The Advantages and Disadvantages of Green Taxiing

An electrical system in airplanes

An electrical system in airplanes is an essential component of different aircraft designs with varying complexity and capacity. Some aircraft have only engines while others operate on multiengine, e.g., commercial planes (Bowman, 2017). Although these systems might vary, there are some standard components like how one or two of the distribution buses receive generator output. The demand for automatic, fuel efficient and electric airplanes has significantly increased. The three specifications are currently motivating airplane manufacturing companies to revolutionize the market. The countries that are presently expecting such a significant breakthrough in the aircraft industry include Japan, India, and China. This paper analyzes green taxiing as one of the advancements in the aircraft electrical systems in the entire world.

Market segmentation for airplane electrical systems

There has been severe market segmentation for airplane electrical systems depending on platform, application, the technology used, region, and component. Under technology, other subdivisions are depending on power conversion, power generation, energy storage, and power distribution. Bowman (2017) claims that the market segment dealing with energy storage is the only area expected to exhibit the highest growth by 2022. The reason behind the increase is the fall in lithium-ion battery prices and also the introduction of electrical systems for airplanes. Recent changes in the application of electrical systems indicate that there is a lot to be achieved in the future. For instance, electrical systems are now used in place of the traditional methods where engineers applied pneumatic or hydraulic sources to power these airplanes. Examples of commercial airliners that use these systems include Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 (Marshall, Barnhart, Hottman, Shappee & Most, 2016). These airplanes have large electrical systems because they are large and are for commercial purposes. Their policies have helped in the latest advancements in the development of better electrical systems. Other areas where companies apply the electrical systems include wing ice security, environmental control utilities, pumping fuel, and actuation systems for aircraft. The innovations are leading to breakthroughs in future aircraft manufacturing technologies that enable fuel conservation and reduced noise pollution for a sustainable ecosystem.

Green taxiing system

According to Johnson (2018), it is Dr. Chris Gereda who developed an electrical system for airlines known as Green taxiing. Green taxiing is a motor drive technological breakthrough that uses an electrified system that comes with numerous advantages. The system helps in reducing carbon emission into the atmosphere and also reduces fuel consumption during airline operations. The auxiliary power unit is the source of power for the green taxiing system, bringing about the benefit of the flexibility of an airplane while it maneuvers on the ground (Johnson, 2018). One setback with the system is that it needs high peak torques that are required for acceleration purposes. The traditional electrical drives do not have the power reliability and density levels that are needed.

Thermal management and mechanical issues

Additionally, there are some thermal management and mechanical issues related to the landing gear integration process used in the traditional system. The new system will help in providing an innovative, direct-drive motor, and fault-resistant design (Lamkin, Handel, Warpinski & Buster, 2016). Therefore, the reliability and torque density will be satisfactory. These innovations are improving functionality in aircraft, lead to reduced crew members, enhance the safety of people on board, improves engine control and situation awareness, improve communication and bring reliability in automated systems.

Power electronics and future expectations

Finally, the most satisfying element in the aircraft electrical system advancement, especially Green taxiing is power electronics. The importance of this kind of system could not have come through without the power conversion applicability. However, the application of this system on airplanes comes with certain challenging conditions that will undoubtedly be improved with technical advancement in the future. Future expectations include reliability, cost, weight, and volume system reliabilities.

References

Bowman, R. (2017). Electrical Materials Research for NASAs Hybrid Electric Commercial    Aircraft Program.

Johnson, T. F. (2018). Electric green taxiing system (EGTS) for aircraft. Newsletter, 2017.

Lamkin, A. F., Handel, S. D., Warpinski, M., & Buster, D. (2016). U.S. Patent Application No.           14/727,227.

Marshall, D. M., Barnhart, R. K., Hottman, S. B., Shappee, E., & Most, M. T.             (2016). Introduction to unmanned aircraft systems. Crc Press.