Aircraft Electrical Systems

General View

Aircraft Electrical Systems

The

function of the aircraft electrical system is to generate, regulate and distribute electrical power throughout the aircraft New-generation aircraft rely heavily on electrical power because of the wide use of electronic flight instrument systems

Electrical Power Uses

Aircraft

electrical power is used to operate:

Aircraft Flight Instruments Essential Systems Passenger Services

Electrical Power Uses (cont.)

Essential

power is power that the aircraft needs to be able to continue safe operation Passenger services power is the power that used for:
Cabin lighting Operation of entertainment systems Preparation of food

Power Used
Aircraft

electrical components operate on many different voltages both AC and DC However, most of the systems use:
115 VAC @ 400 Hz 28 VDC
26

VAC is also used in some aircraft for lighting

WHY 400 Hz ?
Higher

than usual frequencies, such as 400 Hz, offer several advantages over 60 Hz notably in allowing smaller, lighter power supplies to be used for military hardware, commercial aircraft operations and computer applications.

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WHY 400 Hz ?
As

aircraft space is at a premium and weight is critical to aircraft engine thrust and fuel burn (and thus the aircraft range and engine horsepower per pound), 115 volts at 400 Hz offers a distinct advantage and is much better than the usual 60 Hz used in utility power generation.
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WHY 400 Hz ?
However, higher frequencies are also more sensitive to voltage drop problems. Reactive drops, on the other hand, are caused by the inductive properties of the conductor. Reactive drops are a function of both cable length and the AC frequency flowing through the conductor. With high frequencies such as 400 Hz, reactive drops are up to seven times greater at 60 Hz.

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Power Sources
There are sever different power sources on large aircraft to be able to handle excessive loads, for redundancy, and for emergency situations. These power sources include:

Engine driven AC generators Auxiliary Power Units External power Ram Air Turbines

Typical Aircraft Electrical System

Primary

(main) power source Emergency power source Secondary power conversion equipment System control and protection devices Interconnection network Power distribution system

Engine Driven AC Generators

Each

of the engines on an aircraft drives an AC generator The power produced by these generators is used in normal flight to supply the entire aircraft with power

APU Power
Most

often the APUs power is used while the aircraft is on the ground during maintenance or for engine starting However, most aircraft can use the APU while in flight as a backup power source
One exception to this is the B-727, which only allows APU operation in the ground

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APU on a stand

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Functions of APU
The

primary purpose of an aircraft APU is to provide power to start the main engines. Turbine engines have large, heavy rotors that must be accelerated to a high rotational speed in order to provide sufficient air compression for self-sustaining operation. This process takes significantly longer and requires much more energy than starting a reciprocating engine.
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Functions of APU
Smaller

turbine engines are usually started by an electric motor, while larger turbine engines are usually started by an air turbine motor. Whether the starter is electrically or pneumatically powered, however, the amount of energy required is far greater than what could be provided by a storage device (battery or air tank) of reasonable size and weight
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Functions of APU

An APU solves this problem by powering up the aircraft in two stages. First, the APU is started by an electric motor, with power supplied by a battery or external power source (ground power unit). After the APU accelerates to full speed, it can provide a much larger amount of power to start the aircraft's main engines, either by turning an electrical generator or by providing compressed air to the air turbine of the starter motor.
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Functions of APU
APUs

also have several auxiliary functions. Electrical and pneumatic power are used to run the heating, cooling, and ventilation systems prior to starting the main engines. This allows the cabin to be comfortable while the passengers are boarding without the expense, noise, and danger of running one of the aircraft's main engines.
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Functions of APU
Electrical

power is also used to power up systems for preflight checks. Some APUs are also connected to a hydraulic pump, allowing maintenance and flight crews to operate the flight controls and power equipment without running the main engines. This same function is also used as a backup in flight in case of an engine failure or hydraulic pump failure.
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External Power
External

power may only be used with the aircraft on the ground This system utilizes a Ground Power Unit (GPU) to provide AC power through an external plug on the nose of the aircraft GPUs may be either portable or stationary units

Ground power

Emergency power
In the event of a primary power source failure, emergency power is usually provided from independent auxiliary power unit (APU)-driven generator(s), ram air or hydraulically-driven generator(s), or batteries.

Ram Air Turbine

Some

aircraft are equipped with Ram Air Turbines, or RATs These may be used, in the case of a generator or APU failure, as an emergency power source When necessary, the RAT may be deployed to be used as an AC power source

Emergency Power Source

Aircraft Batteries
The

aircrafts nickel cadmium battery is final source of backup power The battery provides 28 VDC It is also possible to change the 28 VDC into 115 VAC 400Hz with the use of a static inverter When using the battery, power usage is limited by the short life of the battery

Electrical Power System Components

AC

Generator Constant Speed Drive Integrated Drive Generator Transformer Rectifier Unit Generator Control Unit

Constant Speed Drive

The purpose of the Constant Speed Drive (CSD) is to take rotational power from the engine and, no matter the engine speed, turn the generator at a constant speed This is necessary because the generator output must be 400Hz CSD Operation

The engine turns the CSD which uses a differential assembly and hydraulic pumps to turn the generator

Integrated Drive Generator

Another

method of regulating the generator speed is with the use of an Integrated Drive Generator (IDG) An IDG is simply a CSD and generator combined into one unit There are two ways to mount the IDG:
Co-axially Side-by-side

Transformer Rectifier Unit

Transformer

Rectifier Units (TRUs) are utilized to 115 VAC, 400Hz into 28 VDC. A transformer is used to reduce the voltage from 115 volts to 28 volts. At this point the 28 volts is still AC current. To change the current from AC to DC, a rectifier is used. Each aircraft AC bus feeds a TRU which feeds a DC bus.

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Other Generator Controls and Monitoring Devices

A Generator Control Unit (GCU), or voltage regulator, is used to control generator output Generator circuit protection monitors electrical system parameters

Voltage Frequency Overcurrent Undercurrent Differential Fault

Other Generator Controls and Monitoring Devices

Load

controls sense real system load to provide a signal to the CSD for frequency control Current transformers are used for current load sensing and differential fault protection The electrical system control panel may be found either on the pilots overhead panel or on the flight engineers panel

Function of System Components

The

basic functions of the electrical systems components are to: Generate Power. Control Electrical Power. Protect the Electrical System. Distribute Electrical Power Throughout the Aircraft.

As a engineer, we should know the following information

Electrical

system operation, which describes primary and secondary power sources, bus configuration with circuit breakers and connected. loads for each bus. A copy of the bus wiring diagram or electrical schematic should also be considered for inclusion in the report.

As a engineer, we should know the following information

Alternators

and other power source description and related data (including such items as battery discharge curves, Transformer Rectifier Unit (TRU), Inverter, APU, RAT, etc.)