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Models for the components of a long-duration UAV power system are set forth. The models include the solar array, solar array power converter, fuel cell and electrolyzer system and corresponding power converter, and propulsion load. Based on these models, a power management control is derived, which when coupled with the component models, are used to simulate power system performance during start-up, through a day-night cycle, and through a solar eclipse.

Future Air Force intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) platforms, such as high-altitude Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles (UAV), may drastically change the requirements of aircraft power systems. For example, there are potential interactions between large pulsed-power payloads and the turbine engine that could compromise the operation of the power system within certain flight envelopes. Until now, the development of large-scale, multi-disciplinary (propulsion, electrical, mechanical, hydraulic, thermal, etc.) simulations to investigate such interactions has been prohibitive due to the size of the system and the computational power required. Moreover, the subsystem simulations that are developed separately often are written in different commercial-off-the-shelf simulation programs.