Feasibility of a New Ironless-stator Axial Flux Permanent Magnet Machine for Aircraft Electric Propulsion Application

With the development of aviation electrification,higher demands for electrical machines are put forward in aircraft electric propulsion systems.The aircraft electric propulsion requirements and propulsion motor features are analyzed in this paper.Comparing with conventional PM machines,ironless stator axial flux permanent magnet(AFPM)machine topologies with Litz wire windings allow designs with higher compactness,lightness and efficiency,which are suitable for high-frequency and high-power density applications.Based on the motor requirements and constraints of aircraft electric propulsion systems,this paper investigates a high-power 1 MW multi-stack ironless stator AFPM machine,which is composed of four 250kW modular motors by stacking in axial.The design guidelines and special attentions are presented,in term of electromagnetic,thermal,and mechanical performance for the high-frequency coils and Halbach-array PM rotor.Finally,an ironless stator AFPM motor is manufactured,tested and evaluated with the consideration of cost and processing cycle.The results show that the output power is up to 53.8kW with 95%efficiency at 9000r/min at this stage.The proposed ironless stator AFPM machine with oil immersed forced cooling proves to be a favorable candidate for application in electric aircraft as propulsion motors.

Overview and Analysis of PM Starter/Generator for Aircraft Electrical Power Systems

More Electrical Aircraft(MEA)which replaces the hydraulic and pneumatic power by electrical power leads to reducing emissions and fuel consumption.The MEA concept has led to a growing use of the starter/generator(S/G)system.Permanent magnet(PM)machines have been gaining interests for aircraft S/G system application over the last few years.This is mainly due to the several advantages,including high power density,high efficiency and high speed ability.The shortcoming of the PM machines is the de-­excitation problem in case of a failure,which is a main issue for the aircraft application.However,by using a PM machine with high reactance or multiphase configuration,the fault-­tolerant ability can be improved.In terms of the aircraft S/G system,this paper is going to present a comprehensive analysis of PM machines.Firstly,the state-­of-­the-­art of PM starter/generator(PMS/G)is summarized and the basic structure of PMS/G system is analyzed.Next,key technologies of the PMS/G system are summarized and analyzed.Finally,a flux weakening fault protection strategy that is used to suppress the turn-­to-­turn short circuit(SC)current is studied,simulated and verified.With the breakthrough of key technologies based on the development of high temperature electromagnetic material and high temperature power electronics,the PMS/G will be a potential candidate for aircraft S/G system including the embedded power generation system.