A third-order sliding-mode controller for DC/DC converters with constant power loads

Incorporating a medium-voltage DC (MVDC) integrated power system is a goal for future surface combatants and submarines. In a MVDC shipboard power system, DC/DC converters are commonly employed to supply constant power to electric loads. These constant-power loads have a characteristic of negative incremental impedance, which may cause system instability during disturbances if the system is not properly controlled. This paper proposes a third-order sliding-mode controller (SMC) for DC/DC buck converters with constant-power loads. The SMC is able to stabilize the DC power systems over the entire operating range in the presence of significant variations in the load power and input voltage. The proposed SMC is validated by simulation studies in MATLAB/Simulink for stabilizing a DC/DC buck converter as well as a MVDC shipboard power system with constant-power loads for different operating conditions with significant variations in the load power and supply voltage.