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David Avanesian

Publications and source records attributed to David Avanesian.

8 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2023

X-57 Electromagnetic Interference Design, Integration, and Test Consideration

X-57 is NASA’s first all electric aircraft that utilizes existing airframe of Tecnam 2006P GA aircraft integrated with new all electric power train. The objective of the project was to deliver high performing distributed electric propulsion system while developing US industry in the area of EAP. The project was divided into three distinct flight mods, each serving as a risk reduction efforts to final mod where full distributed power train with highly modified wing structure would be tested in flight. Flight weight, efficient power electronics are enablers for distributed, electric aircraft propulsion systems, and GRC team has developed high power and highly efficient SiC based converters for both cruise and high lift systems on the aircraft. Both controller’s development efforts demonstrate a means to achieve an in-the-nacelle controller with purely passive cooling while maintaining high efficiency. This paper describes the lessons learned on design, integration, and testing challenges that X-57 faced while developing these novel technologies.

Power Train↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

HEATheR: High-efficiency Electric Aircraft Thermal Research

Thermal management is a challenge for electric aircraft propulsion. This is because Current electrified aircraft concepts produce large amounts of low-grade waste heat and require large, heavy thermal management systems that cause drag. The High-efficiency Electric Aircraft Thermal Research project explored two ideas to solve this problem: building a low loss power system and using the aircraft skin to cool components through the outer mold line.

electric aircraft↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

Design of a High Power Density, High Efficiency, Low THD 250kW Converter for Electric Aircraft

A high efficiency, high power density, low distortion 250kW motor controller is being developed at NASA Glenn Research Center. Future electric aircraft require motor controllers which achieve the needed key performance parameters required to show benefit in increasing overall aircraft efficiency. Through a combination of carefully considered electrical topological choices and through the use of recent advancements in power switches and magnetic materials, a converter is designed which meets these requirements. A multilevel and interleaved converter architecture is chosen to meet the voltage, current, and THD requirements. The enclosure and thermal designs meet their weight targets and enable high altitude operation.

Matthew Granger↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

NASA's X-57 High Lift Motor Controller: Detailed Design, Test Results, and Outcomes

NASA's X-57 all-electric aircraft was a research project aimed at investigating lightweight and efficient electric propulsion components. The general approach was to utilize a distributed electric propulsion (DEP) design. An essential component of this design was the High Lift Motor Controller (HLMC), a motor drive which provided power to the High Lift Motors (HLMs) and High Lift Propellers (HLPs) responsible for providing additional thrust for take-off and landing. This paper presents the detailed design, test results, and outcomes from the development of the HLMC, a 14 kW, 1kg, 98.3% efficient, outer mold line (OML) cooled, silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET-based inverter and controller.

Electric Aircraft↗
NASA NTRSDate not supplied

X-57 Traction Power and Command Systems Development

This paper describes the final, as-built design of the X‑57 Maxwell aircraft power and command system architecture that implements the electrified propulsion capability. The development of the traction power, command, and avionics power subsystems proceeded as planned at the initial project critical design review, but improvements to the design were identified following the development of detailed operations concepts and integrated subsystem and system testing. The redundant architecture with A‑side and B‑side buses provided a robust framework for a developmental system that would turn out to have a lower technology readiness than had been assumed upon project formulation. As the project team identified reliability or performance gaps in the electrified propulsion powertrain components and their interactions with the other vehicle systems, the traction power, command, and avionics architectures were modified to accommodate the modified systems. Following the publication of the planned design approach at the critical design review milestone [1], the project team developed the flight hardware and software, integrated the systems, and adjusted the design and qualification activities to address gaps in the components, system architecture, and requirements as the gaps were realized. In addition to inherent challenges in development of these subsystems, the integration of this new technology with adjacent critical systems in an aircraft configuration posed additional challenges that drove design considerations across the subsystem development and the other vehicle systems. Integration complications included electromagnetic compatibility, thermal performance, and tolerance of single-point failures internal and external to the powerplant. Development of a qualification program was required for the new motors, inverters, and batteries, and hardware performance during component qualification fed back into the development process and led lessons learned and redesign of key elements.

distributed propulsion↗