A reliable starting method of sensorless brushless DC motor for aviation fuel pumps

A reliable starting method of sensorless brushless DC (BLDC) motor for aviation fuel pumps is proposed. Compared with conventional starting methods, the proposed method is more robust especially under the harsh conditions, such as source voltage fluctuations, load variations and mechanical vibrations. In order to achieve smooth and stable start, PWM duty cycle is adjusted dynamically to compensate the disturbance of source voltage fluctuations and overcome the viscosity of fuel at low temperature. To further increase reliability, a multi-restart strategy is also developed. The proposed starting method is easy to implement with only a single current sensor and a low-cost microprocessor. A 260W sensorless BLDC motor drive system for aviation fuel pump has been constructed and the effectiveness of the proposed method has been verified.