400 Hz Electrical Systems

Aircraft design is a series of compromises since engineers

must make tradeoffs between optimum solutions that may
conflict with one another. The electrical system on an
airplane is a good example of just such a tradeoff. The
advantage of running an electrical system at 400 Hz rather
than 60 Hz is that the power supplies are smaller and lighter.
This benefit is important aboard aircraft since space is
always limited, and it is imperative to minimize weight in
order to maximize performance. This reduction in weight
comes at a price, however, since high-frequency electrical
systems are less efficient.

Let us now further explore aircraft electrical systems to

better understand the significance of these design tradeoffs.
The earliest planes had no need for electrical power since
they carried no devices that required it. That began to
change by the 1920s when planes routinely carried radios
and navigation gear powered by direct current (DC)
batteries. Later advances led to the development of small
generators that supply DC power, typically at 28 volts. Only
small general aviation aircraft tend to use DC electrical
systems today.

By the beginning of the jet age, aircraft were becoming

increasingly more complex and operated a vast array of
electrical devices. Modern military aircraft are equipped with
powerful radars, sensors, weapon systems, and
sophisticated cockpit displays that require large amounts of
electricity to operate. Commercial airliners too must provide
power for environmental systems, galley equipment, cockpit
displays, communication gear, weather radar, and in-flight
entertainment systems. DC power supplies are insufficient to
meet the demands for electricity to operate flight
instruments, actuators, heating equipment, avionics, and
internal/external lighting on these large aircraft. These
planes instead use alternating current (AC) systems that
usually supply 115 volts at 400 hertz.
Aircraft are equipped with a number of power generation
systems including both primary and redundant backup
systems to continue supplying power to vital equipment in
an emergency. Primary power is usually provided by AC
generators directly connected to the jet engines.
Commercial aircraft and many military planes are also
equipped with an auxiliary power unit (APU), which is
essentially a miniature jet engine that provides an additional
power source. The APU is always in operation to supplement
the primary power supply or replace it in case of engine
failure. If the APU also fails, many aircraft carry an
additional ram air turbine (RAT) that can be deployed when
needed to provide emergency power. The purpose of a RAT
is to keep critical systems operating long enough to land
safely.

These generators provide AC power using an alternator that

supplies 115 volts at 400 Hz frequency. The advantage of
high-frequency alternators is that they require fewer copper
coils in order to generate the necessary electrical current.
This reduction in material allows the alternator to become
much smaller such that it takes up less space and weighs
much less than it would otherwise.

A common rule of thumb in airplane design says that

removing one pound of weight can actually reduce the
overall weight by at least five pounds because of all the
extra structure and fuel that is no longer needed to carry
that pound over the range of the plane. This reduction in
weight means the plane needs less fuel to travel the same
distance so that the aircraft is more economical to operate.
Since saving weight is so important to reducing the costs of
an airplane, the use of smaller and lighter 400 Hz electrical
generators is a significant advantage over 60 Hz electrical
systems.

The drawback of operating at 400 Hz is that high frequency

systems are more likely to suffer voltage drops. The most
significant of these losses results from reactive drops.
Reactive drops are caused by the inductive properties of the
conducting cables or wires through which the electrical
current is transmitted. This type of loss is affected both by
the length of the conductor as well as the frequency of the
power flowing through it. As frequency increases, the larger
the voltage drop becomes. At a high frequency of 400 Hz,
reactive drops can be as much as seven times larger than at
a low frequency of 60 Hz.

This difference in operating characteristics helps explain why

the US power grid operates at 60 Hz rather than the 400 Hz
systems used aboard aircraft. A lower frequency reduces
losses over long distances, like those between a power plant
and your home or office. The transmission distances aboard
an airplane are very small by comparison, so the power
losses are much less significant compared to the reduction in
weight of the generation equipment.

