NOVEL AIRCRAFT ELECTRICAL POWER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM BASED ON DISTRIBUTED COMPUTER

As a matured technique used in many fields,the distributed computer system is still a new management method for the aeronautical electrical power distribution system in our country. In this paper, a novel aircraft electrical power distribution system based on the distributed computer system is proposed. The principles, features and structure of the aircraft electrical power distribution system and the distributed computer system named electrical load management system (ELMS) are studied. The ELMS composed of four electrical load management centers (ELMCs) and two power source processors (PSPs) operates in the 1553B buses. Principles of the ELMCs and the PSPs are introduced. With the application of the distributed computer system, the aircraft electrical power distribution system is simple, adaptable and flexible.

Investigation of Nonlinear PI Multi-loop Control Strategy for Aircraft HVDC Generator System with Wound Rotor Synchronous Machine

In order to enhance the transient performance of aircraft high voltage DC(HVDC)generation system with wound rotor synchronous machine(WRSM)under a wide speed range,the nonlinear PI multi-loop control strategy is proposed in this paper.Traditional voltage control method is hard to achieve the dynamic performance requirements of the HVDC generation system under a wide speed range,so the nonlinear PI parameter adjustment,load current feedback and speed feedback are added to the voltage and excitation current double loop control.The transfer function of the HVDC generation system is derived,and the relationship between speed,load current and PI parameters is obtained.The PI parameters corresponding to the load at certain speed are used to shorten the adjusting time when the load suddenly changes.The dynamic responses in transient processes are analyzed by experiment.The results illustrate that the WRSM HVDC generator system with this method has better dynamic performance.

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.

Modeling and Simulation of Electrical System in More Electric Civil Aircraft Considering Faults

Based on the integrated design and airworthiness verification of civil aircraft system,this paper completes the simulation modeling and fault modeling of aircraft electrical system. The aircraft electrical system is constructed in the form of dual generators and dual-channel power supply. The main power supply adopts the three-stage power generation system,the auxiliary power supply system uses the permanent magnet synchronous power generation system and a battery. The transmission and distribution system is responsible for the electrical power conversion and the logic control in the system fault-pattern. The simulation results show that the system is reasonable and effective,which provides a reference for the optimal design and control of the actual aircraft electrical system.

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.

Aircraft Observations of Electrical Conductivity in Warm Clouds

Aircraft observations of electrical conductivity and cloud microphsical, dynamical and other electrical parameters were made in warm stratocumulus and cumulus clouds forming during the summer monsoon seasons (June-September) of 1983 and 1985 in the Deccan Plateau region, India. A Gerdien type cylindrical condenser was used for the measurement of electrical conductivity. The variations in the electrical conductivity are observed to be closely associated with the updrafts and downdrafts in the cloud, liquid water content, cloud droplet charge and corona discharge current. The value of electrical conductivity in warm clouds is found to be in the order of 10-12 ohm-1 m-1 which is two orders higher than that observed in clear-air at cloud-base levels in some regions by other investigators.Classical static electricity concepts predict reduced conductivity values inside clouds. Cloud electrical conductivity measurements, particularly in warm clouds are few and the results are contradictory. The recently identified mechanism of vertical mixing in clouds lends support to convective charge separation mechanism with inherent larger than clear-air values for cloud electrical conductivity and therefore consistent with the measurements reported herein.

Control-Based Stabilization of DC Microgrid for More Electric Aircraft

Electrifying the on-board subsystems of aircraft becomes an inevitable process as being faced with the environmental pollution,along with the proposed concept called more electric aircraft(MEA).With the increasing number of on-board power electronic based devices,the distribution system of the aircraft can be regarded as an onboard microgrid.As it is known that the load power electronic converters can exhibit constant power load(CPL)characteristics and reduce the system stability,it is necessary to accurately predict and enhance the system stability in designing process.This paper firstly analyzes the stability of an on-board DC microgrid with the presence of CPL.Then,discusses the reasons behind instability and proposes a control strategy to enhance system stability.Finally,the simulation results are worked out to validate the analysis and the effect of the proposed control strategy.

