DRC-FLI: High-Reliability N+1 Inverter for Aerospace Propulsion

Date: 15/10/2026

Time: 9:00 am

Presenter: Yiming Zhou, Lei Xia, and Weidong He

Abstract: (Please note: this webinar is sponsored by PELS TC 11) This presentation introduces a 125kW, 540V SiC-based fault-tolerant power inverter developed specifically for next-generation aerospace applications, such as eVTOLs and spacecraft. To address the strict reliability demands of aviation, we propose the Dual-Redundant Control Four-Leg Inverter (DRC-FLI) architecture, which minimizes Single Points of Failure (SPOF) while maintaining minimal performance degradation post-fault. The design features a lightweight N+1 redundancy scheme managed by a solid-state switching matrix, enabling 100% post-fault torque capability with a minimal weight penalty. A key innovation is the deterministic dual-DSP hot-standby control architecture equipped with a Passive Redundancy Management Unit (RMU). This hardware configuration guarantees fault switching within a single 20 kHz PWM cycle, eliminating common-mode failures in the control layer. Furthermore, the system incorporates multi-layered algorithmic resilience, including speed-adaptive fault diagnosis and KCL-based signal reconstruction to eliminate sensor SPOFs. Comprehensive testing validates that the system handles single failures across power switches, controllers, and sensors with fault detection under 2 ms and reconfiguration within 50 μs. Post-fault performance remains highly stable, maintaining steady-state current THD below 3% and torque ripple within ±2.5 Nm, without significant speed drop. Compliant with MIL-STD-704F and DO-160G, this modular SiC design optimizes Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) constraints for extreme flight environments.

This presentation is delivered on behalf of a research team from the Department of Electrical Engineering at Tsinghua University, under the guidance of Associate Professor Lie Xu. The core development team consists of three currently enrolled graduate students, each contributing distinct expertise to the DRC-FLI aerospace propulsion project. Weidong He, a Ph.D. student, is the principal architect of the system. He established the N+1 redundant inverter topology and the theoretical stability framework. Furthermore, he led the system’s aerospace applicability design, ensuring strict compliance with aviation standards (MIL-STD-704F and DO-160G) by overcoming critical challenges in thermal management and EMI suppression. Lei Xia, a Master’s student, spearheaded the algorithmic resilience and system validation. He developed the speed-adaptive fault diagnosis and signal reconstruction strategies. Crucially, he executed the comprehensive Simscape time-domain simulations, rigorously validating the system’s microsecond-level fault reconfiguration and dynamic post-fault performance across the full flight envelope. Yiming Zhou, a first-year Master’s student and the presenter for this webinar, supported the project by conducting the system’s fault tolerance and reliability analysis. Through comprehensive Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) and quantitative Reliability Block Diagram (RBD) modeling, he evaluated critical failure nodes and provided the theoretical justifications (such as Birnbaum Importance analysis) that guided the team’s hardware redundancy optimizations.