Article | REF: TRP4050 V1

More Electrical Aircraft

Authors: Florence FUSALBA, Jean ORIOL

Publication date: February 10, 2018

You do not have access to this resource.
Click here to request your free trial access!

Already subscribed? Log in!


Overview

Français

ABSTRACT

This article sets out the current state of the art and the technologies and strategies of aircraft electrification. We look at electrification for avionics and for propulsion, from “full electric” demonstrations to hybridization of regional aircraft in the next 15–20 years, from storage technology to the complete system (power electronics and electric power train) with a redefined aircraft platform (low-voltage–- high-voltage) and impact on maintenance.

Read this article from a comprehensive knowledge base, updated and supplemented with articles reviewed by scientific committees.

Read the article

AUTHORS

  • Florence FUSALBA: Program Manager - CEA TECH – LITEN, Grenoble, France

  • Jean ORIOL: Industrial Partnership Manager - CEA-CTREG-DNAQ, Pessac, France

 INTRODUCTION

Depending on the class of electric aircraft and its degree of electrification, which can range from powering on-board equipment to propulsion, different power systems can be envisaged and integrated with different electrical architectures.

While the performance of energy storage technologies can now be used to initiate the commercial development of all-electric light aircraft, electric hybridization strategies for the propulsion of commercial aircraft such as those used on regional routes are already being studied.

Whatever their mission, from auxiliary power supply to propulsion, the key parameters for energy storage systems are safety, reliability, energy/power ratio, service life (cycling and calendar) and the level of certification required. In particular, the energy/power ratio required differs between all-electric and hybrid-electric applications, thus conditioning technology selection.

The safety performance of the storage system needs to be qualified according to standards not only for aeronautical applications (DO), but also for handling and transport on land (UN 38.3). Standards for electric propulsion in the aeronautical sector are currently being defined by the SAE International working group.

This article reviews the current state of the art and details the aircraft electrification technologies/strategies currently under study. It looks at the storage technology, the complete system (power electronics and electric drive train), the aircraft platform (low-voltage-high-voltage), maintenance and the business model for electrification.

You do not have access to this resource.

Exclusive to subscribers. 97% yet to be discovered!

You do not have access to this resource.
Click here to request your free trial access!

Already subscribed? Log in!


The Ultimate Scientific and Technical Reference

A Comprehensive Knowledge Base, with over 1,200 authors and 100 scientific advisors
+ More than 10,000 articles and 1,000 how-to sheets, over 800 new or updated articles every year
From design to prototyping, right through to industrialization, the reference for securing the development of your industrial projects

KEYWORDS

energy storage   |   electric aircrafts   |   hybridation of aircrafts   |   electric power train


This article is included in

Aerospace systems

This offer includes:

Knowledge Base

Updated and enriched with articles validated by our scientific committees

Services

A set of exclusive tools to complement the resources

Practical Path

Operational and didactic, to guarantee the acquisition of transversal skills

Doc & Quiz

Interactive articles with quizzes, for constructive reading

Subscribe now!

Ongoing reading
Aircraft electrification