A Review of EMI Research of High Power Density Motor Drive Systems for Electric Actuator

Abstract

With the global attention given to energy issues, the electrification of aviation and the development of more electric aircraft (MEA) have become important trends in the modern aviation industry. The electric actuator plays multiple roles in aircraft such as flight control, making it a crucial technology for MEA. Given the limited space available inside an aircraft, the power density of electric actuators has become a critical design factor. However, the pursuit of high power density results in the need for larger rated power and higher switching frequency, which can lead to severe electromagnetic interference (EMI) issues. This, in turn, poses significant challenges to the overall reliability of the electric actuator. This paper provides a comprehensive review of EMI in high power density motor drive systems for electric actuator systems. Firstly, the state of the art of electric actuator systems are surveyed, pointing out the contradictory relationship between high power density and EMI. Subsequently, various EMI modeling approaches of motor control systems are reviewed. Additionally, the main EMI suppression methods are summarized. Active EMI mitigation methods are emphasized in this paper due to their advantages of higher power density compared with passive EMI filters. Finally, the paper concludes by summarizing the EMI research in motor drive systems and offering the prospects of electric actuators.

Keywords

• more electric aircraft (MEA)
• electric actuator
• high power density motor drive
• electromagnetic interference (EMI)
• EMI suppression methods