Electrics:

• P = V x I, R = V/I
• Power = Watt, Work/energy = Joules
• Most common frequency = 400Hz
• Resistance increases with increasing temperature
• Open circuit occurs: loss of continuity prevents components from functioning
• Relay: Electromagnetically operated switch
• Lorentz force: Conductor cuts field lines of a magnetic field
• CIVIL: In capacitor current leads voltage & voltage leads current in inductance
• Capacitive reactance ↑ Frequency↓ Current↓
Inductive reactance ↑ Frequency↑ Current↓
• Circuit breakers:
- Are used in both AC & DC
- May be reset manually after fault has been rectified
- Trip free: Doesn’t allow contacts to be held until fault is rectified
- Magnetic: Quick tripping response
- Thermal: Protects the system in the event of overload/overheating OR a prolonged overcurrent
(Discrepancy)
• Electrical bonding:
- Provides safe distribution of electrical charge/currents (Main)
- Protect against lightning
- Reduce radio interference
- Ensure 0 voltage difference between aircraft components (No such thing as electrostatic potential)
- Set aircraft to a single potential
- Provide a single earth for electrical devices
• Static dischargers:
- Wicks safely dissipate the static charge of the aircraft in flight
- Placed on wing & tail tips to facilitate electrical discharge
- Reduce interference with on board radio communications to a minimum
- Limits the risks of transfer of electrical charges between the aircraft & the electrified clouds
• Diode/semiconductor: Allows electrical flow in one direction only
• Zener diode: Used for voltage stabilization
• Fuses:
- Light duty/Cartridge: Ceramic with thin wire
- Current limiter: Allow a short term overload before rupturing
- Heavy duty/HRC: Used in high current circuits
Batteries
• Main function: Be an emergency source of electric power
• Capacity: Ampere hours
• Thermal runaway = Significant increase in battery temperature
• Lead acid battery:
- 1 cell output approx. 2 - 2.2V
- Any cell breaks, whole battery unserviceable
- Tested by comparing “on-load” & “off-load” battery voltages
• NiCad:
- Reduced charging time & constant output voltage
- Even voltage before rapid discharge
- Weighs less than lead-acid batteries
- Good discharging-discharging capability
- Wider permissible temperature range
- Good storage capabilities
- Sturdy metal casing
- Potassium hydroxide electrolyte
- Need to be monitored from excessive temperature caused by a decreasing voltage
- High risk of thermal runaway
• Parallel batteries: Same volt, sum of capacity
Series batteries: Sum of volts, same capacity
• When a battery is almost fully discharged, there is a tendency for the voltage to decrease under load
• Battery check: Load should be applied in order to give a better indication of condition
• Battery charging at high charge rate is normal at start up. However not normal when it persists
• Battery control unit isolates battery:
- From bus when charging complete
- When battery overheats
- In case of internal short circuit
Alternators
• AC – DC: TRU/Rectifier
• DC – AC: An inverter
• Brushless AC: Activated by a set of permanent magnets
• AC supply charges battery via transformer rectifier units (TRU)
• Output of generator controlled by varying the field strength
• AC alternators have fixed induced windings (Stator), dynamos have fixed inductor (Field) coil & moving
rotor
• Alternator rotor coils: DC
• Alternator stator coils: AC
• Frequency of current depends on its rotation speed
• Frequency “wild”: Output frequency varies with engine speed
• Feeder fault on a direct current circuit results in a flux unbalance between voltage coil & series winding
turn
• RPM = Frequency x 2 x 60 ÷ no. of poles
• Constant speed drive (CSD):
- Drives generator at a constant speed
- Ensures electric generator maintains a constant frequency
- Can be disconnected from drive shaft
- Is hydromechanical
- Can be disconnected in flight
- Requires voltage controller/regulator to maintain constant voltage under variable load
- Can only be reset on the ground after engine shut down
- During fault, CSD should be disconnected provided the engine is still running
- Red arc = Should be disconnected and generator is unusable for the rest of the flight
- Oil temperature & low oil pressure is monitored
• Voltage regulator
- Controls current
- Controls output voltage at varying loads & speeds
- Controls power required for field excitation of main rotor
- Increases excitation current when load increases
- Connected in series with shunt field coil
• Series wound: Voltage varies with load, high starting load
Shunt wound: Voltage decreases slightly with increase in load, needs presence of magnetic field & min
rotation speed
Compound wound: Voltage constant
• Star-connected: (Star karat)
- Line voltage: √3 x phase voltage
- Line current: Phase current
Delta-connected:
- Line voltage: Phase voltage
- Line current: √3 x phase current
• Starter warning lights: Illuminates when starter motor clutch is engaged
• Generator control unit: Modern GCUs are provided with a permanent indication to record the failure,
all the commands
originating from the control panel are applied via the GCU except dog clutch release
Distribution
• DC:
- Simple connection
- High starting torque
- DC generators connected in parallel to provide maximum power
• AC:
- Flexibility in use
- Light weight components
- Easy to convert to DC
- Easy maintenance
• HOT BUSSES & DCBUSSES: Directly connected to battery
• Bus bar: A distribution means for electrical power
• Bus tie-breaker (BTB):
- Allows power to be applied to the failed AC generator’s bus bar
- Ties generator to other bus bars & components
- Opens when there is phase imbalance between generator & other main busbars/generators
• GCB & GCR:
- Generator control breaker (GCB): Connects generator to busbar
- Generator control relay/exciter breaker (GCR): Switches excitation of generator field on/off, it closes
when generator
voltage is greater, opens when battery voltage is greater
- Over-excitation/over-voltage & under-excitation: Exciter breaker & generator breaker opens
- Underspeed: Only generator breaker opens
• Generator relay: Ensures that voltage are almost equal before generators are paralleled
• Reverse current relay: Ensures battery does not supply current to generator, battery voltage exceeds
generator voltage
• Loads sharing on aircraft busbar connected in parallel:
- Current reduces as loads are switched off
- During isolation, AC busbar current consumption decreases
- Both real & reactive loads must be matched
- Real load regulated by torque from CSD/equalising circuit (Drive shaft which controls frequency) kVA
- Shared/reactive load regulated by voltage regulator (Excitation current which controls voltage) kVAR
• Paralleled generators, generators connected to the same busbar
- Equal voltage
- Equal frequency
- Equal phase rotation
- Voltage of the same phase
- Current unimportant
• Unparalleled generators: Phase unimportant
• Load shedding: Temporary/permanent switching off of certain electric users to avoid overload of
generators
• Protected from
- Over-voltage
- Under-voltage
- Over-current
- Over-speed
- Under-frequency
• Grounding negative pole of the aircraft structure making it a return path to earth
- Single pole circuit
- Weight saving
- Easy fault detection
- Reduction of short circuit risk
• Motors:
- DC starter motors: Series wound
- Reverse direction of rotation by reversing polarity of stator or rotor