Automatic management of electrical loads in more electric aircraft
Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology
ISSN: 0002-2667
Article publication date: 28 September 2022
Issue publication date: 2 January 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to automatically generate load shedding sequences due to insufficient power supply, to ensure flight safety and complete flight task.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, a power allocation and load management model, including logical and physical submodels of the distribution system, is first established according to different requirements of the loads in different flight phase and the current total power supply. Then, an optimal load management scheme based on an improved ant colony algorithm is proposed to automatically generate load shedding sequences for both safety-critical and nonsafety critical loads, to achieve a reliable and safe power supply.
Findings
To verify the efficiency and feasibility of the algorithm, the proposed method is verified in a virtual simulation platform. Simulation result illustrates that the proposed algorithm is efficient and feasible.
Practical implications
The proposed method can provide guidance on load power supply when the civil aircraft is under abnormal power supply situation.
Originality/value
An optimal load management scheme is proposed by considering different requirements of the loads in different flight phase and the current total power supply.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work is supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 62173331), Aviation Science Fund (Grant No. 2019ZD067007), Diversified Investment Foundation of Tianjin (Grant No. 21JCQNJC00710), National Science Foundation for Young Scientists of China (Grant No. 61703406).
Many thanks to Miao Hong, Tengda Ma and Yigang Sun, Civil Aviation University of China, for helping with editing the manuscript.
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.
Citation
Fan, Z., Zhao, Z. and Liu, Z. (2023), "Automatic management of electrical loads in more electric aircraft", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 95 No. 1, pp. 14-25. https://doi.org/10.1108/AEAT-12-2021-0375
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited