Proceedings of ASME Turbo Expo 2012

GT2012
June 11-15, 2012, Copenhagen, Denmark

GT2012-68374

FUEL SYSTEM DESIGN FOR THE MORE ELECTRIC ENGINE

Noriko Morioka Hitoshi Oyori

IHI Corporation IHI AEROSPACE Co., Ltd.
Mizuho-machi, Nishitama-gun, Tokyo, JAPAN Tomioka City, Gunma, JAPAN

ABSTRACT INTRODUCTION
This paper describes the system design of an electric The MEE is a new aircraft engine system concept which
motor-driven fuel pump system for the MEE (More Electric will reduce fuel burn and CO2 emissions, and improve engine
Engine). The MEE is a new aircraft engine system concept safety, reliability and maintainability [1, 2]. The MEA (More
which will reduce fuel burn and CO2 emissions, and improve Electric Aircraft) has already introduced electrically-driven
engine safety, reliability and maintainability. At the initial systems such as the electric ECS (Environmental Control
concept design stage of the MEE, a feasibility study indicated System) or electro-hydraulic flight control actuators [3, 4]. In
that the electric fuel pump system helped improve engine future, a combination of MEA and MEE will enable the
efficiency. The selected fuel pump system configuration for the construction of more electric architecture for aircraft as shown
MEE was a fixed displacement gear pump system, the speed of in Fig. 1.
which is controlled by an electric motor. Simplification of the
fuel system will be expected because the electric gear pump Electric Electro‐Hydric
itself is used as a metering device, but there are several Engine
Bleed‐Less
Environment
Cont. Sys.
Electric
Anti‐ice
Flight‐control 
Actuator
technical challenges which should be overcome to realize the
Power
system. Management
One of the technical challenges involves ensuring fuel
More Electric
metering accuracy via motor speed control. To address the Aircraft
issue, studies of the fuel flow rate feedback system were
performed. A novel flow feedback system was investigated and
the potential to ensure metering accuracy was confirmed. Elec. Fuel  More Electric
pump system
The other technical challenge is the wide speed range Engine
operation of the gear pump system. If only a single electric gear Elec. Oil 
pump
pump is used in the MEE system, the pump should Engine Performance 
Improvement
accommodate a speed range of 5 to 100% because the ground
starting flow rate is about 5% of the maximum flow. Operation Electro‐mechanical
Variable‐geometry
at such low speeds is significantly harsh for the LP pump Embedded  Actuator
Starter/Generator
pressurizing capability and bearing film lubrication. However, Elimination of 
AGB
optimized pump performance and operational condition were
established, and it is expected that a single pump system, in
Figure 1. More Electric Architecture for Future Aircraft
which both LP and HP pumps are directly motor-driven via a
single shaft, can be constructed. In addition, there is a technical
The proposed MEE fuel system is an electric motor-
challenge involved in supplying electrical power to the pump
driven gear pump system [5], the configuration of which was
motor during the windmill engine start-up.
determined based on the configuration study [6]. Fig. 2
The system design focused on the above technical
indicates a comparison of the efficiency and weight of various
challenges, and the consequent feasibility of the simplified
pump systems. With regard to pump system efficiency, typical
MEE fuel pump system construction was confirmed.
fixed displacement pump systems, which are currently used in

1 Copyright © 2012 by ASME

Downloaded From: http://proceedings.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ on 01/30/2016 Terms of Use: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/terms-of-use

 the engine fuel system, are assumed to be the baseline. Calculation model
Improved systems, e.g. those with multiple gear pumps and Air cruise Ground maximum
variable displacement vane pump systems, provide higher condition condition
efficiency than conventional systems. Further improvements in ENG 20%
system efficiency will be accomplished by the MEE electric Wf
motor- driven gear pump system. The pump speed is controlled
by an electric motor; hence the gear pump discharges the exact 90%
fuel flow demanded by the FADEC (Full Authority Digital ENG
NG
Electronic Control). Consequently, the fuel bypass circuit, (HP speed)
which returns the excess fuel to the pump inlet and causes
inefficiency in conventional pump systems, can be eliminated. Calculated fuel pump system efficiency
As shown in Fig. 3, the MEE gear pump system is expected to Air cruise condition Ground maximam condition
provide the highest efficiency under air cruise conditions of
any pump configuration [7]. MEE system

Valiable displacement
pump system

Centrifugal pump
system

Double gear pump
system

Conventional system

  0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 1.2 1.4

 is shown by relative value which is divided by the MEE system efficiency.

