Abstract
Hybrid electric propulsion aircraft are proposed to improve overall aircraft efficiency, enabling future rising demands for air travel to be met. The development of appropriate electrical power systems to provide thrust for the aircraft is a significant challenge due to the much higher required power generation capacity levels and complexity of the aero-electrical power systems (AEPS). The efficiency and weight of the AEPS is critical to ensure that the benefits of hybrid propulsion are not mitigated by the electrical power train. Hence it is proposed that for larger aircraft (~200 passengers) superconducting power systems are used to meet target power densities. Central to the design of the hybrid propulsion AEPS is a robust and reliable electrical protection and fault management system. It is known from previous studies that the choice of protection system may have a significant impact on the overall efficiency of the AEPS. Hence an informed design process which considers the key trades between choice of cable and protection requirements is needed. To date the fault response of a voltage source converter interfaced DC link rail to rail fault in a superconducting power system has only been investigated using simulation models validated by theoretical values from the literature. This paper will present the experimentally obtained fault response for a variety of different types of superconducting tape for a rail to rail DC fault. The paper will then use these as a platform to identify key trades between protection requirements and cable design, providing guidelines to enable future informed decisions to optimise hybrid propulsion electrical power system and protection design.
Highlights
It is expected that by 2030, 32,600 new aircraft will be required to replace aging existing fleets and support the anticipated growth in demand for air travel [1]
A consequence of this would be that other components in the system, such as the diodes in the power electronics converters, would have to dissipate high amounts of fault energy
The fast discharge of the capacitor in this very low impedance scenario could cause significant voltage depreciation throughout the system as DC-link capacitors connected across healthy branches begin to discharge into the fault
Summary
It is expected that by 2030, 32,600 new aircraft will be required to replace aging existing fleets and support the anticipated growth in demand for air travel [1]. A number of government agencies have outlined development goals that future aircraft must reach if the industry is to able to grow while meeting regulatory stipulations [2, 3]. These goals encompass CO2 emissions, noise emissions, efficiency and runway field length. To meet these targets, new and innovative design approaches are required for both the drivetrain and the aircraft body itself. A key advantage of TeDP is the flexibility in where the propulsor motors can be placed on the aircraft which can lead to significant aerodynamic and practical advantages [3].
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