Next-generation aircraft fuel pump

Citation

(2004), "Next-generation aircraft fuel pump", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 76 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2004.12776bab.014

Next-generation aircraft fuel pump

Next-generation aircraft fuel pump

Keywords: Fuel, Pumps, Aircraft, Software

Synopsys, Inc., manufacturer of integrated circuit (IC) design software, recently announced that FR-HiTEMP Limited, a major manufacturer in aircraft fuel systems, has developed its next generation of sensorless, brushless, DC motor-driven fuel pumps using Synopsys' Saber simulator. Saber, part of Synopsys' Discovery Verification Platform, provided multi-technology simulation for verification of the electrical, electronic and electro-mechanical elements of the pump designs to meet new aircraft power system specifications. FR-HiTEMP Limited engineers were able to design and simulate different pump configurations in conjunction with the power system, before committing to physical prototypes, reducing cost and speeding development while helping to ensure that the fuel pumps operate optimally and within safety and stability requirements.

“Our customer, one of the world's largest aircraft OEMs, requested that we provide Saber models for their aircraft simulations,” said Keith Evernden, Head of Electrical Engineering at FR-HiTEMP Limited. “As a first time Synopsys customer, we were impressed with the company's responsiveness to quickly develop the required new component models. Not only were we able to provide high-quality Saber simulation models to our customer, but we optimised the design of our fuel pump over the full operating range.”

FR-HiTEMP Limited engineers used Saber to simulate the electrical, hydraulic and electromechanical behaviour of their pump design at multiple levels of abstraction including the behavioural and physical levels. They were able to simulate “what-if scenarios such as in-flight load changes that may occur during critical situations for example, such as tilting the plane while landing, which forces fuel into or out of pumps. Accurate simulation allowed FR-HiTEMP Limited and its OEM customer meet its design objective that the pumps would transfer fuel correctly under all conditions”.

Synopsys reports that Saber can simulate and model various systems, sub-systems and components, including sensors, wire harnesses, power systems, hydraulic actuators, flight control components and fuel systems. The simulation challenge for FR-HiTEMP was increased by the need to replicate the behaviour of the more than 20 fuel pumps distributed throughout a typical commercial aircraft which required the company to simulate multiple engineering domains.

“Aerospace industry requirements and the increased complexity in the systems require a solution that allow engineers to design as efficiently as possible without compromising the quality of their product,” said Bijan Kiani, Vice President of Marketing for the analog and mixed signal business. “Saber offers extensive modeling capabilities and is uniquely qualified to verify complex and advanced systems. Synopsys will continue to invest in solutions for multi-technology simulation that address the growing needs of designers in the aerospace industry.”

Details available from: Synopsys, Inc. Tel: +1 650 584 4194; E-mail: golde@synopsys.com