Power System Considerations for Undersea Observatories: The Basic Trade-offs

It is proposed that power systems for undersea observatories combine ideas from terrestrial power systems and switching power supplies with experience from undersea cable systems. Basic system trade-offs for various design decisions are explored in this paper. First, design questions such as whether the power delivery should be by means of alternating or direct current, and a parallel or series network are examined. This introduces the question of maximum power delivery capability, which is explored in depth. A separate issue, the negative incremental resistance presented to the delivery system by the use of constant-voltage converters is examined, and the resulting dynamics explored by simulation.