The aero engine is a crucial component of the national defense science and technology strategy. In traditional engine applications, the motor system is mainly responsible for small amounts of actuation and aircraft power supply. However, the mechanical hydraulic system of traditional engines is complex, with thousands of pipelines, and the risk of "running and leaking" failures is high. These secondary failures can lead to machine destruction and cause fatalities, making maintenance and safety a significant challenge. To address these problems, aero-engine electrification has become a major reform and development direction, with multi-electric aero engine technology becoming a strategic research focus for China's aviation development and the key layout direction of China's "two aircraft special project".
Since 2017, Professor Qu Ronghai's team, a Chinese tutor and professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and ICARE, has been conducting theoretical research on the upper limit of motor power density. They started by innovating electromagnetic theory and established a new approach called the "multi-working harmonic field modulation motor system". This approach breaks the traditional motors' inherent mode of single harmonic operation, resulting in breakthroughs in key technologies of aero-engine servo motor systems.
The team also proposed a topologically oriented construction technology of high-power density under multiple working harmonics. This breakthrough overcame the technical bottleneck of limited cooling and near material limits, making it possible to greatly improve power density. They also developed an integrated technology of anti-interference and high-temperature resistant systems to realize the deep structural integration and reuse design of the controller. It formed a highly efficient thermal insulation "micro-environment" and increased the system's temperature resistance by about 40℃.
Additionally, the team increased the accuracy of the system stroke position by more than 10 times, making it a highly efficient and accurate system.
The team started working on the development of the first aero-engine motor system in 2017. After five years, they collaborated with the Aero Engine Corporation of China on more than 20 projects, enabling them to break through several key core technologies quickly. In just a few years, they successfully developed over 10 types of high-parameter motor systems, which were then applied in several aero engines or completed high-altitude platform tests. Notably, the 100-kW fuel system developed by the team has the highest power density among motors in the same power class in the public information. This achievement has significantly contributed to the advancement of the motor discipline.