Simulation Analysis of DC Fault Interruption Characteristics of Superconducting Electric Aircraft Propulsion

Environmental issues associated with the aviation industry are getting more attention as air traffic increases.Stringent standards are imposed for fuel consumption and pollution emissions for next-generation aircraft.Superconducting electrical propulsion aircraft(SEPA)have been seen as an efficient way to achieve this goal.High-temperature superconducting(HTS)devices are extensively used in the power system to supply enormous energy.Power is distributed to the different loads via a DC distribution network.However,it will generate an inrush current over ten times higher than the rated current in short-circuit state,which is very harmful to the system.Therefore,it is essential to adopt an appropriate protection scheme.This paper discusses one protection scheme that combines DC vacuum circuit breakers(DC VCB)and resistive superconducting current limiters(RSFCL)for superconducting aircraft applications.Considering problems of cost and loss,the auxiliary capacitor is pre-charged by system voltage,and mechanical elements extinguish the arc.Furthermore,combined with RSFCL,the interrupting environment is fully improved.RSFCL limits fault current,and then the VCB breaks this limited current based on creating an artificial current zero(ACZ).The prospective rated power is 8MW,rated voltage and current are 4 kV and 1 kA,respectively.In this paper,we discuss and simulate switching devices that protect SEPA.The interrupting performance of the circuit breaker is analysed in the DC short-circuit fault that occurs on the transmission line.Finally,the residual energy consumption of different situations is calculated.A comparison is made between using RSFCL with metal oxide varistor(MOV)and just using MOV.The scheme with RSFCL shows a significant advantage in energy consumption.

Architecture Optimization of More Electric Aircraft Actuation System

The optional types of power source and actuator in the aircraft are more and more diverse due to fast development in more electric technology, which makes the combinations of different power sources and actuators become extremely complex in the architecture optimization process of airborne actuation system. The traditional ＂trial and error＂ method cannot satisfy the design demands. In this paper, firstly, the composition of more electric aircraft （MEA） flight control actuation system （FCAS） is introduced, and the possible architecture quantity is calculated. Secondly, the evaluation criteria of FCAS architecture with respect to safe reliability, weight and efficiency are proposed, and the evaluation criteria values are calculated in the case that each control surface adopts the same actuator configuration. Finally, the optimization results of MEA FCAS architecture are obtained by applying genetic algorithm （GA）. Compared to the traditional actuation system architecture, which only adopts servo valve controlled hydraulic actuators, the weight of the optimized more electric actuation system architecture can be reduced by 6%, and the efficiency can be improved by 30% based on the safe reliability requirements.

Multi-level virtual prototyping of electromechanical actuation system for more electric aircraft

Electromechanical actuators（EMAs） are becoming increasingly attractive in the field of more electric aircraft because of their outstanding benefits, which include reduced fuel burn and maintenance cost, enhanced system flexibility, and improved management of fault detection and isolation. However, electromechanical actuation raises specific issues when being used for safetycritical aerospace applications like flight controls： huge reflected inertia to load, jamming-type failure, and increase of backlash with service due to wear and local dissipation of heat losses for thermal balance. This study proposes an incremental approach for virtual prototyping of EMAs. It is driven by a model-based system engineering process in order to enable simulation-aided design.Best practices supported by Bond graph formalism are suggested to develop a model＇s structure efficiently and to make the model ready for use（or extension） by addressing the above mentioned issues. Physical effects are progressively introduced, and the realism of lumped-parameter models is increased step-by-step. In particular, multi-level component models are architected to ensure continuity between engineering activities. The models are implemented in the AMESim simulation environment, and simulation responses are given to illustrate how they can be used for preliminary sizing, control design, thermal balance verification, and faults to failure analysis. The proposed best practices intend to provide engineers with fast, reusable, and efficient means to assess performance virtually and enhance maturity, performance, and robustness.

A novel integrated self-powered brake system for more electric aircraft

Traditional hydraulic brake systems require a complex system of pipelines between an aircraft engine driven pump（EDP） and brake actuators, which increases the weight of the aircraft and may even cause serious vibration and leakage problems. In order to improve the reliability and safety of more electric aircraft（MEA）, this paper proposes a new integrated self-powered brake system（ISBS） for MEA. It uses a hydraulic pump geared to the main wheel to recover a small part of the kinetic energy of a landing aircraft. The recovered energy then serves as the hydraulic power supply for brake actuators. It does not require additional hydraulic source, thus removing the pipelines between an EDP and brake actuators. In addition, its self-powered characteristic makes it possible to brake as usual even in an emergency situation when the airborne power is lost. This paper introduces the working principle of the ISBS and presents a prototype. The mathematical models of a taxiing aircraft and the ISBS are established. A feedback linearization control algorithm is designed to fulfill the anti-skid control. Simulations are carried out to verify the feasibility of the ISBS, and experiments are conducted on a ground inertia brake test bench. The ISBS presents a good performance and provides a new potential solution in the field of brake systems for MEA.