Figure 3. Calculated Fuel Pump System Efficiency

Figure 2. Efficiency Improvement of the Fuel Pump
System
In the proposed MEE system, the electric gear pump itself
is used as a metering device. Simplification of the fuel system
will be expected, but there are several technical challenges
which should be overcome for realization of the system. During
the system design, the authors have been seeking approaches
for these challenges.
One of the technical challenges is ensuring fuel metering
accuracy via the motor speed control [6]. As shown in Fig. 4,
the conventional fuel system maintains metering accuracy by
precise valves such as metering and pressure regulating valves,
which provide accurate metering fuel flow and vary bypass
flow rates in the FMU (Fuel Management Unit). To address the
metering accuracy issue for the MEE less-FMU system, studies
of fuel flow rate feedback systems were performed.
Conventional
system
A/C
MEE electric
pump system
A/C
FMU-less system
Figure 4. A Simplified Fuel Pump System
The other technical challenge is ensuring the wide speed
range operation of the gear pump. A conventional engine fuel
gear pump typically consists of a HP (High Pressure) gear
pump and a LP (Low Pressure) impeller pump to pressurize
fuel at the HP pump gear inlet. Both HP and LP pumps are
driven by a single shaft attached to the AGB. The continuous
operating range is from around 10% speed during the engine
windmill start-up to 100% speed under the MTO condition. If
only a single electric pump is used in the MEE system, the
pump should accommodate a speed range of 5 to 100% for
continuous operation. The engine ground starting flow rate is
about 5% of the maximum engine flow, hence during the

2 Copyright © 2012 by ASME

Downloaded From: http://proceedings.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ on 01/30/2016 Terms of Use: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/terms-of-use

