Detection of DC series arc in more electric aircraft power system based on optical spectrometry

Abstract

Series arcing faults have been recognised as a hazardous phenomenon in the power system of more electric aircraft (MEA), especially with the increasing voltage level and power supply. Instead of the electrical method, the optical method can be used as an approach to detect arc fault with the advantages of fast response and immunity to electromagnetic interference. It is the basis of optical arc detection to determine the distribution spectrum range of direct current (DC) arc fault. Aiming at series arc optical detection in the MEA DC system, a DC series arc test platform was established to measure the series arc spectrum. The spectrum was disassembled though empirical mode decomposition to extract characteristic wavelengths of arc light and denoised by means of wavelet decomposition and reconstruction (wavelet transformation) to reduce equipment noise. To resolve the baseline drift, the baseline of the arc spectrum measured was calculated and corrected based on Savitzky−Golay. The experimental results indicate that there are several series arc characteristic spectra of the MEA DC system, including 309.3 and 324.5 nm in the ultraviolet range. Moreover, the arc spectrum with different metals, copper and aluminium, were contrasted, indicating the arc spectral behaviour is related to the melting/boiling point and chemical properties of the anode material. The measurement of the series arc spectrum makes it more effective to apply optical detection in the MEA discharging faults diagnosis.

High-Power Machines and Starter-Generator Topologies for More Electric Aircraft: A Technology Outlook

“…4) High-temperature solutions (needed for PMMs) with improved heat management of end-windings [192]. 5) High-voltage technology for high altitudes in aerospace applications (beyond 3 kV) [42], [193]. 6) Efficient and lightweight PECs, based on WBG devices, for loss reduction and ultra-high switching frequency.…”

A Novel Algorithm for Fast DC Electric Arc Detection

“…Arcing problems also occur on wind farms [33] or in nuclear power systems [34]. In terms of powering moving objects, railway traction [35][36][37][38][39], automotive [40,41], ship [42], and aircraft [43,44] power systems also suffer from this problem. Railway traction is especially interesting in this regard, because arcs also occur during a normal operation in the pantograph-catenary contact area, what is important from a power quality point of view [37].…”

“…Electric arcs generate noises at very different frequencies, which can be detected by various sensors [45]. If the place of the arc presence is known, magnetic sensors [23], radio antennas [24,25], IR, visual light, or UV [36,44,46,47] sensors can be used; otherwise, the current and voltage in the protected system can be measured. Then, the measured data need to be processed.…”

Optical Radiation from an Electric Arc at Different Frequencies

“…The excitation energy concerns mainly electrons, but it may also affect the nuclear spin of the elements. Non-zero nuclear spin includes almost all atoms with an odd number of nucleons (e.g., hydrogen 1 H, carbon 13 C, nitrogen 15 N, oxygen 17 O, fluorine 19 F, sodium 23 Na and phosphorus 31 P). Put simply, a nuclear spin can be imagined as the rotation of the nucleus around its axis.…”

“…This is important for producers of HVAC equipment. Jiang and others used an optical method to track DC discharge signals [19]. They found that this research is important for systems of more electric aircraft (MEA).…”