Dual Voltage Electrical System Simulations 2000-01-3051

A recent SAE paper entitled “Automotive Electrical Systems: Architecture and Components” by Iftikar Khan¹ explored many potential electrical hardware and architectural issues for future vehicles. For these concepts to become viable in the marketplace, effective and competitive engineering practice requires that the design and trade studies be performed in the virtual world with hardware prototype validating the design rather than traditional build / break design cycles. This paper studies simulation requirements for such systems including component technical requirements and ease of calibration to specific hardware and proposed designs. This paper will demonstrate modeling techniques for generators (averaged, 3 phase, 14V, and 42V), DC to DC converters, lead acid batteries, and lithium polymer batteries. The viability of the methods will be demonstrated and validated at the component level. These validated component models will then be assembled into systems targeting both a single voltage 42V volt system and dual 42/14 volt systems. One example will demonstrate performance over an entire drive cycle. The high frequency interaction of components will also be demonstrated including both a 42V load dump and a 14V load dump for a dual voltage architecture.