A Generic Mission-Level Flight Control Surface EMA Power Consumption Simulation Tool

• Published in: Aerospace 2022-06, Vol.9 (6), p.290
• Main Authors: Fu, Jingcheng, van Heerden, Albert S. J., Judt, David, Lawson, Craig
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Accuracy; Actuators; Aerodynamics; Aircraft; airframe systems; Avionics; Case studies; Control algorithms; Control simulation; Control surfaces; Control systems; electromechanical actuator; Energy consumption; Flight control systems; Flight simulation; Fly by wire control; Optimization; Power; Power consumption; Reynolds number; secondary power supply; simulation; trajectory management; Turbulence intensity; Turbulence models
• ISSN: 2226-4310; 2226-4310
• DOI: 10.3390/aerospace9060290

The use of electromechanical actuators (EMAs) for aeronautical applications promises substantial benefits regarding efficiency and operability. To advance the design of power electronics and secondary power supply, there is a need for the ability to swiftly study the effects of aircraft mission and operational aspects on the actuator energy consumption. Pursuant to this, the aim of the work presented in this paper is twofold: (i) to build a generic mission-level flight control surface EMA power consumption simulation framework and (ii) to apply this framework to a case study involving a small all-electric aircraft, in which selected factors that impact energy consumption are investigated. The core of the framework comprises physics-based EMA power estimators, linked with a six-degree-of-freedom flight dynamics and control simulation module. The case study results show that the actuator power consumption correlates positively with the proportional gains in the flight control system but is inversely proportional to the trajectory radius and linearly dependent on turbulence intensity. The developed framework could aid in the selection of the actuator, as well as in the optimisation of airborne electronics and secondary power supply.