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Direct current (DC) for primary power distribution is a promising solution that is being explored by aircraft system integrators for MEA applications to enable the paralleling of non-synchronized engine off-take generators, and to enable the reduction of energy conversion stages required to supply electronically actuated loads. However, a significant challenge in the use of DC systems is the reliable detection of arc faults. Arcing presents a significant fire risk to aircraft and their presence can result in critical system damage and potentially fatal conditions. Series arc faults in DC systems are particularly challenging to detect as the associated reduction in system current eliminates the use of conventional overcurrent and current differential methods for fault detection. This paper provides an overview of series arc faults in DC systems and presents both simulation and hardware results to illustrate key trends, characteristics and discriminating features.

The development of the More-Electric Engine (MEE) concept will see an expansion in the power levels, functionality and criticality of electrical systems within engines. However, to date, these more critical electrical systems have not been accounted for in existing engine certification standards. To begin to address this gap, this paper conducts a review of current engine certification standards in order to determine how these standards will impact on the design requirements of More-Electric Engine (MEE) electrical system architectures. The paper focuses on determining two key architectural requirements: the number of individual failures an architecture can accommodate and still remain functional and the rate at which these failures are allowed to occur.

Radical new electrically propelled aircraft are being considered to meet strict future performance goals. One concept design proposed is a Turboelectric Distributed Propulsion (TeDP) aircraft that utilises a number of electrically driven propulsors. Such concepts place a new and significant reliance on an aircraft's electrical system for safe and efficient flight. Accordingly, in addition to providing certainty that supply reliability targets are being met, a contingency analysis, evaluating the probability of component failure within the electrical network and the impact of that failure upon the available thrust must also be undertaken for architecture designs. Solutions that meet specified thrust requirements at a minimum associated weight are desired as these will likely achieve the greatest performance against the proposed emissions targets.

In addition to providing thrust, the engines on conventional civil jet airliners generate power for on-board systems and ancillary loads in the form of pneumatic, hydraulic and electrical power. Reduced fuel-burn and efficiency targets have driven the move towards More Electric Aircraft (MEA) technology which seeks to replace hydraulic and pneumatic loads with electrical equivalents. This technological shift, in conjunction with a growing electrical power load per passenger in general, has greatly increased the electrical power demands of aircraft in recent years - over 1 MVA for the Boeing 787 for example. With increasing fuel prices, there is a growing need to optimise efficiency of power extraction from the aircraft engines for the electrical system and loads. In particular, the utilisation of multi-shaft power off-takes, interconnected generation and power sharing between shafts is thought to offer potentially significant engine operability and fuel efficiency benefits.

Modern aerospace power systems commonly make use of uncontrolled rectifiers to satisfy many power conversion needs on board the aircraft. Whilst being highly accurate, an analytically detailed simulation of the aircraft power system, which includes all electric machine dynamics, semiconductor switching states, and power system dynamics, is often very computationally demanding. Average-value models of power electronic converters, with their reduced computational requirement, offer one potential solution to this issue. However, of the many converter topologies presented in the literature, average-value models of uncontrolled diode rectifiers are perhaps the most challenging to develop. The dependence of the rectifier's operating state on its loading conditions and the surrounding network topology complicates the derivation of average-value models.