DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF AN AUTOMATIC SELECTION SYSTEM FOR MULTIPLE ELECTRICAL POWER SOURCES

Abstract

The requirement for electric power in our daily lives has increased due to the growing usage of technology in everyday tasks worldwide. Thus, the requirement for continuous electricity becomes critical to the efficient operation of contemporary technologies. Continuous blackouts in Nigeria have caused systemic breakdowns and occasionally fatalities, requiring the usage of several separate, varying-cost power sources for residences, workplaces, and industrial facilities. The design and implementation of a microcontroller-based multiple source power selectors with a priority selector are presented in this work. Priority selection allows sources to be chosen for use according to their uninterruptibility or cost. When choosing based solely on cost, mains electricity is chosen before generators, and when neither is available, generators are chosen last.. The higher-quality source is chosen for use when uninterruptible power (UP) is given priority. Each of the three sources is rectified, sampled, and stepped down using a transformer. The ATmega328 microprocessor is then programmed to select the best output based on availability or cost. The system was simulated using the Proteus simulation environment. The simulation's findings indicate that, regardless of the performance scenario, the source that feeds the output depends on the priority mode that was chosen. For houses where power costs are the primary consideration, this system can be operated in economy mode; however, in hospitals, where availability is more important, it is advisable to utilize the UP-priority option. In conclusion, if consumers connect their electronic devices to the device, the likelihood of a total power outage in the event of a power outage at any specific source is decreased. By using the least expensive source in economy mode, it also decreased the cost of powering the load or house. To facilitate more study and enhance system performance, it is advised that a hardware model of the concept be created and tested.