A collaborative approach to the More Electric Aircraft

Significant changes are required in aircraft systems if dramatic reductions in the cost of ownership are to be achieved. One such change is the More Electric Aircraft (MEA). The MEA adopts a whole system approach to optimising the airframe and engine systems, proposing that significant benefits can be achieved if today's pneumatic, hydraulic and electric airframe power systems are replaced with predominantly electric power. There has been much activity to advance electrical equipment and sub-systems within the aerospace arena. With the exception of the work performed in the United States of America on military applications, the majority of these sub-systems have been developed to a stand-alone demonstrator level or perhaps integrated within existing electrical architectures. Although much discussion has focussed on the MEA at a conceptual level, studies need to be revised to take into consideration developments in the component technologies, to define the optimised architectures, evolutionary steps and potential benefits, using a top-down approach. This is the first of a series of papers documenting the collaborative effort of a consortium of UK aerospace organisations working together on the Totally Integrated More Electric Systems (TIMES) project. This paper discusses the background, objectives and planned activities of the project and provides an overview of the work carried out during preliminary studies.