Fault-tolerance wide voltage conversion gain DC/DC converter for more electric aircraft

In this paper,a fault-tolerance wide voltage conversion gain DC/DC converter for More Electric Aircraft(MEA)is proposed.The proposed converter consists of a basic Cuk converter module and n expandable units.By adjusting the operation state of the expandable units,the voltage conversion gain of the proposed converter could be regulated,which makes it available for wide voltage conversion applications.Especially,since mutual redundancy can be realized between the basic Cuk converter module and the expandable units,the converter can continuously work when an unpredictable fault occurs to the fault-tolerant parts of the proposed converter,which reflects the fault tolerance of the converter and significantly improves the reliability of the system.Moreover,the advantages of small input current ripple,automatic current sharing and low voltage stress are also integrated in this converter.The working principle and features of the proposed converter are mainly introduced,and an experimental prototype with 800 W output power has been manufactured to verify the practicability and availability of the proposed converter.

Overview and Development of Variable Frequency AC Generators for More Electric Aircraft Generation System

With the development of more electric aircraft(MEA),higher demands for electrical energy are put forward in generation systems.Compared to constant frequency AC(CFAC)generation systems,the constant speed drive(CSD)is eliminated and integrated starter/generator(SG)can be realized in variable frequency AC(VFAC)generation systems.In this paper,an overview of VFAC generators for safety-critical aircraft applications is presented,with a particular focus on the key features and requirements of candidate generators and the starting control strategies.Wound rotor synchronous machines(WRSMs)are typical generators used in VFAC generation systems so far.Meanwhile,hybrid excitation synchronous machines(HESMs)and cage-type induction machines are promising candidates for VFAC generation systems.The generation operation of WRSM is relatively mature,however,the SG technology of WRSM is still full of challenges.As one of the most important issues,the starting excitation methods of WRSM are summarized.An HESM-based VFAC SG system is proposed and developed in this paper.The experimental results show that the starting mode,transition mode and generating mode of the VFAC SG system are realized.The continuous progress of VFAC generation system makes great contributions to the realization of MEA.

Energy management of hybrid electric propulsion system: Recent progress and a flying car perspective under three-dimensional transportation networks

The hybrid electric propulsion system(HEPS)holds clear potential to support the goal of sustainability in the automobile and aviation industry.As an important part of the three-dimensional transportation network,vehicles and aircraft using HEPSs have the advantages of high fuel economy,low emission,and low noise.To fulfill these advantages,the design of their energy management strategies(EMSs)is essential.This paper presents an in-depth review of EMSs for hybrid electric vehicles(HEVs)and hybrid electric aircraft.First,in view of the main challenges of current EMSs of HEVs,the referenced research is reviewed according to the solutions facing real-time implementation problems,variable driving conditions adaptability problems,and multi-objective optimization problems,respectively.Second,the existing research on the EMSs for hybrid electric aircraft is summarized according to the hybrid electric propulsion architectures.In addition,with the advance in propulsion technology and mechanical manufacturing in recent years,flying cars have gradually become a reality,further enriching the composition of the three-dimensional transportation network.And EMSs also play an essential role in the efficient operation of flying cars driven by HEPSs.Therefore,in the last part of this paper,the development status of flying cars and their future prospects are elaborated.By comprehensively summarizing the EMSs of HEPS for vehicles and aircraft,this review aims to provide guidance for the research on the EMSs for flying cars driven by HEPS and serve as the basis for knowledge transfer of relevant researchers.

Detailed Design of a High Speed Switched Reluctance Starter/Generator for More/All Electric Aircraft

The basic concepts and advantages of more/all electric aircraft （M/AEA） are briefly addressed. The combined starter/generator （CS/G） system is introduced as a key technology to enable M/AEA. Some important performance requirements for CS/G system are obtained. Based on these requirements, a high speed switched reluctance machine （SRM） is designed to operate as a starter/generator. The entire design process is mainly divided into two stages： electromagnetic design and thermal design. In electromagnetic design stage, the electromagnetic structure and dimensions of the machine and the number of phase winding turns per pole are obtained; the topology and main technical details of the converter are briefly introduced as well. In thermal design stage, a liquid-cooling system is designed based on the thermal analysis of the machine. In the end, the performances of the designed SRM are basically verified by simulation. To get high performances, the exciting angles are optimized in two different operating modes respectively, and the optimized performances in the motoring mode are given as well.

