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!
(1) The only way to get 400HZ power from 1945 1970 was with an engine-
generator or a motor-generator set.
(2) The cost of a 400HZ motor or generator was extremely high because of
the aerospace specifications and necessary paper trail.
(3) Most people did not recognize that 400HZ power is basically identical in
wiring and operation to a 3 phase 240V Edison Company style power
system.
(4) Since inverters have become available to convert 60HZ power to 400HZ
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:
(1) It takes a 100 horsepower compressor to make approximately 10
horsepower with an air motor.
(2) Lots of line loss when working far away from the compressor.
(3) Lots of noise from the motor exhaust.
(4) Lots of oil from the exhaust air.
(5) You will probably need an operating engineer to start and stop your air
compressor if it is a portable unit.

Q: How about hydraulic power?

A:
(1) Better power than air if work is close to power pack.
(2) Needs two heavy, oily hoses.
(3) Lots of line loss, long hoses suck up power.
(4) Machinery gets hot, oily and difficult to handle.
(5) Doctors do not like 55 gallons of hot hydraulic oil on the floor of the
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.