Preliminary Design and Evaluation of Inverter Power Density and Reliability in Electric Aircraft Propulsion Systems

Abstract:
In electric aircraft propulsion systems, the number and power level of power electronic components increase significantly compared to conventional aircraft. Preliminary design tools for power converters are therefore required to support system studies in the early stages of design. This paper presents an automated approach to achieve a comprehensive converter evaluation. Common inverter topologies are designed according to the challenging aircraft application requirements. Commercial sub-components, including thermal models, are selected from a database and used for a preliminary sizing. A standardized methodology for the evaluation of failure rates is implemented. The resulting approach allows a comprehensive evaluation of power density, efficiency introduced and failure rates for preliminary aircraft concept studies.