The potential benefits of electrified aircraft propulsion (EAP) on fuel efficiency, emissions, and noise are well documented [1], [2]. Among various configurations considered, the turboelectric configuration with dc distribution has been identified as a promising candidate for long-range, large commercial aircraft. Figure 1 shows a notional electric aircraft propulsion (EAP) system with two jet engines and four normally independent propulsion channels. Each channel has four distributed electric fans.
The jet engines can be replaced by fuel cells with potentially higher efficiency and lower emissions. The short-range small electric aircraft, e.g., electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, generally adopt an all-electric configuration with a battery as the main energy source. In contrast, the turboelectric configuration either uses no battery or a relatively small battery for energy management, as shown in Figure 1, limited by the low energy density of today’s battery technology. Given the complexity of the EAP system, circuit breakers are essential for protection and fault management.
For more on this article click here