Development of Aircraft Electric Starter–Generator System Based on Active Rectification Technology

TLDR

More‑electric aircraft are replacing pneumatic and hydraulic subsystems with electrical ones, and electric engine starters are a key feature of future aircraft. The study aims to develop a novel electric starter‑generator system for aircraft. The system integrates advanced electric machines, power‑electronic converters, thermal management, and system‑level control. Prototype testing confirmed the system’s performance, with results reported in the paper.

Abstract

More-electric aircraft (MEA) has become a dominant trend for modern aircraft. On-board MEA, many functions, which are conventionally driven by pneumatic and hydraulic power, are replaced with electrical subsystems. Starting aircraft engines with an electric motor instead of using pneumatic power from the auxiliary power unit is one of the major characteristics of future aircraft. This paper presents the development of a novel electric starter-generator system for aircraft applications. This paper describes the main achievements of the AEGART (EU CleanSky Project) project in the key areas, including electric machines, power electronic converters, thermal management, and overall system control design. The developed prototype has been tested successfully, and the test results are presented in this paper.