High-Frequency Current Transformer Design to Detect Serial Arcs in More Electric Aircraft Articles uri icon

publication date

  • February 2025

start page

  • 639

end page

  • 647

issue

  • 1

volume

  • 11

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 2332-7782

abstract

  • Serial arcs in dc circuits are a well-known hazard in the field of photovoltaic systems and it is especially sensitive and critical in aerospace and aeronautic equipment. Unlike parallel arcs, the detection of this particular ionization phenomenon cannot be done with the currently available protection devices, so the industry is interested in finding a solution. The first step is to choose a sensor capable of reading the physical consequences of an active arc and the appearance of high-frequency (HF) current pulses derived from the arc has been proven to be a reliable method of detection. Inductive sensors are allegedly one of the most promising detectors in terms of sensitivity, cost, and adaptability to the circuit wiring. For aircraft applications, size and weight are additional constraints that limit the use of certain heavy inductive sensors, so an air-core inductive sensor was proposed by the authors in a previous work. This article is a step forward in the design of a solution using small and weightless toroidal ferrites to detect serial arcs. The geometric parameters, number of turns, cut-off frequency, bandwidth, and sensitivity connected to a 50- Ω impedance of the proposed sensor are parameterized using a model based on a transformer-equivalent circuit. The model is successfully validated with experimental measurements, and a candidate is chosen according to the constraints imposed by the application in airborne electric systems. Finally, a complete set of measurements of arcs is conducted to test its performance compared with the other two sensors. The aim is to quantify the sensitivity of the HF current pulses created by the arc activity when compared to the background noise.

subjects

  • Electronics

keywords

  • all-electric aircraft; inductive sensors; magnetic materials; more electric aircraft (mea); serial arcs