Application of the Xindashida AS700 Inverter in the Verification Platform for Aviation Hybrid Power Management in the Low-Altitude Economy Industry
2025-07-09
Application of the Xindashida AS700 Inverter in the Verification Platform for Aviation Hybrid Power Management in the Low-Altitude Economy Industry
Project Background
In the aviation sector, power management for hybrid propulsion systems is critical to the success of oil-electric hybrid propulsion technology. It optimizes energy distribution, enhances aircraft performance and fuel efficiency, and reduces environmental impact. For example, during takeoff and climb phases, batteries can assist the fuel engine by providing additional thrust; during cruise, the engine can charge the batteries. This flexible energy allocation approach improves energy utilization efficiency and lowers fuel consumption. The verification platform for an oil-electric hybrid distributed propulsion system, jointly developed by Xindashida and a domestic 985 university, enables validation of power management strategies, simulates energy flows under various operating conditions, and studies power management behavior under normal, extreme, and fault conditions. This platform provides crucial testing support for the R&D of aviation oil-electric hybrid propulsion technologies. Xindashida supplies complete power units and control solutions.
Customer needs
The platform must be capable of managing energy flow control under the following typical operating conditions:
Challenge 1: Flexible Networking with Multiple Power Sources and Dynamic Power Allocation
It is necessary to achieve coordinated power supply among multiple power sources—such as power batteries, generators, and the power grid—under a single DC bus (DC-BUS1), involving voltage matching, power allocation, and dynamic switching among different power sources.
Challenge 2: Power Supply Stability Control Under Extreme Operating Conditions
In cases such as rapid switching between battery charging and discharging states or a sudden 100% load reduction in the generator/motor, it is necessary to prevent abrupt rises or drops in the DC bus voltage that could lead to system failure.
Challenge 3: High-Frequency Dynamic Response and Precise Control of Energy Flow
Aero-propulsion systems need to simulate high-frequency operational changes during flight (such as takeoff and landing, and varying payloads). Therefore, the power management system must have a response speed on the order of microseconds to prevent power interruptions or delays that could lead to propulsion failures.
Challenge 4: Low Harmonics and High Reliability in Complex Electromagnetic Environments
When multiple power electronic devices operate simultaneously, harmonic interference is likely to occur, necessitating compliance with aviation-grade electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) requirements. The system must maintain long-term stable operation under a wide temperature range of -10℃ to +50℃, high humidity conditions (95% RH), and vibration environments (3.5 m/s²), placing extremely high demands on hardware reliability.
Challenge 5: Multi-system Collaborative Control and Cross-Platform Communication Integration
The platform involves multiple subsystems, including battery BMS, prime mover controller, load simulator, and host computer, and requires cross-protocol communication and synchronized control.
Xinshida Solution
The test platform includes the following submodules: chemical energy storage batteries, permanent-magnet synchronous generators, prime movers, load motors, various power conversion units, and high-performance control units.
Prime mover simulation device:
A 330kW variable-frequency speed-regulated permanent-magnet synchronous motor is used to simulate the engine’s rotational speed and torque output.
Load simulation device:
Equipped with a 200kW three-phase permanent magnet synchronous generator to simulate various load conditions.
Power conversion unit:
Includes AFE (active front-end rectification), PWM rectification, DC/DC chopper, INV (inverter), and braking unit, enabling AC-to-DC power conversion, voltage regulation, and energy feedback.
Control unit:
Adopting the high-performance control board PROD15007A, which supports multi-mode communication and complex logic control, enabling coordinated scheduling of each power unit.
Host computer software:
• Offers five typical operating modes and automatic switching logic;
• Real-time visualization of energy flow paths via dynamic topology diagrams;
• Integrated monitoring of the operating status of the frequency converter, PWM rectifier, DC/DC converter, and braking unit, along with a three-color indicator light alarm;
• Simultaneously displays key parameters such as motor and generator speed/torque, as well as DC bus voltage;
• Deep integration with the battery management system to monitor in real time the battery pack’s SOC/SOH and the balance of individual cell voltages;
• Adopts a modular interface design, adds a page-turning function with reserved expansion interfaces, and supports future functional iterations and upgrades.
Energy storage battery:
360V rated voltage, supporting a wide voltage fluctuation range of 280-430V.
Associated products
AS700 Air-Cooled Multi-Machine Drive Inverter
Project Results
Xinshida’s variable-frequency drive solutions precisely and efficiently overcome core challenges, continuously creating value for customers.
Mastering Core Technologies in Aero-Propulsion
Xinshida is collaborating with top domestic universities to develop a full-scenario verification platform tailored to the R&D needs of hybrid-electric distributed propulsion systems for the aviation sector, thereby helping to address the “bottleneck” issue in hybrid power management.
Leveraging the research strengths of universities and the engineering experience of enterprises, we are achieving seamless integration across the entire chain—from theoretical research and technology validation to engineering implementation.
Covers all five typical operating conditions, simulating real flight scenarios.
Operating Condition Simulation Capability:
• Pure electric mode (battery independent power supply ≥ 2 minutes)
• Single-generator power supply / Multi-source coordinated power supply (supports 200kW load output)
• Bidirectional charge and discharge control (charging power up to 50 kW, discharging power 190 kW)
Simulate the entire lifecycle scenarios of the aircraft power system—including takeoff, cruise, and fault conditions—to validate key strategies such as smooth power switching and optimized energy flow.
High-performance hardware configuration, setting industry testing standards.
Power Unit Innovation:
• Bidirectional DC/DC buck-boost technology: Supports a wide voltage range of 300–800V, with bidirectional energy flow efficiency reaching 95%. It is compatible with aerospace batteries (rated voltage of 360V, with voltage fluctuations ranging from 280V to 430V).
• AFE active rectifier + PWM rectifier combination: THDI < 5%, power factor > 0.99, enabling efficient utilization of grid power and minimizing harmonic pollution.
• Intelligent braking unit: 200kW peak braking power, capable of absorbing sudden load energy within 10 seconds to prevent overvoltage damage to the busbar.
Control Core: Employs the PROD15007A high-performance control board, supporting multi-mode communication (RS485/CAN/Profinet) with microsecond-level response, enabling coordinated control of multiple units and rapid fault handling.
Backed by solid data, the verification results are crystal clear.
Energy transfer efficiency:
• Prime mover → Generator: 94.8%
• Power converter → DC bus: 90%
• Battery → DC bus: 95%
Dynamic responsiveness:
• Voltage regulation: Steady-state ±10%, transient state ±30%
• Load step response: Complete power scheduling within 20 ms; the braking unit stabilizes the system within 10 seconds.
Modular design + Full-scenario compatibility
Flexible Scalability: The AS700 series power units adopt standardized modules and support parallel connection of up to 8 units, enabling rapid adaptation to the testing requirements of drones and electric aircraft across various power levels.
Industry Foresight: Research on a Triple-Power-Management Strategy Covering Normal, Extreme, and Fault States—providing solutions for aviation hybrid systems to handle extreme operating conditions and facilitating the implementation of low-carbon aviation technologies.
