METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR IMPROVING ELECTRICAL LOAD REGENERATION MANAGEMENT OF AN AIRCRAFT

• US 20090295314A1
• Filed: 06/03/2008
• Published: 12/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Original Assignee: Honeywell International Inc.
• Inventors: GANEV, EVGENI, Sarlioglu, Bulent
• Granted Patent: US 8,288,885 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 318/376
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2221/00 Electric power distribution systems onboard aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: H02P 23/06 Controlling the motor in four quadrants
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 50/50 On board measures aiming to increase energy efficiency

Abstract

Regenerated power from actuation loads of an aircraft may be returned to the distribution bus of the aircraft. In the past, actuators were either hydrostatic or pneumatic. With the furtherance of more electric architecture (MEA) aircraft, there has been an increase in electrical actuation modes. The power or current exchange between electrical buses and the electromechanical and electro-hydrostatic flight control actuators is bidirectional, resulting in a need to accommodate regenerative power. Conventional methods may use shunt regulation to dissipate regenerated power. These methods require additional cooling to reject the heat generated. This regenerated power is wasted as dissipated heat. The present invention, on the other hand, may dump the regenerated power back to a power sink, such as into ancillary electrical loads or to the starter/generator as mechanical (kinetic) energy. In the present invention, the energy may not be wasted nor may it generate excessive heat that needs to be dissipated.

Claims

1. A power system comprising:

a prime mover providing power to mechanical power loads;

a generator for converting mechanical energy from the prime mover to electrical energy; and

an inverter, converter controller (ICC) for converting power between the generator and a power bus,

wherein the power bus is a bidirectional bus for delivering power from the ICC to at least one of actuation loads and ancillary loads and for receiving power from the actuation loads when power is regenerated by the actuation loads.

2. The power system of claim 1, wherein the actuation loads deliver regenerated power through the power bus to the ancillary loads.

3. The power system of claim 2, wherein the regenerated power is less than the power required by the ancillary loads.

4. The power system of claim 1, wherein the actuation loads deliver regenerated power to both the ancillary loads and the ICC.

5. The power system of claim 4, wherein the regenerated power delivered to the ICC is converted to mechanical power to the prime mover.

6. The power system of claim 5, further comprising an electrical machine for converting the regenerated power delivered to the ICC into mechanical power.

7. The power system of claim 1, wherein the power bus is a DC bus.

8. The power system of claim 1, further comprising an engine dynamic brake for slowing the engine when the power regenerated by the actuation loads exceeds the power needed for the ancillary loads and the mechanical power loads.

9. The power system of claim 1, wherein the power system is integrated into an electrical load regeneration management system of an aircraft.

10. An electrical load regeneration management system comprising:

a bidirectional power bus for delivering power to actuation loads and for receiving regenerated power from the actuation loads; and

a power sink for receiving the regenerated power, the power sink being at least one of ancillary electrical loads and mechanical loads.

11. The system of claim 10, further comprising an electrical machine for converting the regenerated power to mechanical power for powering at least one mechanical load.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the power sink includes both ancillary electrical loads and mechanical loads.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a prime mover providing power to mechanical power loads;

a generator for converting mechanical energy from the prime mover to electrical energy; and

an inverter, converter controller (ICC) for converting power between the generator and the power bus.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the actuation loads deliver regenerated power to both the ancillary electrical loads and the ICC.

15. A method for managing electrical load regeneration in an aircraft, the method comprising:

providing electrical power to a power bus, the power bus electrically connected to actuation loads and ancillary loads;

receiving power regenerated by the actuation loads into the power bus; and

delivering the regenerated power to at least one of the ancillary loads as electrical energy and, when the regenerated power is in excess of that needed for the ancillary loads, converting the regenerated power into mechanical energy.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising converting mechanical energy from a prime mover into electrical energy for the ICC through a generator.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising converting regenerated power from the actuation loads into mechanical energy to drive a prime mover through an electrical machine.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising slowing the engine with an engine dynamic brake when the regenerated power exceeds the power required for both the ancillary loads and mechanical loads.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising eliminating the use of a shunt regulator to manage regenerated power.