Real-Time Simulation of a More Electric Aircraft Using a Multi-FPGA Architecture

Systems electrification is becoming increasingly present in the aerospace sector. For More Electric Aircrafts (MEA), this consists in replacing traditional pneumatic and hydraulic systems by electrical ones. The result is increased integration of switching power electronics devices to the network, which complicates the design and validation process of the aircraft Electrical Power Generation and Distribution Systems (EPGDS). In collaboration with BOMBARDIER Aerospace, OPAL-RT is developing a Multi Electrical System Integrated Simulator (MESIS), a virtual simulation environment that offers real-time simulation performance. Throughout the design phases, MESIS generates cost savings in comparison to the use of physical rig validation, as typically used in the aerospace industry. This paper showcases a multi-FPGA simulation architecture that allows for a whole MEA EPGDS to be modelled and simulated at the component level in real-time, with a time-step of 2 μs.