Abstract
The gradual evolution from hydro-pneumatic to electrical disposition of power in aircraft has placed stringent requirements on the reliability of power electronic components in current and future aerospace applications. This paper examines the prevalent state-of-the-art in power electronics and provides an analytical overview of power electronics in More Electric Aircraft (MEA) vis-à-vis the generation and distribution of power within these aircraft.The types of power devices currently employed for multiple conversion topologies are analysed and weighed according to their respective reliability characteristics. Beginning with an in-depth review of failure modes in the currently available devices, the paper highlights the salient emerging state-of-the-art Wide Band Gap (WBG) technologies such as Gallium Nitride (GaN) and Silicon Carbide (SiC) and draws an extensive comparison with their Silicon counterparts.A comprehensive examination of techniques employed for the estimation of the reliability of WBG power devices has revealed a number of areas that merit due consideration. For instance, the physics-based models that have been developed to assess the operational lifetime of silicon-based devices for given failure modes require revamping in light of the new materials and the unique electrical and physical characteristics the WBG devices possess. Similarly, the condition monitoring techniques, with respect to the primary and secondary parameters, require further investigation to determine highly representative feature vectors that best describe the degradation within these devices. More significantly, optimisation of the proposed techniques for the health assessment of these devices needs to be pursued through the optimal use of vital parameters. Keeping these critical findings in perspective, a road map highlighting various avenues for power electronics optimisation in MEA is put forth to apprise the aerospace fraternity of its growing significance.
Highlights
The use of secondary power within civil aircraft has fallen into three general categories, namely, Hydraulic, Pneumatic, and Electrical power
The paper starts by examining the current architecture of the More Electric Aircraft (MEA) and the associated power electronic component failures in sub-systems within the aircraft
The primary stressors affecting the reliability of several components within power electronics systems, such as printed circuit boards (PCBs), semiconductors, and capacitors are temperature-related [18]
Summary
The use of secondary power within civil aircraft has fallen into three general categories, namely, Hydraulic, Pneumatic, and Electrical power. By developing a more electric aircraft (MEA), this power requirement can be significantly reduced, enabling lower fuel burn and emissions. Several initiatives have been proposed to reduce the emissions in the generation of aircraft currently being developed. These include Power Optimised Aircraft (POA), More Open Electrical Technologies (MOET) project, and the CLEAN SKY Joint Undertaking (CSJU), CLEAN SKY 2 and 3 [2]. This review paper investigates the reliability of these electrified systems and presents a road map to improving the design and in-service condition monitoring of this evolving technology. The paper starts by examining the current architecture of the More Electric Aircraft (MEA) and the associated power electronic component failures in sub-systems within the aircraft. A roadmap of challenges and suggested improvements to the future of MEA is presented [4,5,6,7,8]
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