 ground engine start-up, the rotational speed of the single
electric pump will also be about 5%. Operation at such low
speeds is significantly harsh in terms of the LP pump
pressurizing capability and bearing film lubrication. Although a
multi-pump system, which consists of separate LP and HP
pumps, or compact and large-sized pumps, will prevent such
harsh conditions, the system becomes very complicated and
causes reliability and maintainability to decline. The authors
optimized the pump performance and operational condition,
hence the expected feasibility of constructing a single pump
system, in which both LP and HP pumps are directly motor-
driven via a single shaft, for the MEE system.
In addition, there is a technical challenge in ensuring the
supply of electrical power for the pump motor during the
windmill engine start-up. In the proposed MEE fuel system,
electrical power for the pump motor will be supplied by a
generator, which is driven by the engine via the AGB. For the
windmill start-up condition, the rotational speed of the
generator will be about 10% of the rated speed. The generation
of electricity at 10% speed also requires a new technical
approach.
The system design focused on the technical challenges
above, whereupon the feasibility of construction of the
simplified fuel pump system was confirmed.
ENGINE FUEL FLOW CONTROL ACCURACY
One of the most attractive concepts of the MEE fuel
system is the less-FMU concept. However to realize this
concept, ensuring fuel metering accuracy will be an issue,
because the MEE fuel metering method differs completely from
that of the conventional system.
In terms of metering accuracy, conventional gear pump
systems can ensure highly accurate metered flow. The metering
valve position is determined by the FADEC as providing an
accurate metering area, which accommodates the required fuel
flow, while differential pressure across the metering valve is
maintained constant by the pressure regulating valve. Both
accurate metering area and differential pressure provide a
highly accurate metered flow to within +/−5% of the point
flow.
Gear pumps fundamentally possess several factors which
result in a decline in volumetric efficiency. The increment of
internal leakage is a key factor and the amount of internal
leakage is mainly affected by the clearance between the mating
parts, the applied pressure and the viscosity of the operating
fluid. During extended pump operation, clearances increase
with increasing surface wear of the mating parts, as
exemplified by the pump shaft and bearing, gear teeth tip and
housing inner bore. As regards viscosity, a higher fuel
temperature corresponds to lower viscosity. Since low viscosity
fuel tends to leak, the amount of leakage rises with increasing
fuel temperature. The change in volumetric efficiency also
affects the pump discharge flow rate. Under normal
circumstances, the discharge flow at a constant pump speed
Downloaded From: http://proceedings.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ on 01/30/2016 Terms of Use: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/terms-of-use
declines with increasing operating hours. In conventional
systems, the decline in pump performance is compensated for
by reducing the bypass flow, hence the rated discharge flow of
gear pumps should be sufficient to take any change in
volumetric efficiency into consideration.
In contrast, in electric fuel pump systems, the pump speed
control determines the fuel flow to the engine. Since no bypass
flow circuit is required, precise valves such as metering and
pressure regulating valves can be eliminated. Although this
allows the fuel metering system to be simplified considerably,
concern about metering accuracy remains. In MEE fuel
systems, FADEC sends a fuel flow command to the pump
controller and the motor speed is determined based on a
conversion table between pump speed and discharge flow. The
control accuracy of the motor speed is assumed to be very high,
namely within +/− 0.5%, but the decline in gear pump
performance changes the conversion between speed and flow
and causes the metering accuracy to deteriorate. If the engine
control system utilizes engine speed droop control, in which the
fuel flow is controlled to obtain certain fuel/air ratio, the
deteriorated metering accuracy may cause the engine to surge
or stall during acceleration/deceleration due to an improper
fuel/air ratio. If the engine control system uses Ndot control, it
may not be necessary to concern about this problem. In the
Ndot control system, the engine acceleration/deceleration rate
is controlled to a suitable value. This means that the
deteriorated metering accuracy, which is caused by
performance degradation of the pump, will not provide much
effect on the engine acceleration /deceleration rate. When the
MEE electric pump is introduced, deterioration of the metering
accuracy will be compensated for by adjusting the motor speed,
to satisfy with the required acceleration/deceleration rate of the
engine speed. However, the Ndot control is not always used or
available. In addition, even though the Ndot control is adopted,
maintaining metering accuracy is mandatory during the engine
start-up due to the lack of feedback control for the engine light-
off, hence a decline in pump performance will result in failures
during engine start-up, such as no light or hung starts.
One of the ideas to solve this problem, is the incorporation
of flow feedback into the system. To obtain the flow feedback
signal, a flow sensor which measures the flow rate directly may
be installed into the fuel system. Flow meters typically used in
aircraft or engine fuel systems are of the volumetric flow type,
e.g. turbine flow and gear flow meters. However, these flow
meters involve turbines or gears placed inside fuel tubes, so
they will generate extremely high pressure losses at high flow
rates. Other flow sensor candidates are ultrasonic flow
metering devices. Because they measure fluid speed
ultrasonically, pressure loss is not a concern. However, there is
a need to develop a device compatible for aircraft engine
applications.
3 Copyright © 2012 by ASME
 Accurate fuel metering system
Accordingly, other approaches were investigated and a
proposed system is shown in Fig. 5. It consists of an FPV (Fuel
Pressurizing Valve) and ΔP (Differential Pressure) sensor. The
flow rate to the engine is estimated using a fundamental
equation and feedback to the motor controller. No flow sensing
device is required.
S/O demand
Shutoff valve
P
HP relief valve
Fuel Nozzle
FPV
M
F/B
Electric
Fuel pump Controller
Wf demand FPV: Fuel Pressurizing Valve
FADEC
Figure 5. The MEE Fuel Metering System
The fundamental equation (1) to estimate the volumetric flow
rate is obtained by the port area and pressure across the port.
Fig.5 shows a schematic of the fuel metering system using an
