Engineering Systems

The Sorensen™ Modular Intelligent-Bidirectional Energy AMplified (Mi-BEAM) Series is the newest addition to the AMETEK Programmable Power portfolio of high-power testing solutions. The new Mi-BEAM Series features full DC source and sink capabilities with power levels from 12kW up to 37kW. The Mi-BEAM Series is fully scalable up to 1.2MW with parallel systems. The available voltage ranges of 600V, 1,500V and 2,000VDC in a 4U rack height chassis provide full power up to 150A within a single system.

Satellites in Earth orbit and other spacecraft within Jupiter's orbit (or any planet) typically rely on photovoltaic arrays, supplemented by batteries, as their main power sources. These arrays, composed of multiple solar cells, supply power to satellites and have distinct current-voltage (I-V) characteristics. The power output fluctuates based on environmental factors (e.g., temperature, irradiation) and operational conditions (e.g., eclipse, spin).

For microgrids, energy storage, and inverter test applications, the TerraSAS™ series photovoltaic (PV) simulators are specifically designed to emulate the dynamic electrical behavior of a terrestrial PV solar array. They offer low output capacitance and high closed loop bandwidth to keep up with the advanced Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) algorithms used in today’s grid-tied inverters. The Embedded TerraSAS (ETS) is a high performance solution in a small form factor that combines an agile power supply with an innovative I-V curve generator in a single standalone unit.

A spacecraft solar array is subjected to large temperature excursions, varying insolation (the amount of sunlight falling on the array), mechanical changes and aging, which substantially effect both its short and long term performance. In order to test the spacecraft's power environment, a cost-effective solution for ground based testing is to utilize a solar array simulator.