Smart system to test aircraft power sources
Next-generation aircraft are designed around a more electrical architecture, which involves replacing the hydraulic and pneumatic systems in current aircraft with electrical systems. This requires a significant increase in electrical power. New standards in power distribution that increase the electrical network (270 and 540 V) have been defined to reduce the amount, and correspondingly weight, of power distribution wiring. Fast changing imbalances between generation and load can have an effect on grid stability and harm the attached devices. In the EU-funded project SPLS (Smart programmable load and source), scientists successfully developed a versatile power module that can act both as electrical load emulator and generator emulator. It can replicate both alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) resistance loads. The newly developed modular and multifunctional smart programmable electrical load and source can be used as part of a wider test bench for more-electric aircraft. It combines configurable hardware architecture with flexible and reprogrammable software architecture. The smart programmable load can conduct tests on various aircraft topologies. It combines dynamic power modules with high-speed data access and computational power. The system bridges the gap between simulation of systems and actual power tests, handling both AC and DC applications. SPLS novel module can find application in systems that run on both DC and AC electricity including batteries, fuel cells, hydroelectric and electromechanical actuators, and loads.
Keywords
Aircraft, power sources, grid balance, programmable electric load, more-electric aircraft