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Main Author: Ghassemi, Mona
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.09044
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author Ghassemi, Mona
author_facet Ghassemi, Mona
contents To achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, all-electric transportation is a promising option. In the U.S., the transportation sector contributes the largest share (29 percent) of greenhouse gas emissions. While electric vehicles are approaching maturity, aviation is only beginning to develop electrified aircraft for commercial flights. More than 75 percent of aviation emissions come from large aircraft, and this impact will worsen with 4-5 percent annual air travel growth. Aircraft electrification has led to two types: more electric aircraft (MEA) and all-electric aircraft (AEA). A MEA replaces subsystems such as hydraulics with electric alternatives, whereas an AEA uses electrically driven subsystems and provides thrust fully from electrochemical energy units (EEUs). For wide-body AEA, thrust demand is about 25 MW plus 1 MW for non-thrust loads, creating major challenges for electric power system (EPS) design. Achieving maximum power density requires minimizing mass and volume. Increasing voltage into the kilovolt range using medium-voltage direct current (MVDC) is a feasible option to enhance power transfer. Consequently, designing an MVDC EPS for wide-body AEA is critical. Because EPS failures could jeopardize passenger safety, reliability and resilience are essential. This chapter presents a load-flow model for DC systems to determine power flows in both normal and single-contingency conditions, followed by analysis of optimal MVDC EPS architectures. A complete EPS for wide-body AEA is introduced, with EEUs and non-propulsion loads located, distances estimated, and flow studies performed. Multiple architectures are evaluated for reliability, power density, power loss, and cost to identify optimal solutions.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_09044
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Design of Reliable and Resilient Electric Power Systems for Wide-Body All-Electric Aircraft
Ghassemi, Mona
Systems and Control
To achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, all-electric transportation is a promising option. In the U.S., the transportation sector contributes the largest share (29 percent) of greenhouse gas emissions. While electric vehicles are approaching maturity, aviation is only beginning to develop electrified aircraft for commercial flights. More than 75 percent of aviation emissions come from large aircraft, and this impact will worsen with 4-5 percent annual air travel growth. Aircraft electrification has led to two types: more electric aircraft (MEA) and all-electric aircraft (AEA). A MEA replaces subsystems such as hydraulics with electric alternatives, whereas an AEA uses electrically driven subsystems and provides thrust fully from electrochemical energy units (EEUs). For wide-body AEA, thrust demand is about 25 MW plus 1 MW for non-thrust loads, creating major challenges for electric power system (EPS) design. Achieving maximum power density requires minimizing mass and volume. Increasing voltage into the kilovolt range using medium-voltage direct current (MVDC) is a feasible option to enhance power transfer. Consequently, designing an MVDC EPS for wide-body AEA is critical. Because EPS failures could jeopardize passenger safety, reliability and resilience are essential. This chapter presents a load-flow model for DC systems to determine power flows in both normal and single-contingency conditions, followed by analysis of optimal MVDC EPS architectures. A complete EPS for wide-body AEA is introduced, with EEUs and non-propulsion loads located, distances estimated, and flow studies performed. Multiple architectures are evaluated for reliability, power density, power loss, and cost to identify optimal solutions.
title Design of Reliable and Resilient Electric Power Systems for Wide-Body All-Electric Aircraft
topic Systems and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.09044