Advancements in Electrical Machines for Aircraft Propulsion

Electrical machines are at the center of future aircraft propulsion architectures, and their improvement is key in increasing the market uptake of cleaner transport. This paper investigates recent/ongoing improvements within the constituent technology bricks, including the magnetic materials, insulation, thermal management, coil winding, and wire technologies, and estimates the performance entitlements from each considering an 800 kW 1800 rpm direct drive aircraft propulsion motor. The combination of advanced technology bricks is then discussed for two aerospace machine case studies involving a 4 MW, 15 krpm, 17.3 kW/kg generator and a 300 kW, 6500 rpm, 15–25 kW/kg motor.