Investigations into standards compliant paralleled generation in civil aircraft

Recently, the aviation industry has witnessed a technological shift towards the More-Electric Aircraft (MEA) concept, driven by reduced fuel-burn and efficiency benefits. This trend of incremental electrification has brought along benefits such as reductions in weight and volume, performance optimization and reduced life-cycle costs for the aircraft operator. It has however also increased the necessary engine power off take and has made the electrical networks of modern MEA larger and more complex. In pursuit of new, more efficient electrical architectures, paralleled or interconnected generation is thought to be one platform towards improved performance and fuel savings. This paper discusses the historical background and associated challenges of paralleled generation and evaluates through modelling and simulation, the compliance of potential solutions to the airworthiness and power quality standards. It concludes by examining the impact of network protection system and extent of standards compliance on the competitiveness of these potential solutions.