FPV and ΔP sensor. The valve stroke, i.e. valve open area, is
determined by the differential pressure of the valve, so the
FADEC can estimate the flow rate based on input from the ΔP
sensor. The gear pump performance degradation will be
compensated for by increasing the pump speed based on the
fuel flow feedback and the system can ensure fuel metering
accuracy.
Wf  CA0 p  2  (1)
For an assumed small size turbofan engine, the fuel
metering accuracy obtained by the proposed system was
estimated. As shown in Fig. 5, an FPV and orifice are located in
parallel at the electric fuel pump discharge. The P-Q curves of
the FPV and orifice are shown in Fig. 6. During the engine
start, i.e. when the required engine flow is small, the FPV
remains in a closed position. The metering accuracy is solely
determined by the manufacturing tolerance of the orifice area
and the measurement accuracy of delta P, while the P-Q curves
of both the orifice and FPV are settled so that delta P at the
engine starting flow is about 15psid. The peak delta P across
the FPV/orifice during normal engine operation does not
exceed 50psid, meaning a delta P sensor with a range of 50psid
can be used. The measurement accuracy of a 50psid range delta
P sensor is assumed as 1% of full scale, i.e. 0.5psid. This is
about 3.3% of 15psid, which is delta P at the engine start flow.
Total fuel metering accuracy is estimated based on
accumulation of the delta P measurement accuracy, electrical
signal errors and manufacturing tolerance of the orifice. It is
Downloaded From: http://proceedings.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ on 01/30/2016 Terms of Use: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/terms-of-use
expected that the proposed metering system can ensure the
required engine metering accuracy.
FPV fuel 
Pressure difference across FPV(psid)
flow rate (PPH)
100 5000
Pressure difference across FPV(psid)
Valve open area of FPV (mm2)
80 4000
Fuel flow rate (PPH)
FPV valve stroke (mm)
60 3000 Valve open area 
Orifice fuel  of FPV (mm2)
40 2000 flow rate (PPH)
20 1000 FPV valve 
stroke (mm)
0 0
0                1000            2000            3000            4000            5000
Fuel flow rate (PPH)
Figure 6. Pressure – Flow Performance of the FPV and
Orifice
The proposed fuel flow rate feedback system estimates a
volumetric flow rate, and conversion to a mass flow rate based
on specific gravity is available in the motor controller. The fuel
type also varies the specific gravity and should be considered in
the mass flow calculation. However, it can be easily
accomplished by inputting the fuel type into the motor
controller so that a suitable conversion table between the fuel
temperature and specific gravity is selected.
Fuel pump calibration
The closed loop control system ensures always accurate
metering flow, but will hamper the control system capability. In
addition, the feedback control may result in flow control
instability. Then another system approach, which is an open
loop control of the motor speed, is considered.
The fuel pump performance calibration will be available
by the open loop control of the motor speed based on mapping
between motor speed and discharge flow. Periodical calibration
of the mapping will be performed at any previously determined
point in time. The calibration timing can be flexibly
determined, for example, at the timing of certain aircraft/engine
maintenance or in line with aircraft/engine operating hours. The
calibration will be made by modifying the open loop control
gain automatically based on mapping between the motor speed
and estimated flow rate, which were stored during the latest
operation. Because performance degradation of the fuel pump
based on wear of parts is generally a very slow process,
calibration of the flow mapping at certain intervals is sufficient
to ensure flow metering accuracy. In addition, the flow
feedback signal will be useful with component maintenance in
mind. For example, when unexpectedly large performance
changes are observed, the motor controller will provide a fault
indication which specifies the timing of the pump replacement.
4 Copyright © 2012 by ASME
 LP AND HP PUMP CONFIGURATION STUDY
As mentioned in previous paragraphs, the proposed MEE
fuel system uses a gear pump as a fuel metering device. In
usual aircraft engine fuel system applications, the gear pump is
used as an HP pump, which pressurizes fuel to a sufficient
extent as required by the engine. The HP pump discharge
pressure is determined by the accumulation of CDP
(Compressor Discharge Pressure), differential pressure across
various valves, such as a metering valve and pressurizing
valve, and pressure loss in tubes, fittings and passages.
The rated discharge flow of the HP pump is determined by
consideration of the following:
- Maximum fuel flow, as required by engine performance
- Scatter of the pump performance produced by various
manufacturing tolerances
- Degradation of the volumetric efficiency of the gear pump
during extended operation
- Incremental internal leakage by rise in fuel temperature
The preliminary design of the HP pump was established for the
assumed small size turbofan engine, with the rated performance
of the HP pump as follows:
・Discharge mass flow rate: 5000PPH
・Pump head: 1000Psid
・Pump speed: 10000rpm
Upstream of the HP pump, a LP impeller pump is
necessary to pressurize fuel at the HP pump inlet. To ensure the
proper function of the HP gear pump, the fuel pressure at the
However in the MEE fuel pump, the wide operational
speed range will be an issue, since at very low speeds,
corresponding to the engine start-up or flight idle state, the LP
pump will produce nearly zero pressurizing. To confirm the
feasibility of a single shaft electric pump, the LP pump
performance estimation was performed. For the assumed small
size engine, an engine operational mission profile, including
critical conditions such as engine start-up and high altitude
flight idle, was defined. For each condition, the required HP
inlet pressure was calculated, representing accumulation of the
TVP (True Vapor Pressure) of the fuel, gear fill pressure and
pressure loss between the LP discharge and HP inlet. Among
the various types of fuel used in aircraft engines, JP-4 shows
the highest TVP curve. The other types of fuel, which are
commonly used in commercial aircraft, show lower TVP than
JP-4, so a feasibility study with JP-4 is conservative. TVP is
also affected by fuel temperature and increases along with
temperature increment. Therefore, the following two cases of
maximum engine inlet fuel temperature are considered, with
the aircraft boost pump failure:
- Study 1
57 degC at any conditions
- Study 2
57 degC with aircraft on ground, and it is declining
with altitude in consideration of the fuel tank
atmosphere
Study‐1 requirement Study‐2 requirement
LP discherge pressure ALT(ft)
180% 45000
(requirement/performance)

