Improved Energy Management System for Airplane Electrical Power

As commercial transport aircraft progress toward a future More Electric Airplane (MEA) there are numerous opportunities to improve energy management of the electrical power system. Improved energy management of the airplane electrical power system not only has the potential to decrease the weight and improve the efficiency of the system, but also to improve system stability and reliability. This paper analyzes re-architecting of an MEA airplane electrical power system in order to better manage the current electrical loads. It also considers the use of new sources of power generation and energy storage that would enable improved energy management for a new improved MEA such as fuel cells, batteries and super capacitors. The analysis uses data associated with current methods for calculating electrical loads and evaluates how the energy management of those loads can be improved with a better understanding of their usage in various flight phases, their criticality, and their power quality requirements. It also investigates how the re-architecting of different loads can be used to improve airplane dispatch reliability and improve system stability. Finally, it examines how the efficiency of various systems, in conjunction with improved energy management, can be used to result in a better controlled, more efficient and reliable airplane. The results of these improvements in energy management are included in new MEA power system architecture to summarize the benefits.