Design Considerations for the Supersonic Transport Electric Power System

This paper compares the environmental and operational requirements of the supersonic transport to those of present day, high performance, supersonic aircraft and reviews major design considerations for the supersonic transport electric power system. Comparison is made between a VSCF (variable speed, constant frequency) system and a conventional (constant speed, constant frequency) system in their application on the supersonic transport.

The authors conclude:

1. 1.
   The operational and environmental requirements of both types are very close.
2. 2.
   Electric power systems will require only minor design changes for use on supersonic transports.
3. 3.
   Based on the current state of development, the VSCF type system is not competitive with a conventional system on a pounds/kva basis, assuming equal performance requirements. The rate of progress in VSCF system development is such that this system must be seriously considered for an aircraft which is now only in a preliminary specification phase.