gear teeth inlet should be satisfied with minimum pressure, as 160% 40000
determined by various conditions such as pump speed, fuel 140% 35000
LP discharge pressure

temperature and profile of the gears. The minimum pressure is

Altitude (ft)
120% 30000
known as the gear fill pressure, namely the pressure required to 100% 25000
fulfill the gear teeth volume. If the pressure at the gear inlet is 80% 20000

lower than the gear fill pressure, the gear pump is unable to 60% 15000

suck up fluid. In this case, the pump discharge flow will decline 40% 10000

significantly and cavitation at the gear teeth may occur. The LP 20% 5000

pump performance is determined to provide sufficient gear fill 0% 0

pressure under any engine operating conditions. Usually, the
aircraft fuel system requires the engine to operate when the
aircraft fuel boost pump has failed. This represents the harshest
condition in terms of the LP pump pressurizing performance,
since the fuel pressure at the engine inlet may become
extremely low. This means that the LP pump should pressurize
fuel more than under normal conditions, under which the
aircraft boost pump works properly.
Assuming the MEE fuel system for the assumed small
size engine, the required LP pump performance was estimated.
The conventional fuel pump, which is constructed via a LP
impeller pump and a HP gear pump, usually uses a single shaft.
Both LP and HP pumps are driven by the shaft, which means
that both pumps are driven at the same speed. The single shaft
pump is beneficial in terms of weight, volume, reliability and
durability, because no gear train mechanism is required.
Start Ground MTO Climb Cruise Descent Ground
idle idle
Flight mission
Figure 7. Required LP Discharge Pressure and Estimated
Performance for the Assumed LP Pump
Fig. 7 shows a comparison between the required LP
discharge pressure and estimated performance for an assumed
LP pump. The result indicates that the LP pump, which is
driven co-axially with the HP by a single shaft, is unable to
produce enough pressure for proper suction of the HP pump for
Study 1 under descent conditions. However, in Study 2 lower
fuel temperature than Study 1 allows the LP pump can produce
enough pressure under all flight conditions. Study 2 uses
example of inlet fuel temperature requirement for commercial
engines, while Study 1 is a typical requirement for military

