Reliability and Fault-Tolerance Assessment of PMSM Drive for Electric Aircraft Applications

As a cleaner and less expensive alternative to fossil fuel-based energy, electric energy is an inevitable choice for the future of the aviation industry. Electrical machines are one of the major components of electric aircraft, and their reliability is critical according to the standards and requirements of the aviation industry. Because of their unique properties, permanent magnet (PM) motors have become the first choice of electric aircraft manufacturers. In the present study, the reliability of PM motors and their drives is calculated using the Isograph Reliability Workbench software and the Markov chain method. Moreover, considering the failure rate, switching efficiency, power quality, and cost, the study results reveal that the dual extra switching leg three-phase PM drive configuration can currently be the optimal alternative for electric aircraft.