Design of Continuous Hairpin Winding for Multi-Phase MW-Class Electric Aircraft Propulsion

With the maturing of More Electric Aircraft (MEA) technology, the aviation industry is actively seeking to replace traditional fuel engines with electrical drive systems. This transition holds the potential to contribute towards achieving net-zero, by 2050. This ambitious goal imposes requirements on the design and realisation of propulsion electrical motors, demanding high efficiency, high specific power, and high reliability. Advanced winding technologies play a pivotal role in meeting these requirements. This paper reviews and compares state-of-the-art winding technologies for megawatt (MW)-class aviation applications and proposes a continuous hairpin winding scheme tailored for a high-power-density multi-phase MW-class propulsion systems. The paper analyses the design principles of the proposed scheme and compares its performance with other winding technologies. The results demonstrate that the continuous hairpin winding can significantly enhance the power density and efficiency of propulsion motors, offering a promising pathway for the next generation aviation pronulsion systems.