5 Copyright © 2012 by ASME

Downloaded From: http://proceedings.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ on 01/30/2016 Terms of Use: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/terms-of-use

 engines. Therefore, the assumed LP pressurizing performance
is considered acceptable depending on usage.
As mentioned above, the feasibility of the single shaft
pump, which co-axially drives both LP and HP pumps, was
confirmed in terms of the pressure and flow performance.
LOW SPEED OPERABILITY OF THE MEE PUMP
SYSTEM
In addition to the LP pressurizing performance, the wide
speed range operation of the electric fuel pump induces another
concern. The following issues should be considered to ensure
proper operation of the pump during very low rotational speed:
- Lubrication of bearings
- Accuracy of motor speed control
First issue appears serious. In conventional gear pump
systems, continuous operation at very low speeds e.g. 5-10% is
not expected. A conventional pump will supply an engine
starting flow at a pump speed of around 10%, whereupon the
engine accelerates to an idle condition. Under an idle condition,
the pump speed exceeds 60%. In contrast, in the MEE fuel
system, the pump speed is around 5% during the engine start-
up and around 10% during high altitude cruise condition,
because speed of the electric motor-driven gear pump is
determined so as to discharge the engine required fuel flow
independently with the engine speed. It means the pump should
be continuously rotating at a speed of 5-10%, which is lower
than that of the conventional pump operating range.
The key concern is the lubrication of pump bearings. The
engine fuel pump is very unique compared with any kinds of
industrial pumps, based on the fact that fluid of relatively low
lubricity, i.e. fuel, is used for the bearings. Typically, plain
bearings made of specific bearing material such as lead-copper
is used for the pump shaft journal bearings. Very thin film
lubrication is obtained between the shaft outer diameter and
bearing inner diameter. The rotational speed of the shaft is
crucial for the film thickness, because the higher the sliding
speed of the mating surfaces, the thicker the film. In addition, a
high fuel temperature has adverse effects on film thickness,
because low viscosity fluid is harsh for film lubrication.
To confirm the feasibility of continuous pump operation,
the film thickness was estimated. The MEE fuel pump system
provides several advantages in terms of film lubrication
compared with conventional pumps, such as low pump
discharge pressure and low fuel temperature rise. Fig. 8 shows
a comparison of the estimated film thickness, with that of a
conventional and proven fuel pump for a small size engine
assumed as 100% thickness. The minimum continuous
operating speed of the electric pump is about half that of the
conventional pump. If it is assumed that the electric pump is
operated at half speed but with a discharge pressure and fuel
temperature equivalent to a conventional pump, film thickness
is estimated to be thinner than in the conventional case.
However, in the MEE fuel pump system, pump discharge
Downloaded From: http://proceedings.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ on 01/30/2016 Terms of Use: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/terms-of-use
pressure will be lower than that of the conventional pump
system because pressure loss downstream of the pump can be
reduced by removing valves such as metering valve or
minimum pressurizing valve. Also temperature rise in fuel is
much smaller than that of the conventional system, because a
bypass circuit, which bypasses excess fuel flow into the pump
inlet and causes heat generation, can be removed. If the
reduction of both discharge pressure and fuel temperature is
taken into consideration, the estimated minimum film thickness
will be similar to the conventional pump. Therefore it is
expected that the film lubricant of the bearings will be
maintained at 5% speed operation for the electric fuel pump.
This result indicates the potential application for the single
shaft electric fuel pump for the assumed small size MEE fuel
system.
Figure 8. Estimated Film Thickness of the Gear Pump
Bearings
Second issue, ensuring the motor speed control accuracy at
low speed is also important. The motor speed is determined by
a speed servo control. An angular sensor, typically of the
resolver type and attached to the motor shaft, detects the
rotational angle of the motor rotor and determines the angular
speed, which is then fed back in the minor loop of the motor
speed control. The detection tolerance of the angular sensor
directly affects the speed servo control accuracy.
In a typical digital servo control system of motors, the
sampling time of the angular sensor is determined so that no
change in the detected angle exceeds 180 degrees. The
sampling time is also usually constant at any motor speed, so it
is determined to be adequately small at the highest speed.
Consequently, any change in the detected angle is so small at
low speeds that the detection tolerance of the sensor will induce
a larger error than that at high speed.
In the MEE electric motor-driven fuel pump, the
operational range of the motor speed far exceeds that of motor
systems usually used in aerospace industries. The motor speed
varies from 5% speed at engine start-up to 100% speed at MTO
condition, because the range of rotational speed is equivalent to
6 Copyright © 2012 by ASME
 that of the fuel flow rate to the engine. If the sampling time of VP [Vrms ]    KeP
the angular sensing is constant, it is difficult to maintain a Excitation GCU
Power VM [Vrms ]    KeM
current
certain accuracy of the speed servo control. During low flow KeM  V A
rates in particular, the speed servo control accuracy will AC generator VM   3
decline. To avoid this, a digital servo control system with for exciter
VA [Vrms ]    Ke A
variable sampling time will be introduced and the sampling Ke A  VP
time will be reduced or extended, with motor speed decreasing Permanent magnet Main
V A   2
Rectifier Exciter
or increasing. generator
for exciter power
armature

