New load management technology for next-generation aircraft

The performance of modern aircraft depends to a large degree on the reliability of electrical systems. An EU-funded project has contributed new developments in load management, ensuring that electrical equipment is safe before aircraft fly.

Industrial Technologies

Currently, electrical system equipment cannot control the amount of energy drawn from generators, causing the possibility of overload. With EU funding support, the project DSOT300-125S (Development and manufacturing of programmable electrical load and advanced PSM for electrical energy management testing in flight demo) developed a new programmable resistive electrical load with an advanced power supply module, ensuring reliability and an easy-to-use graphical user interface. The equipment provides a fast response to input voltage transient for optimum performance, even when the electrical power centre (EPC) is operating in voltage chopping mode. Furthermore, the temperature drift is low – less than 0.1 %. The speed requirements of loading the EPC were satisfied by redesigning the analogue and digital circuits, using specifically designed solid-state resistors. The all-electric aircraft concept requires more complex load management. The newly developed EPC that manages power and loads efficiently should be an innovative part of next-generation aircraft electrical systems.