Aircraft Drive Inverter Design at Physical Limits

Power electronics is a hotly debated and acutely researched topic for transitioning to sustainable aviation. Power electronic systems convince with high power densities and ensure the most efficient operation of the individual components in a hybrid-electric aircraft. This paper presents the first detailed considerations for exploring the drive inverter performance limits over different time horizons (2030 and 2050) in a hybrid-electric 50-PAX regional aircraft with a possible range of 1500 km. Based on many years of experience designing highly integrated drive inverters, the physical limits concerning power-to-weight ratio and efficiency were explored based on detailed analytical considerations, taking current component technologies and their extrapolated development potentials as a basis.