Simulation of PMSM VSI Drive for Determination of the Size Limits of the DC-Link Capacitor of Aircraft Control Surface Actuator Drives

This paper aims to contribute to the determination of the minimum acceptable value of the capacitor in the DC-link of drives suitable for aerospace actuation applications. As part of the analysis a complete simulation of a three-phase 3.6 kW permanent-magnet synchronous machine (PMSM) with a PWM rectifier-inverter drive for a full electric flap drive for a mid sized aircraft like an Airbus A-320 is presented. The effect of the size of the capacitor is examined and ground rules to establish minimum acceptable size are derived with the knowledge of exact switching states in the rectifier and inverter.