Engine speed VP [Vrms]: PMG VA [Vrms]: AC gene VM [Vrms]: Main gene

GENERATOR FOR FUEL SYSTEM
Fig. 9 shows an assumed generator system for the fuel
pump motors [8]. The generator, which is driven by the AGB,
provides the MEE with electric power. The AGB drives the
generator’s shaft, which rotates at a speed proportional to that
of the engine, through the gear trains. The generator’s
capability should be sufficient to pump fuel to the combustor in
every situation. When the engine starts, the shaft speed falls to
about 10% of the max speed. Simultaneously, the fuel pump
must supply the starting fuel to the combustor. The fuel flow
during engine start-up is about 5% of the maximum, which is
an issue for the MEE’s generator feasibility.
From
Aircraft
Aircraft Control
FADEC
Electrical
GCU Signal
Data
Bus
Generator
Electrical Power Engine speed
Max rating speed 100%
Fuel Fuel Flow
Start speed 10%
MPV
Pump
The fuel flow at engine start is about 5%
of the maximum rated fuel flow.
Figure 9. Generator System for Fuel Pump Motors
Fig. 10 shows a conventional generator used for aviation
systems. Here, three segments are used to construct a
conventional generator. The first is the main generator, which
has a power output armature and an exciter rotor. The exciter is
an electric magnet winding, which creates a magnetic flux in
the field. The second is an alternate current generator, which
includes a rotor winding and an outer housing mounted stator
exciter. The function of the second segment is to transfer the
exciter’s power from the stator to the rotor components. The
Max rating speed 100% Max VP 100% Max VA 100% Max VM 100%
Start speed 10% Start speed VP 10% Start speed VA 1% Start speed VM 0.1%
Ke : back _ Electromotive _ forece _ const.
[rad / s ] : shaft _ speed
Figure 10. Typical Conventional Generator for Aviation
Systems
General issue of conventional electric exciter generator
system is generating electricity for the fuel pump motor during
engine start-up. There is a significant problem with this three
generator system. The voltage of each generator is proportional
to the shaft speed, due to the constant back electromotive force.
Since these three segment generators are connected in series,
the output voltage is directly proportional to the cube of the
engine speed. When the engine speed falls to one-tenth, the
main generator voltage falls to one-thousandth. The proposed
solution is a simpler design using a single PMG (Permanent
To the Combustor
Magnet Generator). The output voltage of this generator is
proportional to the engine speed. As the engine speed falls to
AGB
one-tenth, the generator voltage does the same.
However, there is another issue with the PMG, namely, the
fact that it is impossible for a PMG to stop power generation
Fuel
while the shaft is rotating. In conventional systems, conversely,
Nozzle
shutting down is easy via the exciter current breaker in the
GCU (Generator Control Unit). Therefore, the authors
recommend that the new system design use a double shutdown
mechanism for the PMG as shown in Fig. 11. A cable and
wiring harness short circuit can be solved by conventional
outside breaker points, but feeder and armature short circuits
cannot be protected against at the same point, hence a double
shutdown mechanism has been designed, with the motor
neutral point to feed outside, and make the breaker points there.
Generator
Diagnosis
Voltage
ON/OFF
ON/OFF
ON/OFF

