The Possibility of Using Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage/Battery Hybrid Energy Storage Systems Instead of Generators as Backup Power Sources for Electric Aircraft

The annual growth rate of aircraft passengers is estimated to be 6.5%, and the CO2 emissions from current large-scale aviation transportation technology will continue to rise dramatically. Both NASA and ACARE have set goals to enhance efficiency and reduce the fuel burn, pollution, and noise levels of commercial aircraft. However, such radical improvements require radical solutions. With the current traditional aircraft designs based on gas turbines or piston engines, these goals are infeasible. Small-scale aircraft have successfully proven emission reductions using energy storage systems, such as Alice aircraft. This paper involves an investigation of the possibility of using superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES)/battery hybrid energy storage systems (HESSs) instead of generators as backup power sources to improve system efficiency and reduce emissions. Two different power system architectures of electric aircraft (EA) were compared in terms of reliability and stability in a one-generator failure scenario. As weight is crucial in EA designs, the weights of the two systems were compared, including the generators and energy storage systems. The two EA systems were built in Simulink/MATLAB to compare their reliability and stability. With the currently available technologies, based on the energy density of 250 Wh/kg for lithium-ion batteries and a power density of 8.8 kW/kg for generators, the use of the generators as backup sources proved more efficient than the use of HESS. The break-even point was observed at 750 Wh/kg for battery energy density. Any value more than the 750 Wh/kg energy density makes HESS lighter and more efficient than generators

Impact of Copper Stabilizer Thickness on SFCL Performance with PV-Based DC Systems Using a Multilayer Thermoelectric Model

Utilizing renewable energy sources (RESs) to their full potential provides an opportunity for lowering carbon emissions and reaching a state of carbon neutrality. DC transmission lines have considerable potential for the integration of RESs. However, faults in DC transmission lines are challenging due to the lack of zero-crossing, large fault current magnitudes and a short rise time. This research proposes using a superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) for effective current limitation in PV-based DC systems. To properly design an SFCL, the present work investigates the effect of copper stabilizer thickness on SFCL performance by using an accurate multilayer thermoelectric model. In the MATLAB/Simulink platform, the SFCL has been modeled and tested using different copper stabilizer thicknesses to demonstrate the effectiveness of the SFCL model in limiting the fault current and the impact of the copper stabilizer thickness on the SFCL’s performance. In total, four different thicknesses of the copper stabilizer were considered, ranging from 10 μm to 80 μm. The current limitation and voltage profile for each thickness were evaluated and compared with that without an SFCL. The developed resistance and temperature profiles were obtained for various thicknesses to clarify the mechanisms behind the stabilizer-thickness impact. An SFCL with an 80 µm copper stabilizer can reduce the fault current to 5.48 kA, representing 71.16% of the prospective current. In contrast, the fault current was reduced to 27.4% of the prospective current (2.11 kA) when using a 10 µm copper stabilizer