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Introduction
Technology advancements are changing the shape of every industry. Demand for better, enhanced and safe technology has been the driving force behind every innovation in any industry, and the aviation industry is no different. More Electric Aircraft (MEA) is a trend catching up fast in the aviation sector. The trend is to replace pneumatic and hydraulic systems with electrical systems providing better monitoring and comfort. MEA means an increased use of electric power to drive aircraft that have traditionally been driven by mechanical and hydraulic systems. The idea first germinated in a military setting to reduce the overall weight of an aircraft, reduce cost, maintenance and enhance the performance and reliability. MEA concept is the future of aviation technology as aircraft begin to employ hybrid DC and AC systems. Advancements in control systems, power electronics, electric machines and motor drives have all contributed to the field of electrical systems in aircraft. The power rating of modern aircraft reaches 1 MVA (Mega Volts Ampere) per generator (Abdel-Fadil, Eid & Abdel-Salam, 2013).
Modern Aircrafts
Airbus Group is innovating in the field of electric and hybrid aircraft with disruptive technologies and concepts that are shaping the company’s goals for modern aircrafts. E-Fan, which is an innovation from Airbus Group, is a platform for breakthrough technologies in hybrid and electric aircraft. The E-Fan has a set of electric motors deriving the electric energy from a lithium-ion based battery system. Essentially E-Fan is the first of a kind all electric aircraft. The electrical management energy system of E-Fan is optimized and handles all the electrical features. The electrical system inside Airbus’s E-Fan reduces the load for the pilots and enhances safety and security by allowing the pilots to focus on flying the airplane (Airbusgroup.com, 2016).
E-Fan is a two-seater aircraft powered by the electrical system, and its test flight has been able to fly across the English Channel. The manufacturers of E-Fan, Airbus would be going into large scale production and sale from the end of 2017 onwards and also planning for a four-seater aircraft. The lithium-ion powered batteries allow E-Fan to attain a flight of one hour with an additional reserve of thirty minutes. The concept taken b Airbus is of Electric Propulsion and allows a radically different level of technological innovation in aviation. NASA has also been testing on the same lines of distributed electric propulsion (Airbusgroup.com, 2016).
Electrical Distribution Technology for Aircraft Safety
Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at Ohio, United States of America and General Electric (GE) Aviation researched a revolutionary new technology that improves the flight-critical electrical response system thereby improving the flight safety as well. Aircrafts have a critical system known as EDU or Electrical Distribution Unit that acts as a circuit breaker for the flight’s electrical systems. AFRL designed a Solid State EDU (SSEDU) that improves the electrical response time for all components. The breakthrough technology utilizes silicon carbide based semiconductors that allow fast switching (Jordan, 2013). The silicon carbide switches require less cooling options and increase the switching speed by as many as 100 times when compared to standard metal based switches. The state-of-the-art equipment is available at affordable pricing and also high quality. SSEDU components were demonstrated with large success factor at GE’s facility in the United Kingdom where their capabilities were proven in a simulated environment with large current flows and an uninterrupted 30-minute load condition. SSEDU demonstrated successful operations with very low heat loss. AFRL aims to transition the technology into military aircraft manufacturing and upgrade the existing aircrafts for higher safety for the fleets (Jordan, 2013).
The Future of Aircraft: Electric Propulsion
Airbus has been able to demonstrate excellent results by test flying its maiden all electric aircraft based on electric propulsion. NASA has been doing its experiments at its Flight Research Center, which heralds a new era for Aircraft electrical systems. NASA has tested a Leading Edge Asynchronous Propeller Technology (LEAPTech) that integrates propulsion-airframe with electric power for improved safety, efficiency and benefits ranging from economic to environment. NASA team has been testing over electric motors for aircraft wings with lithium iron-phosphate battery powered motors. The LEAPTech project of NASA has been in progress since 2014 and doing several experiments for various electrical based technologies. The LEAPTech project is a plan to develop small X-plane demonstrators under Transformative concepts of NASA’s Aeronautics program. The LEAPTech enhances and improves the technology of wings and motors for aircrafts (Merlin, 2015).
Conclusion
Advances in electrical devices make it possible for multi-storage advanced electrical distributions devices in an aircraft that enhances the security and efficiency of aircrafts. Electrical propulsion based advanced technology not provides economic benefits but also provide environmental benefits with targeted improvements in carbon footprints. Airbus has been a trailblazer in the field of electrical advances in the aviation industry by successfully launching its two-seaters all electric airplane and planning to launch another four-seater soon. NASA is not behind and has used electric propulsion for the development of advanced electrical technologies for building next generation aircraft. The technological advances in electrical fields have the capabilities to transform the general aircraft industry in the near and long term.
References
Abdel-Fadil, R., Eid, A., & Abdel-Salam, M. (2013, February). Electrical distribution power
systems of modern civil aircrafts. In 2nd International Conference on Energy Systems
and Technologies (pp. 201-210).
Technology Tutorial. (2016). Retrieved 19 February 2016,
Jordan, H. (2013). Electrical Distribution Technology Improves Aircraft Safety. Wpafb.af.mil..
Retrieved 19 February 2016, from
Merlin, P. (2015). The Future Of Aircraft Propulsion Is Electric. NASA, N.p.
