Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
The More
Electric
Aircraft
Technology and challenges.
2325-5987/142014IEEE
Jet Fuel
Propulsion Thrust
(40 MW)
Gearbox-Driven
Generators
High-Pressure
Air Bled from
Engine
Gearbox-Driven
Hydraulic Pump
Electrical
200 kW
Pneumatic
1.2 MW
Hydraulic
240 kW
Mechanical
100 kW
xx
230 V ac variable frequency (e.g.,
Power electronics
is one of the most
important enabling
technologies for
the More Electric
Aircraft.
320800 Hz).
Many large aircraft use a combination of these supplies, with 28 V dc
commonly being used for flight critical loads, such as Avionics, even on
large aircraft. The larger loads are
then supplied from a single or combination of higher-voltage ac or dc
systems. The first large civilian More
Electric Aircraft have chosen to use a
combination of electrical systems. An
example of such a system design for the high power loads
is shown in Figure 3.
In Figure 3, the electrical system shown is split into two
main ac buses, ac bus 1 and ac bus 2, which are fed from two
Jet Fuel
Propulsion Thrust
(40 MW)
Engine-Driven
Generators
Existing Electrical
Loads
Electrical
Cabin Pressurization
Air Conditioning
Icing Protection
Electrical
Flight-Control Actuation
Landing Gear/Braking
Doors
Electrical
Fuel-Pumping
Engine Ancillaries
SG 1
SG 2
GCU
GCU
F1
igen1
ac Bus 1
vHVAC1
SATRU1
F3
igen2
SHVB
ac Bus 2
vHVAC2
SWIPS
SATRU2
SACL
Essential Bus
iATRU2
iATRU1
SEMA1
WIPS
ATRU1
SEMA2
Other ac Loads
iCRU1
dc Bus 1
vHVDC1
CRU
SDCL
idcEMA
F2
idcECS1
vHVDC2
dc Bus 2
CRU
SECS1
ATRU2
CIU
SECS2
CIU
idcECS2
Other dc Loads
PMM
PMM
EMA1
EMA2
ECS1
Other dc Loads
ECS2
PMM
PMM
systems, represented in this diagram by two electromechanical actuators (EMA1 and EMA2), which are driven by permanent magnet motor drives. The most significant loads found
on the dc buses are the environmental control systems,
which maintain the temperature and
pressure of the passenger cabin of civilian aircraft.
Electrical systems
offer far more
options for
reconfigurability as
well as for advanced
prognostics and
diagnostics.
Va
Variable-Speed
Shaft
Constant-Output
Speed Gearbox
Constant-Speed
Shaft
Generator
Three Phase
400 Hz, 115 V
(a)
Variable-Speed
Va
Shaft
Power Converter
(ac/ac)
Generator
Three Phase
400 Hz, 115 V
(b)
Variable-Speed
Shaft
Three Phase
320800 Hz
230 or 115 V
Generator
(c)
Figure 4. (a) A constant-frequency generation system using a constant output speed mechanical gearbox. (b) A constant-frequency generation
system using a power converter. (c) A variable-frequency generation system.
10
Actuation Loads
Electric
Motor
Reduction
Gearbox
Ball
Screw
Three-Phase
Supply
Electric
Motor
Power
Converter
Fixed
Displacement
Pump
Hydraulic Ram
Architectural
Layer
om
rea
lC
nc
ls I
tai
Functional Layer
De
ple
xit
y
of
Inc
rea
se
s
l
ve
Le
Behavioral Layer
se
Power
Converter
de
Three-Phase
Supply
Mo
11
The electrical
system is used
to power loads
such as the avionics
systems, lighting,
and in-flight
entertainment.
as well as the low-frequency power quality. Models at this
layer are based on nonswitching averaged models of equipment. Simulation studies at this layer are capable of running at near-real-time speeds and so the behavior of the
electrical system during flight profiles can be performed.
Figure 8 shows a typical comparison between the
behavioral and functional level models. This example is
for the loss of one generator and the subsequent reconfiguration of the electrical system, as shown in Figure 3.
The fictional model accurately captures the transient
activity of the system variables, but the behavioral model
also captures the high-frequency switching components
in the waveforms.
The architectural layer is used for top-level global electrical power system architecture studies. The architectural
layer does not model transient dynamics, but considers
the global system in steady state. The main use of models
in this layer is for sizing and system-level design.
Conclusion
This article has introduced some of the solutions and technologies being developed for the More Electric Aircraft. The
vhvac (V)
400
300
200
100
Behavioral
Functional
0
1.195 1.2 1.205 1.2 1.215 1.2 1.225 1.23 1.235 1.24
(a)
vhvac2 (V)
340
320
300
280
Behavioral
Functional
1.195 1.2 1.205 1.2 1.215 1.2 1.225 1.23 1.235 1.24
(b)
Figure 8. The transient response of VHVAC1 and VHVAC2 on SG1 loss.
12
Acknowledgments
We would like to acknowledge the funding through the
European Union-funded Clean Sky JTI project, which made
this work possible as well as the contribution to this work
of many members of the Power Electronics, Machines, and
Control Group at the University of Nottingham.
Further Reading
K. Karimi, Role of power electronics in more-electric-
airplanes, in Proc. European Power Electronics Conf., U.K.,
Sept. 2011, pp. 4954.
I. Moir, More-electric aircraft-system considerations,
in Proc. IEE Colloqu. Electrical Machines and Systems for the
More Electric Aircraft, 1999, pp. 10/110/9.
P. Wheeler, The More Electric AircraftThe importance of
power electronics, in Proc. European Power Electronics Conf.,
Spain, Sept. 2009, pp. 201206.
T. Jomier, More open electric technologiesFinal
report, EU FP6 Project Rep., Dec. 2009.
Biographies
Pat Wheeler (Pat.wheeler@nottingham.ac.uk) is a professor of power electronic systems and director of the
Institute of Aerospace Technology at the University of
Nottingham, United Kingdom.
Sergei Bozhko (serhiy.bozhko@nottingham.ac.uk) is a
principle research fellow in the Power Electronics,
Machines, and Control Research Group at the University of
Nottingham, United Kingdom.