Dr. Waleed Said of Hamilton Sundstrand

Topic: Aircraft Power System and Power Electronics Technology for the More Electric Airplane

The ever growing demand for more electric power in modern aircraft coupled with shrinking available space for onboard electric equipment bays translate into very high power density requirements for airborne electrical equipment. The situation is further complicated by the increasing use of composite material and alloys in equipment and structures with lower temperature limits and poor thermal conductivity. This forces lower operating temperature limits on electrical equipment and prevents use of structures as heatsinks as they have conventionally been used. Combining all these opposing requirements drives design of the electrical equipment to be at the highest efficiency possible throughout all operating modes. High efficiency requirements apply to all aircraft electrical systems, including generation, primary and secondary distribution and all systems that utilize electrical power.

The talk will cover the challenges cited above and will attempt to define the constraints of power quality and EMI/EMC requirements on both generation and utilization equipment. Some examples will be presented of the rigorous testing and qualification required to prove Power Electronics Technology is ready for the More Electric Airplane Challenge.

Biography:
BS Physics – 1976
MS Electric Power Engineering – 1980
PhD Power Electronics Engineering –1985

Dr. Said has worked in the aerospace industry for the majority of his career. He joined Hamilton Sundstrand in 1985 as a Sr. Research Engineer working on the controls of variable speed constant frequency VSCF aircraft electric power systems and on electrically driven torpedo propulsion engines. He later led the design and development of a number of power electronic motor controllers for the electromechanical actuation products for high lift flight actuators for regional jet airplanes. Dr. Said was also the principle investigator for the USAF sponsored Advanced Motor Drive program that produced fault tolerant high power motor and motor controller concepts. After that he became the principle investigator of the electrical system on the Space Shuttle Electric APU program sponsored by NASA Johnson Space Center. The program was to Power the Space Shuttle Auxiliary Power Unit with Li-Ion Battery system and electric motor driven hydraulic pumps. Dr. Said is currently responsible for the technical oversight of all power electronics and motor controls technology at Hamilton Sundstrand. This includes researching advanced concepts, technical direction of development programs, and the enhancement of quality & reliability of power electronics products. Parts of his responsibilities include technology maturation, research and technology roadmap strategy for future aircraft systems.