First Principle Model of an Electric ECS Pack

Kurzfassung

Fully electric environmental control systems for aircraft are designed but currently rarely implemented. Simulation models of such systems in the early design phase have shown a lot of challenges: high electric power demand, complex architecture, difficult design of control strategies and difficult sizing. In order to explore what performance figures are physically possible, a first principle model has been developed on the basis of purely thermodynamic considerations. Similar to a Carnot thermal engine, which tells what efficiency is reachable, the first principle model of an ECS can serve as a reference system which tells the minimum amount of electric power needed to fulfil the thermal requirements. Different to a specific technical design, this allows for more general conclusions.