Abstract
In the last years, the need for high power density and efficiency has become a central concern in all industrial sectors. For this reason, the arrival on the market of new power devices based on wide bandgap (SiC and GaN) semiconductors, with extremely short switching times, has raised a relevant interest. Aerospace industry is one of the main areas which can take advantage from these devices. According to the MEA concept, replacing the aircraft’s hydraulic/mechanical actuators with electrical drives yields an improvement in efficiency and power density, which means a reduction in weight, fuel consumption and noise/pollutants emission. However, some reliability issues may arise in this type of electric drives, as devices with higher voltage gradients have a negative impact on the performace of high voltage insulation systems. As such, there is a need to assess if state-of-the-art insulation materials of machines and power electronic components are suitable for future applications using higher supply voltages and higher switching gradients. The proposed project comprehends the analysis and the experimental assessment of state-of-the-art insulation materials and systems used in aircraft applications.
Project details
Unibo Team Leader: Andrea Cavallini
Unibo involved Department/s:
Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Energia Elettrica e dell'Informazione "Guglielmo Marconi"
Coordinator:
Università degli Studi di MODENA e REGGIO EMILIA(Italy)
Other Participants:
Liebherr-Aerospace Toulouse S.A.S.
(France)
ALMA MATER STUDIORUM - Università di Bologna
(Italy)
Total Eu Contribution: Euro (EUR) 396.401,25
Project Duration in months: 30
Start Date:
01/03/2018
End Date:
31/08/2020
This project contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 785513