final segment generates the power of the excitation. This

iw
iv
iu

generator uses a permanent magnet rotor.

Figure 11. Double Shutdown Mechanism for PMG

7 Copyright © 2012 by ASME

Downloaded From: http://proceedings.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ on 01/30/2016 Terms of Use: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/terms-of-use

 CONCLUSION [7] N. Seki, N. Morioka, H. Oyori, “More electric engine
The system design of the electric motor-driven fuel gear architecture for fuel system of aircraft gas turbine
pump system, which is applied for the MEE system, was engine” in IGTC2011 Osaka, IGTC2011-0041
performed. Realizing the proposed system involved [8] H. Oyori, N. Morioka “A motor control design for the
overcoming several technical challenges, the approaches to more electric aero engine fuel system” SAE Technical
which were investigated. A novel fuel flow rate feedback Paper 2011-01-2619.
system will be introduced to ensure fuel metering accuracy and
a simple single electric gear pump system is expected to be
constructed, accommodating wide-ranging pump rotational
speed. Consequently, the feasibility of construction of the
simplified MEE fuel pump system was confirmed.
Experimental tests using actual hardware to evaluate feasibility
of the system are in preparation and it will be reported in a
subsequent paper.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The study of generators for the fuel system was conducted
in cooperation with SINFONIA TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd.
The authors would like to express sincere thanks to Mr. Y.
Shimomura, Mr. Y.Ohta and Mr. F.Sano at SINFONIA
TECHNOLOGY Co., Ltd.

NOMENCLATURE
C FPV flow coefficient, dimensionless
A0 Valve open area of FPV, m2
P Pressure difference across the FPV, kgm-1s-2
 Fluid density, kg/m3
Ke Back electromotive force constant, V/rpm
 Shaft speed, rpm

REFERENCES
[1] Richard Newman, Rolls-Royce plc, “The More Electric
Engine Concept”, SAE Technical Paper 2004-01-3128
[2] P. J. Norman, S. J. Galloway, G. M. Burt, The University of
Strathclyde, UK, D.R. Trainer, M. Hirst, Rolls-Royce plc,
“Transient Analysis of the More-Electric Engine Electrical
Power Distribution Network”, Power Electronics,
Machines.
[3] Adam McLoughlin, Rolls-Royce plc, “Engine Powerplant
Electrical Systems”, More Electric Aircraft Forum, 2009
[4] “Aircraft-level Architecture & Integration”, MOET FP6-
030861, 11-DEC-2009
[5] N. Morioka, H. Oyori, D. Kakiuchi, K. Ozawa, “More
electric engine architecture for aircraft engine
application,” in ASME Turbo Expo 2011, Vancouver,
CANADA, 2011, GT2011-46765.
[6] N. Morioka, H. Oyori, “Fuel pump system configuration
for the more electric engine” SAE Technical Paper
2011-01-2563

8 Copyright © 2012 by ASME

Downloaded From: http://proceedings.asmedigitalcollection.asme.org/ on 01/30/2016 Terms of Use: http://www.asme.org/about-asme/terms-of-use