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www.thalesgroup.com
Electrical Technologies for the Aviation of the Future,
Europe-Japan Symposium, March 26th 2015, Tokyo
Overview of challenges in active power
conversion for the More Electric Aircraft
Pascal THALIN
VP Research & Technology/Technical Director
THALES Avionics Electrical Systems
Presentation Overview
1 /
•
•More Electrical Aircraft (MEA) context & challenges
•Active power conversion and motor control
•Thales portfolio for conventional & More Electric Aircraft
•Closing comments
www.thalesgroup.com
MEA context & challenges
Customer expectations
3 /
Airframer / Airlines expectations
- More
efficient and cost-effective aircraft
- Reduce the cost of operation and ownership
- Cut fuel burn, increase availability, reliability & maintainability
- Going
green
- Reduced gas emissions & carbon footprint
-
Reduced noise
Sustainable design & manufacturing
Passenger expectations
-
Improvement in flight comfort
-
Non-stop IFE, connectivity, noise, services…
Individual power source (laptop, mobile…)
Fuel consumption savings = lower operating costs & air pollution
Increased availability = passenger comfort & operating revenues
4 /
Route to More Electrical Aircraft
More Electrical Aircraft Market environment:
•
•
Main expected benefits:
• Decrease fuel burn
• Decrease weight
Through electrification of loads:
• Decrease power off-take
• Move from legacy hydraulic
or pneumatic energy to electricity:
•
Current On-bord Power
ECS, Engine and APU start, braking, anti/de-icing…
Impact on aircraft requirements:
•
•
Power on-board: +
Voltage transformation and motion control: +
Room for both, energy generation
and usage optimization
• New innovative architectures
More Electrical Aircraft Market track record:
•
1600
1400
A/C Electrical Power (kW)
•
B787
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
0
1980
•
•
A400M
JSF
A320
F16
1985
1990
A350
A380
B747 A340
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
Airbus A380
• First Variable Frequency Generator, Solid-State Power Control, DC power supply with no interruption
Boeing 787 Dreamliner
• Intensive electrification: ECS, Engine and APU start, braking, anti/de-icing, Lithium-Ion Battery
• Innovative architecture, new technology, electrical network compatible with composite structure
Airbus A350 XWB
• Electrical APU start, electrical network compatible with composite structure
Dassault F5X
• Electrical Engine and APU start
Year
Airbus
•
Power Optimized
Aircraft
Pneumatic
Hydraulic
Electric
Boeing
Regional & Business Jets
Fighters
Military Transport
MEA ELECTRICAL CHAIN BREAKDOWN
5 /
Power
electronics
Thermal,
Bleedless
Engines
& APU
HV Power Generation
Power Conversion
Power
distribution
ATA49
ATA24
ATA24/25
Electric start
Generation
Load & Power Management
Health Monitoring
Power
Conversion
Drive
Drive
Drive
Power supply
Air conditioning
ATA21
Ice Protection
ATA30
Flight Controls
ATA27
Fuel
ATA28
Hydraulic Power
ATA29
Main Electrical Loads
Power Supply
APU
Engine
Drive
Utilities
ATA25
ATA24
Drive
Electric start
ATA 80
Landing Gear
ATA32
Wiring ATA 92
Concurrent breakthroughs in propulsion, systems & structures for MEA
More Electrical Aircraft
6 /
Electrification of systems is a major focus of
aircraft architectures
• Variable Frequency AC network selected on the A380
• Double Voltage Variable Frequency AC on A350 & B787
• High Voltage DC network on B787
Electrification enables design,
maintenance and manufacturing
optimizations
•
•
•
•
•
Overall system performance improvement
Increased availability
More flexible, reconfigurable
Simplified maintenance operations
Streamlined manufacturing and assembly
Weight and reliability of electrical systems are major challenges
MEA Technology stakes
7 /
•
Power Generation :
•Low weight standalone High Speed / High Power AC Starter-Generators
•High reliability Power Converters for creating HVDC source from generators
•Embedded Starter/Generator technologies for the More Electric Engine & APU
• Distribution :
•High Voltage DC Power switching devices
•Improved load management for better electrical power availability
•Reliable Solid State Power Controllers for secondary distribution & specific loads
•Distributed power bays installed in uncontrolled environment
• Power Electronics :
•Highly reliable & efficient Power Converters for motor drives, power supplies
•High power density and high temperature operation
•Resource sharing allowing dynamic power management across multiple systems
•Modular, reconfigurable, fault-tolerant
•Motors
•AC & DC brushless fault-tolerant topologies
•High speed, High Power
•Reversible
•Cabling
•High voltage (partial discharge) capability
•Fault detection (arc tracking, Ground Fault, short/open…)
•Optimized weight through material change / system improvements
·
8 /
THALES commitments to MEA Research & Technology

