Optimal-Control-Based Evaluation of Mission-Oriented Power Systems

The performance of a mission-oriented power system is defined by its ability to deliver power to critical loads. This performance involves a dynamic interplay between the power system, the mission, and the loads required to perform the mission. Evaluating the performance is fundamental for system design, and this evaluation is advanced by formulation as an optimal control problem. This formulation allows the dynamic interaction between the system and the mission to be considered directly and is a natural evolution of existing simulation-based methods. The proposed approach is demonstrated using a notional, but representative, set of system implementations and missions. The approach is shown to yield insight into design tradeoffs and sensitivity of performance to initial assumptions.