Finally, running a piece of 400 Hz equipment on a 60 Hz

electrical system is not advised since it will damage the
device. If the same voltage is supplied to the 400 Hz device
as to a 60 Hz item, it will cause the metal in the 400 Hz unit
to overheat. The end result will almost surely be smoke and
possibly a fire. This problem can usually be avoided,
however, simply by reducing the voltage supplied to the
device by a ratio of 60/400, or 0.15. A reduction in voltage to
15% of its original value at the same current will allow most
400 Hz devices to operate safely on a 60 Hz electrical
system.

?Q: What is 400 HZ Electric Power

A: It is the type of electric power that is the standard of the commercial aircraft
and aerospace industry because of its lightweight, its high power, and its
proven reliability. Every time you fly in commercial airliners, the 400HZ power
produced by the alternators on each engine power the overhead lights, air
conditioning, heats your food, moves the landing gear up and down, rolls the
wing flaps in and out, flushes the toilets, powers the radar, TV screens, radios,
.etc., etc. It is the primary power on all commercial and military aircraft

?Q: What does 400HZ mean

A: The commercial power producers in the United States (the Edison Cos)
provide alternating current (A/C) power for home and industry. This power
limits the RPM of the fastest induction motor to a maximum of 3,600 RPM.
The maximum speed of a 400HZ induction motor is 24,000 RPM,
approximately seven times faster than is possible with a 60HZ motor. This
higher speed and the use of higher quality wire and lamination steel make it
possible to produce motors with 10 times the power for the same weight and
.same size as a 60HZ motor

?Q: Why isn't 400HZ power more common

!A: Several Reasons
The only way to get 400HZ power from 1945 1970 was with an engine- (1)
.generator or a motor-generator set

The cost of a 400HZ motor or generator was extremely high because of (2)
.the aerospace specifications and necessary paper trail

Most people did not recognize that 400HZ power is basically identical in (3)
wiring and operation to a 3 phase 240V Edison Company style power
.system

Since inverters have become available to convert 60HZ power to 400HZ (4)
.power, 400HZ is growing much more quickly

?Q: What is an inverter

A: An inverter is an electronic device that takes in 50HZ or 60HZ power and
rectifies it to D.C. and then chops it back up into a different frequency, which
.in our case is 400HZ

?Q: How big is an inverter

A: Today its very small. Our 15 KW inverters in their protective box with extra
cooling fans are approximately the size of a large loaf of bread and weigh
approximately two pounds per horsepower of output. They also provide
ground fault protection, soft start capability, overload protection and variable
.motor RPM
Q: Can you use the inverter to eliminate the requirement of a gearbox by
?reducing the RPM of the motor
A: Yes and No! If you reduce the inverter frequency you can slow the motor
but you reduce the horsepower of the motor. If you run your motor at 200HZ
instead of 400HZ you will reduce its horsepower by half. It is better to use
.gears and keep full power to work faster

?Q: Why not use Air Power instead of 400HZ power

:A

It takes a 100 horsepower compressor to make approximately 10 (1)

.horsepower with an air motor

.Lots of line loss when working far away from the compressor (2)

.Lots of noise from the motor exhaust (3)

.Lots of oil from the exhaust air (4)

You will probably need an operating engineer to start and stop your air (5)
.compressor if it is a portable unit

?Q: How about hydraulic power

:A
.Better power than air if work is close to power pack (1)

.Needs two heavy, oily hoses (2)

.Lots of line loss, long hoses suck up power (3)

.Machinery gets hot, oily and difficult to handle (4)

Doctors do not like 55 gallons of hot hydraulic oil on the floor of the (5)
.operating room

?Q: How many KW generator or inverter do I need to run a 25HP motor

A: You can run a 25HP motor from a 20KW generator or 20 KW inverter. The
generator will be in overload for a few seconds to start a 25HP motor, but it
should start unless your power cord is too small or too long, lowering the
motor starting voltage. An inverter will start your motor more easily as they
.have a built in motor starting ramp (soft start)

Most three phase induction motors take 3-5 times running amperage to start
.them without a soft start