Electrical Power Generation and Start System
 POA*: Electric main engine start, engine embedded technologies, HVDC
architecture, high pressure shaft starter-generator, modular motor controller
 MEGEVE: Electric start and main generation
 GENOME/CLEANSKY: Hi-speed starter-generators for AC & HVDC
networks

High Speed Rotating Machines and related electronics
 ECS: Environmental Control System electrification

Power Electronics and Power Conversion
 MODERNE, MOET: Electric start, Power conversion for all types of aircraft
(weight reduction)
 PRISCA: Integrated Modular Power Electronics bay feasibility
 CLEANSKY: Major European program for mature environment-friendly
MEA solutions for all market segments
 GENOME: Starter-Generators, power electronics and power conversion
 GETI: Combined optimization of MEA power and thermal systems
 Thales is a major aircraft manufacturer partner for designing cleaner, quieter and
more efficient solutions with deep focus on MEA technologies
Thales spearheads development of leapfrog MEA solutions
www.thalesgroup.com
Active power conversion and
motor control
10 /
Challenges in active power conversion & motor control
Performance, Weight savings, Maturity and
Reliability
•
•
•
•
•
•
Regulated 28VDC buses for aircraft cabling weight savings
Robust, ruggedized, scalable and power dense Power Electronics
Thermal management and cooling for power electronics, power bays…
Installation in unconventional areas (unpressurized and/or explosive
atmosphere)
Fault tolerance, Availability
Reliability, Health monitoring, Maintainability
Active Power Conversion : regulated 28VDC
11 /
AC feeder
BCRU
charger
Node
28VDC bus
AC
28VDC feeder
28VDC end users
Small Energy
storage
Small Energy
storage
28VDC system
Display
Avionics
BATTERY
BCRU(Battery Charger Rectifier Unit) includes multiple functionalities
providing aircraft level optimization





DC voltage regulation  AC & DC feeder resizing allowing weight reduction
AC and DC lightning protection
28VDC Battery Charger
No Break Power and Battery management capabilities
Substantial power density enhancement and aircraft cabling weight
savings compared to conventional Transformer Rectifier Unit (TRU)
12 /
Active Power Conversion upsides on Long Range aircraft
Active power conversion on a Long Range aircraft helps :
-doubling the power density of power conversion equipment
-cutting aircraft weight by more than 100kg
SAFT/THALES Cleansky project for BCRU
13 /
DC Architecture Conversion Mutualized with Battery Equipment
Optimized Li-Ion Battery
RTRU System
 Objective : feasibility studies for optimized association of 28VDC active power conversion &
energy storage architectures

Analyze architectures combining no-break 28VDC power generation from AC power supply and
battery charge function
• Battery Charger as part of a battery represents additional weight/volume and is subject to
battery location and cooling constraints

Analyze safety impacts of proposed architectures

Consolidate the role of contactors or disconnection systems
BCRU integrates battery charger for optimal 28VDC system performance
Integrated Modular Power Electronics : Airframer perspective
14 /
Rationale for Integrated Modular Power Electronics (IMPE) Bay

Overall systems weight cannot be optimized if each system uses its own power electronics
-Transient system operation results in dead weight penalty over aircraft life

Integrated Modular Power Electronics Bay is the answer
Power Electronic Modules address both active power conversion & motion control functions for multiple systems


Engine start, air-conditioning, wing ant-ice, hydraulics…
Reconfiguration, redundancy : Improved functional « availability » & weight optimization

