An analysis of parameters affecting ampacity in aircraft bipolar MVDC power cables via coupled electrical, thermal, and computational fluid dynamic modelling
Abstract The next generation of aircraft, including more electric aircraft and all‐electric aircraft (AEA), requires electric power systems with high power density and low system mass specifications. Increasing the voltage of the system to the range of a few kV, medium voltage (MV), is a reasonable...
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Wiley
2024-12-01
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| Series: | High Voltage |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1049/hve2.12452 |
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| author | Arian Azizi Mona Ghassemi |
| author_facet | Arian Azizi Mona Ghassemi |
| author_sort | Arian Azizi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract The next generation of aircraft, including more electric aircraft and all‐electric aircraft (AEA), requires electric power systems with high power density and low system mass specifications. Increasing the voltage of the system to the range of a few kV, medium voltage (MV), is a reasonable approach to achieving high‐power‐density and low‐system‐mass EPSs for aircraft applications. Higher voltages, however, pose many challenges for aviation MV power cables such as arcs and arc tracking, partial discharges (PDs), and thermal management. In this regard, thermal management is more challenging since heat transfer by convection is greatly reduced at wide‐body aircraft's cruising altitudes due to the reduced air pressure. In this paper, a finite element method (FEM) model is developed in COMSOL Multiphysics for an aircraft bipolar MVDC (±5 kV) power cable. Using the model, the maximum permissible cable current at a low pressure of 18.8 kPa (at an altitude of 12.2 km from sea level, the usual cruising altitude for wide‐body aircraft) is calculated. Also, an analytical model is developed based on analytical and proven empirical correlations governing conductive, radiative, and convective heat transfers at the steady state to estimate the ampacity of the bipolar cable system at reduced pressure. It was shown that the proposed analytical model can be used for atmospheric pressure and systems with a larger number of poles, expanding its range of applications. The results of the FEM and analytical models correlate at wide ranges of parameters such as ambient temperature, duct size, distance between the positive and negative pole cables, and the overall diameter of the cables. The influence of horizontal and vertical arrangement of poles is included in the analytical model. The results of this study can be used to design bipolar MVDC power cable systems for the envisaged wide‐body AEA. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e8f0133cf7dd4da581889e21abcf0075 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2397-7264 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
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| series | High Voltage |
| spelling | doaj-art-e8f0133cf7dd4da581889e21abcf00752024-12-28T16:32:56ZengWileyHigh Voltage2397-72642024-12-01961208122010.1049/hve2.12452An analysis of parameters affecting ampacity in aircraft bipolar MVDC power cables via coupled electrical, thermal, and computational fluid dynamic modellingArian Azizi0Mona Ghassemi1Zero Emission Realization of Optimized Energy Systems (ZEROES) Laboratory Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson Texas USAZero Emission Realization of Optimized Energy Systems (ZEROES) Laboratory Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering The University of Texas at Dallas Richardson Texas USAAbstract The next generation of aircraft, including more electric aircraft and all‐electric aircraft (AEA), requires electric power systems with high power density and low system mass specifications. Increasing the voltage of the system to the range of a few kV, medium voltage (MV), is a reasonable approach to achieving high‐power‐density and low‐system‐mass EPSs for aircraft applications. Higher voltages, however, pose many challenges for aviation MV power cables such as arcs and arc tracking, partial discharges (PDs), and thermal management. In this regard, thermal management is more challenging since heat transfer by convection is greatly reduced at wide‐body aircraft's cruising altitudes due to the reduced air pressure. In this paper, a finite element method (FEM) model is developed in COMSOL Multiphysics for an aircraft bipolar MVDC (±5 kV) power cable. Using the model, the maximum permissible cable current at a low pressure of 18.8 kPa (at an altitude of 12.2 km from sea level, the usual cruising altitude for wide‐body aircraft) is calculated. Also, an analytical model is developed based on analytical and proven empirical correlations governing conductive, radiative, and convective heat transfers at the steady state to estimate the ampacity of the bipolar cable system at reduced pressure. It was shown that the proposed analytical model can be used for atmospheric pressure and systems with a larger number of poles, expanding its range of applications. The results of the FEM and analytical models correlate at wide ranges of parameters such as ambient temperature, duct size, distance between the positive and negative pole cables, and the overall diameter of the cables. The influence of horizontal and vertical arrangement of poles is included in the analytical model. The results of this study can be used to design bipolar MVDC power cable systems for the envisaged wide‐body AEA.https://doi.org/10.1049/hve2.12452 |
| spellingShingle | Arian Azizi Mona Ghassemi An analysis of parameters affecting ampacity in aircraft bipolar MVDC power cables via coupled electrical, thermal, and computational fluid dynamic modelling High Voltage |
| title | An analysis of parameters affecting ampacity in aircraft bipolar MVDC power cables via coupled electrical, thermal, and computational fluid dynamic modelling |
| title_full | An analysis of parameters affecting ampacity in aircraft bipolar MVDC power cables via coupled electrical, thermal, and computational fluid dynamic modelling |
| title_fullStr | An analysis of parameters affecting ampacity in aircraft bipolar MVDC power cables via coupled electrical, thermal, and computational fluid dynamic modelling |
| title_full_unstemmed | An analysis of parameters affecting ampacity in aircraft bipolar MVDC power cables via coupled electrical, thermal, and computational fluid dynamic modelling |
| title_short | An analysis of parameters affecting ampacity in aircraft bipolar MVDC power cables via coupled electrical, thermal, and computational fluid dynamic modelling |
| title_sort | analysis of parameters affecting ampacity in aircraft bipolar mvdc power cables via coupled electrical thermal and computational fluid dynamic modelling |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1049/hve2.12452 |
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