Aircraft Brushless Wound-Rotor Synchronous Starter–Generator: A Technology Review

With the rapid development of more-electric aircrafts, integrated starter–generator (ISG) with less volume and weight has become the development trend in aircraft power system applications. Advantages of high reliability and excellent power generation quality make the brushless wound-rotor synchronous starter–generator (BLWRSSG) most attractive candidate for the ISG system in aircraft application. In this article, four key technologies to achieve a high-performance BLWRSSG are comprehensively reviewed, including 1) high-efficient brushless excitation technology, 2) high-performance starting control technology, 3) rotor position estimation technology, and 4) rotating rectifier fault diagnosis technology. In each key technology, the basic operation principle, merit and demerit, and application of different topologies or methods in the literature are discussed and compared in depth. This article contributes to a thorough understanding of operation principle and key technologies of the BLWRSSG system, and provides a reference to researchers and engineers involved in research of aircraft ISG system.