IMPE Bay
Power Electronics
Module (PEM)
15 /
Power Electronics – Weight and Volume Stakes
Baseline Weight
2 kW/kg
New Tech
Integration
(Si/SiC iGBT,
packaging,…)
Next Gen
 Modular
Power Converters
 Multi-use
Power Converters
 Sensorless
9-15 kW/kg
New Tech
Target Weight
Control
 Unpressurized
 Liquid
 Air
Areas
Cooling
Cooling
 Power
Switches (SiC, GaN)
Modular+Multi-use power converters = Integrated Modular Power Electronics
THALES IMPE Road map
16 /
THALES
IMPE Bay concept
THALES PEM for
IMPE Bay (Gen1)
Thales PEM for
IMPE Bay (Gen2)
2-3kW/kg
PEM
6kW/kg
PEM(Gen 1)
9-15kW/kg
PEM(Gen 2)
THALES has demonstrated feasability of IMPE Bay concept
THALES Gen 1 6kW/kg PEM with improved robustness : TRL5 reached in 2015
www.thalesgroup.com
Thales portfolio for conventional
and More Electric aircraft
Our
product
lines
Thales
Products
18 /
Electrical
Power
Generation
AC Generators
Generator Control Units
DC brushless Generators
Generator Control Units
TopStartTM
AC Generator, Generator
Control Units, Start Box Unit
DC Starter & Generator
Electrical
Power
Conversion
Passive conversion
Auto Transformer Unit, Auto Transformer Rectifier Unit,
Transformer Rectifier Unit
Active conversion
Regulated Transformer Rectifier Unit, BCU - Battery
Charger Unit, SI - Static Inverter, DC/DC Converter
Electrical
Motors
Actuators Motors &
Controllers
Air conditioning motors
Pump motors
Fans
19 /
Thales on board the Boeing
Power Conversion System (PCS)
Forward E/E Bay
Power Conversion Panels
Cargo area
GATU
Galley Auto
Transformer Unit
Lithium-Ion
Main Battery
AFT E/E Bay
BCU
Battery Charger
Unit
Lithium-Ion
APU Battery
SPU
Start Power Unit
ATU
Auto Transformer Unit
ATRU x 4
Auto Transformer
Rectifier Units
BCU
Battery Charger
Unit
MTRU x 2
Multitap Transformer
Rectifier Units
EBPSU x 2
E-Brake Power Supply Units
World premiere advanced electrical power conversion
Thales on board the Airbus A350 XWB
20 /
Electrical Power Conversion System
Main ATU x 4
Auto Transformer Units
Advanced TRU x4
Transformer Rectifier
Unit
Emergency ATU x2
Auto-Transformer
Unit
SI
Static Inverter
CFFC
Cockpit Fixed
Frequency Converter
Optimized architecture, mature power conversion technologies
Thales on board the Falcon 5X
21 /
Electrical Power Generation & Power Conversion System
Static Inverter
TRU
Transformer
Rectifier Unit
AC Starter Generator
Generator Control Unit
Start Box Unit
(Motor Control Unit)
A world first with major technological breakthrough solutions
www.thalesgroup.com
Closing comments
MEA challenges
23 /
Improved efficiency, reliability, and lower aircraft lifecycle costs
Thales is committed to delivering
power-optimized architectures through
a combination of innovative solutions
and mature technology
Stakes
For the aircraft manufacturers
●Reduce weight
●Optimize architecture allowing power management
with greater flexibility, controllability and detectability
●Lower manufacturing costs
For the operators and the airlines
●Lower operation costs
●Reduced fuel burn & environmental footprint (CO2,
NOx, noise)
●Improved efficiency
●Higher reliability and maintainability
●Increased aircraft availability and safety levels
Thales Expertise
● Field-proven expertise for every type of
aircraft : air transport, business jets, regional
aircraft, fighter, military aircraft, helicopter
(both civil and military)
● Industrial means and qualified teams
● Active player in large scale R&T programs
supporting MEA: CleanSky1/2, CORAC
Genome, GETI
● Strategic partnership to develop an overall
power optimized architecture
The More Electrical Aircraft is a paradigm shift in aircraft performance and
economics
THALES Electrical Power System Partner
24 /


Provide innovations and industrial structure for
power solutions

Mature solutions at Entry into Service

Across the complete aircraft lifecycle
THALES constant technology effort

Integrated Modular Power electronics

Rotating machines (High speed rotors ,Embedded
machines in power plants)

Active power conversion / Energy storage optimization
with smart functionalities

Electrical Power Generation and Start System

Electrical Power Conversion / Energy Storage and
Power Electronics

Electrical System Engineering and Architecture
25 /
The More Electric Aircraft is at hand…
but needs steadfast & relentless global research !!!
夢の力
« The Power of Dreams »
鳴かぬなら 鳴くまで待とう ホトトギス
"If the cuckoo bird won't sing, let's wait until it does."
Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康)