Project description
Enhancing the safety features of Europe’s more electric aircraft
As the EU moves towards more electric aircraft, electrical machines that convert electrical into mechanical energy are increasing. Safety requires the presence of mechanical drive disconnects (MDDs), or motor disconnects, which can disconnect mechanical devices in a controlled manner in the event of electrical problems. The EU-funded MDD project is supporting UK-based Denis Ferranti Group in developing its patent for just such an MDD solution for an embedded generator. The innovation will be able to respond rapidly to faults in harsh environments for Europe’s more electric large passenger aircraft.
Objective
The scope of the topic is to develop novel mechanical drive disconnect (MDD) solutions for an electric machine. The solution will focus on rapid response to faults within harsh environments. The project will be aimed at their development and integration into new technologies that will be developed and demonstrated in WP 1.6 of LPA IADP.
The Denis Ferranti group addresses this scope making use of its technical strengths in design, manufacture and testing set against a firm financial footing and unique intellectual property in relation to the topic (gearboxes, clutches, induction machines, permanent magnet). In particular, we have a patent application pertaining to a Mechanical Drive Disconnect and a patent pertaining to fire mitigations (fault tolerant architectures, mitigations to single point failures and thermal fuses) which may enable a more efficient realisation of the Rolls-Royce “mechanical disconnect” patent.
Fields of science
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
RIA - Research and Innovation actionCoordinator
LL33 0HS Bangor
United Kingdom
The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.