Aaron Anderson with adviser K. Haran

This research, funded by Rolls-Royce, considered the challenges of integrating an electric machine into a concept gas-turbine engine. Results were presented at the AIAA/IEEE Electric Aircraft Technologies Symposium (EATS) in July. The presentation included an analysis of how components besides the motor influence the drive-system performance. The conclusion is that although permanent magnet machines require additional fault-response equipment compared to other machine types, they remain the best choice for this application. Figure 1 shows distribution topologies compared by weight.

Figure 1. Distribution topologies compared by weight