Reliability analysis for electric power systems of more-electric aircraft based on the minimal path set

Abstract

With the raise of aircraft performance and the increasing electrical applications, the more-electrical or all-electric aircraft will become the main aircraft model in future. The reliability assessment of aircraft electric power system is critical to guarantee the reliable operation of the aircraft . A reliability assessment method for complex power system of large aircraft such as Boeing 787 has been described in this paper. First the aircraft power distribution system is abstracted as a topology diagram based on the graph theory. Then the minimal path sets are searching from the source node to the load nodes by the depth-first search. These path sets can represent the normal power supply path of the electric power system. Finally, using the raw reliability data of components, the reliability function of various important buses is established and the reliability index of large aircraft power distribution system is calculated. This assessment method can be used to analyze and assess the reliability of power supply and distribution system of different models and to provide a reference for the design and analysis of complex electric power system of civil aircraft.