Preliminary Design Tool for Power Converters in Electric Aircraft Propulsion Systems

Kurzfassung

In novel electric aircraft propulsion systems, the number and the power level of electrical and power electronic components increases significantly compared to conventional aircraft. Energy storage systems, such as batteries and fuel cells, provide direct current that needs to be regulated and conditioned. The speed and torque of the often proposed three-phase synchronous motors can be controlled by adjusting the frequency and the averaged amplitude of the terminal voltage. The conversion of electrical energy from one form to another is performed by power converters. Hence, optimized power converters are essential for power conversion, control and reliable operation of the electric drive train in electrified aero engines. In this paper, a preliminary design approach is presented to identify the different power converter components and their key characteristics for overall system studies. The volumetric and gravimetric power densities are derived from the preliminary design of their sub-components and compared to a prototype design of a 3-level Neutral Point Clamped (3L-NPC) inverter using commercially available components.