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Electrical power generation in aircraft: review, challenges and opportunities

Madonna, Vincenzo; Giangrande, Paolo; Galea, Michael

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Authors

Vincenzo Madonna

Paolo Giangrande

Michael Galea



Abstract

The constant growth of air traffic, the demand for performance optimization and the need for decreasing both operating and maintenance costs have encouraged the aircraft industry to move towards more electric solutions. As a result of this trend, electric power required on board of aircraft has significantly increased through the years, causing major changes in electric power system architectures. Considering this scenario, the paper gives a review about the evolution of electric power generation systems in aircraft. The major achievements are highlighted and the rationale behind some significant developments discussed. After a brief historical overview of the early DC generators (both wind- and engine-driven), the reasons which brought the definitive passage to the AC generation, for larger aircraft, are presented and explained. Several AC generation systems are investigated with particular attention being focused on the voltage levels and the generator technology. Further, examples of commercial aircraft implementing AC generation systems are provided. Finally, the trends towards modern generation systems are also considered giving prominence to their challenges and feasibility.

Citation

Madonna, V., Giangrande, P., & Galea, M. (2018). Electrical power generation in aircraft: review, challenges and opportunities. IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification, 4(3), 646-659. https://doi.org/10.1109/TTE.2018.2834142

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date May 3, 2018
Online Publication Date May 7, 2018
Publication Date 2018-09
Deposit Date May 9, 2018
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal IEEE Transactions on Transportation Electrification
Electronic ISSN 2332-7782
Publisher Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 4
Issue 3
Pages 646-659
DOI https://doi.org/10.1109/TTE.2018.2834142
Keywords MEA, AEA, Aircraft Electric Power Generation, HEP, HVDC
Public URL https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/931457
Publisher URL https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/8355775/
Additional Information © 2018 IEEE. Personal use of this material is permitted. Permission from IEEE must be obtained for all other uses, in any current or future media, including reprinting/republishing this material for advertising or promotional purposes, creating new collective works, for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or reuse of any copyrighted component of this work in other works

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