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The optimisation of energy is of the upmost importance within any vehicle and is a key driver in the design of all aeronautical projects. Modern aviation is trending towards the “More Electric Aircraft” (MEA), a model of increased electric power demand whereby traditional hydraulic, mechanical and pneumatic systems are replaced by electrical ones. This paper is based on the development project entitled “Advanced Thermal Management in Aeronautics” (ATMIA). The main target of which was to examine the potential for Loop Heat Pipes (LHPs) to be used in an aeronautical platform as assessed in previous the paper ref. 1. Until now the use of LHPs has been primarily on aerospace platforms. Project ATMIA addressed some specific requirements for an aeronautical platform such as the effects of vibrations, gravity and the possibility of disassembling for maintenance and transportation.

There is a clear trend to increase the use of electrical systems in aircrafts, leading to a growing demand for electrical power in the aircraft. This increasing power consumption has resulted in increasing DC voltage levels, to reduce energy losses and the size of wiring, as a result of the reduced current levels. However, traditional protections such as circuit breakers are not adequate for the protection of the new systems in high DC voltage, and consequently it is necessary to introduce new technologies in the field of protection devices. One of these is the Solid State Power Controller (SSPC), which combines the functions of connecting loads to the busbars and protecting electrical installations against overload and short circuits. On the other hand, within these electrical systems, the connection of certain loads, such as very capacitive ones, implies the need to develop new control strategies to improve the connection process by SSPCs.