EMC standards, and features a highly reliable, single-point-failure-free architecture with more than 97% power conversion efficiency. The PCDU is optimised for LEO Earth Observation or SAR small-to-medium sized satellites, is designed for 4 kW peak power in LEO SAR missions, and offers configurable 1 A to 10 A Latching Current Limiter (LCL) power distribution lines.
Documentation
Need the full ICD, test reports or a specific revision? Ask the supplier directly.