Review on signal-by-wire and power-by-wire actuation for more electric aircraft

The huge and rapid progress in electric drives offers new opportunities to improve the performances of aircraft at all levels：fuel burn,environmental footprint,safety,integration and production,serviceability,and maintainability.Actuation for safety-critical applications like flight-controls,landing gears,and even engines is one of the major consumers of non-propulsive power.Conventional actuation with centralized hydraulic power generation and distribution and control of power by throttling has been well established for decades,but offers a limited potential of evolution.In this context,electric drives become more and more attractive to remove the natural drawbacks of conventional actuation and to offer new opportunities for improving performance.This paper takes the stock,at both the signal and power levels,of the evolution of actuation for safety-critical applications in aerospace.It focuses on the recent advances and the remaining challenges to be taken toward full electrical actuation for commercial and military aircraft,helicopters,and launchers.It logically starts by emphasizing the specificity of safety-critical actuation for aerospace.The following section addresses in details the evolution of aerospace actuation from mechanically-signaled and hydraulically-supplied to all electric,with special emphasis on research and development programs and on solutions entered into service.Finally,the last section reviews the challenges to be taken to generalize the use of all-electric actuators for future aircraft programs.

Si/SiC Hybrid 5-level Active NPC Inverter for Electric Aircraft Propulsion Drive Applications

Medium voltage DC(MVDC)system is considered as a promising technology to improve the efficiency and power density of electric aircraft propulsion(EAP)drives.To adapt to the MVDC voltage level and achieve high drive performance,a five-level active neutral point clamped(5L-ANPC)inverter consisting of three-level ANPC and flying capacitor circuits is investigated,which possesses higher voltage capability,lower output harmonics,as well as mitigated dv/dt and common-mode voltage.To fulfill the requirements of high-speed operation and pursue further enhanced efficiency and power density of the inverter for the next-generation EAP drives,Silicon Carbide(SiC)semiconductor devices are considered for implementing the 5L-ANPC inverter.However,the large commutation loops associated with certain switching states of the inverter lessen the benefits of configuring all the switches as SiC devices.As a result,a hybrid Si/SiC 5L-ANPC inverter is developed with a synchronous optimal pulse(SOP)width modulation strategy for controlling the switches in cell 2 and finite-control-set model predictive controller(FCS-MPC)for those in cell 3 of the inverter.Consequently,in the proposed topology,the SiC devices are merely used for the high-frequency switches in cell 3 and the rest of the low-frequency switches are configured with Si IGBTs.This Si/SiC hybrid ANPC inverter concurrently provides high efficiency and low implementation cost at high-speed operation mode.Simulation and experimental results are provided to verify the effectiveness of the proposed hybrid inverter.

Modularity Techniques in High Performance Permanent Magnet Machines and Applications

This paper reviews the modularity techniques in the stator manufacture of permanent magnet machines for different applications.Some basic concepts of modular machines are firstly introduced.Modular machines for several typical applications are then described in details,including domestic appliances,automobiles and electric vehicles,more electric aircrafts and civic applications,wind power generators,etc.Besides,the influence of manufacture tolerance gaps and flux barriers on the electromagnetic performance is discussed.

Design and application of an Electric Tail Rotor Drive Control(ETRDC) for helicopters with performance tests

With the development of electric helicopters’ motor technology and the widespread use of electric drive rotors, more aircraft use electric rotors to provide thrust and directional control.For a helicopter tail rotor, the wake of the main rotor influences the tail rotor’s inflow and wake.In the procedure of controlling, crosswind will also cause changes to the tail disk load. This paper describes requirements and design principles of an electric motor drive and variable pitch tail rotor system. A particular spoke-type architecture of the motor is designed, and the performance of blades is analyzed by the CFD method. The demand for simplicity of moving parts and strict constraints on the weight of a helicopter makes the design of electrical and mechanical components challenging. Different solutions have been investigated to propose an effective alternative to the mechanical actuation system. A test platform is constructed which can collect the dynamic response of the thrust control. The enhancement of the response speed due to an individual motor speed control and variable-pitch system is validated.

Flow characteristics of integrated motor-pump assembly with phosphate ester medium for aerospace electro-hydrostatic actuators

Motor-pump assembly is the core component of the Aerospace Electro-hydrostatic Actuator(EHA).Thus,the design of the motor pump can be very challenging under conditions of high speed and wide pressure range,especially in particular working mediums.Our ultimate goal is to pursue better flow characteristics under a wide range of working conditions.In this paper,we built a sub-model of the main friction interfaces and a model of single-shaft coaxial motor-pump assembly adopting the method of hierarchical modeling.The experimental investigation of the output characteristics was mainly carried out in a phosphate ester medium environment.Then,the flow characteristics were compared and analyzed with the simulation results.Results indicated that the flow characteristics of the motor-pump assembly could be accurately simulated by the model and quite severe in a low speed and high-pressure environment.