Project Scope

 

More Electric Aircraft

The Boeing Company has long been a major aerospace and defense corporation. One of its recent innovations is the concept of a More Electric Aircraft (MEA). This aims to replace the conventional centralized hydraulic system with a distributed electrical system. The benefits of the more electric aircraft include improved reliability, maintainability and supportability. In addition, enhancements in aircraft performance, weight and volume are expected.

Excess heat generation in electrical and electronic components severely limits the performance of aircraft systems. An ideal thermal management system for aerospace applications must exhibit certain features beyond efficient heat removal. The design must be lightweight and should consider the volumetric constraints characteristic of the aerospace industry.  Materials with negligible deterioration are preferable. The reliability of this system must be superb. The design must adapt to a variety of environmental conditions without compromising heat removal to a significant extent. Shock resistance and the ability to handle both extremes of temperature exposure are desired. The system should also be relatively maintenance free.

Carbon foam is an advanced porous material. It is currently being investigated for use in thermal management. Its main advantage is its porosity. Heat can be lost to the air within the channels of the foam. Because of the large surface area available for heat loss within the foam, convective heat transfer is likely to be very high. In fact, convection is predicted to be the main mode of heat transfer within carbon foam. Carbon foam has a very low thermal conductivity (approximately 60W/mK), so that heat transfer due to conduction is extremely low, especially as compared to materials like aluminum and copper. The main challenge in utilizing carbon foam becomes finding a way to effectively make use of the increased surface area within the material, to such an extent that will allow carbon foam to become a better heat transfer material than traditional metals.

 

                               

                                                                      Carbon Foam                                                                                        Magnified View