Electrical Systems

Chapter 9
 Aim

Describe principals of operation of the aircraft

electrical system
 Objectives
1.State the principals of operation of electrical
components
2.Describe typical electrical system layout
 1. Components
Electrical System Overview
The electrical system is made up of a number of individual components, these
may include:
• Batteries
• Alternator/Generator
• External power source
• Voltage Regulator
• Inverters
• Bus Bar
• Ammeter
• Volt meter
• Master switch
• Starter motor
• Circuit Breakers
 1. Components
Batteries
The battery provides the initial electrical energy required to start the engine
and provides a back up should the alternator/generator fail or electrical load is
too large
Most batteries are of the lead acid type where sulphuric acid interacts with lead
plates in the batteries cells
Sulphuric acid is very corrosive and dangerous to the aircraft structure
Flammable hydrogen gas is given off by the battery therefore it must be secured
in a sealed, vented container
 1. Components
Batteries
Cells are connected in series to provide 12 or 24 volts
Batteries are rated on their ability to supply an amount of current for a given
time. A battery rated at 60 ampere hours should be able to provide a current of
60 amps for 1 hour, or 10 amps for 6 hours, or any combination which when
multiplied together equals the given rating
Lead acid batteries can be tested
using a hydrometer, the specific
gravity of the electrolyte is a
measure of the charge
Charge reduces with a decrease in
temperature
 1. Components
Alternator
Alternators turn mechanical energy from the engine into electrical energy
required to power electrical components and recharge the battery
The alternating current produced by the alternator is rectified into direct
current via use of diodes
The rotor of the alternator is mechanically driven however the system relies on
electro magnets to produce current. Should the battery fail during flight and the
alternator subsequently switched off there may not be enough charge in the
system to re-energise the system resulting in a complete electrical failure
 1. Components
Generator
Some older aircraft utilize generators instead of alternator. Here we have
rotating magnets with a stationary commutator
The advantage of the generator is it produces DC current so there is no need to
rectify the current
The disadvantages are:
• Generators are larger and heavier than alternators
• Generators less efficient, producing less current per revolution
 1. Components
External Power Source
Many aircraft allow external power to be connected to the system. This will
typically be used:
• If the battery is completely flat or charge too low to start the engine
• To conserve battery power
• For starting some larger engines
• To run electrical components on the ground without the engine running for
extended periods
The system normally consists of a bank of batteries
Special procedures apply when starting with external power, consult the flight
manual
 1. Components
Voltage Regulator
A voltage regulator senses the voltage produced by the alternator and acts to
maintain output voltage at a present value
The amount of energy produced is dependant on the number of wires in the
coil of the electro magnet, the strength of the magnetic field and engine RPM.
The number of wires can be considered a constant and the rotor is directly drive
by the crankshaft so the easiest way of regulating the voltage is to adjust the
strength of the magnetic field
This is done by adjusting he amount of
current sent to the coils of the electro
magnet
A volt meter and over voltage relays are
normally incorporated into the system to
detect failure of the voltage regulator.
Should failure occur the alternator should
be switched off to prevent damage to
electrical components
 1. Components
Inverters
Inverters are used to turn DC into AC required for some aircraft systems
Older models used a DC motor to drive a second alternator however these were
highly inefficient
Newer systems utilize semiconductors and are known as static inverters
 1. Components
Bus Bar
The bus bar is the main conductor and distributor for the electrical system
The aircraft may have multiple bus bars to provide redundancy
It consists of a number of interconnected terminals
 1. Components
Circuit Breakers
Fuses, circuit breakers or overload
switches are used to prevent damage
to electrical components from
electrical current overload
If there is an overload or short-circuit:
• Fuses will melt
• Circuit breakers will pop
• Overload switches will switch off
Should any of the above occur it is
possible to reset the system however
multiple resets are not advisable, see
the aircraft flight manual
If any indication of smoke, fire or
burning is detected do not reset the
system
 1. Components
Load Type Ammeter
The ammeter measures the amount of current in amperes (amps) flowing
through the electrical system
The load type or left zero ammeter measures only output of the alternator
The scale increases from left to right or may be calibrated to display percentage
of alternators rated load
This type of ammeter can be seen as a load meter:
• With the battery on, engine running and alternator off the ammeter will
indicate zero amps
• With the engine running and alternator on the ammeter will indicate
alternator output current
• After start the ammeter will read high as the battery is recharging, when
fully charged the ammeter indication should reduce
Most systems will
incorporate an
annunciator to indicate
alternator failure
 1. Components
Centre Zero Ammeter
The canter zero ammeter indicates flow of current to and from the battery
• If the battery is charging the ammeter will indicate a positive charge
• If current is flowing out of the battery a negative charge will be indicated
• With no current flow into or out of the battery a 0 indication will be shown
 1. Components
Voltmeter
An increasing number of aircraft are fitted with
voltmeters as well as ammeters
In a 24 volt system:
• With the alternator off the voltmeter will
display battery charge, around 24 volts
• With the alternator on and supplying charge
the voltmeter will typically indicate around
28 volts
 1. Components
Master Switch
The master switch activates the aircrafts electrical
system. It normally comprises of two switches
• The battery switch connects the battery to the
bus bars
• The alternator switch connects the bus bar to
the alternator field
 1. Components
Starter Motor
The starter motor is a small electric
motor which rotates the crank shaft
during engine start
It can be activated by use if the ignition
key or secondary push-button switches
Very large current is required therefore a
heavy duty relay or solenoid is utilised
Should you have difficulty starting the
engine it is advisable to allow time
between attempted starts to allow the
starter motor to cool down, refer to the
aircraft flight manual
 2. Electrical System Layout
C172 SP
Here we can see the layout of the
electrical system in the C172 SP, this
is indicative of modern light aircraft,
older aircraft systems will typically be
a lot simpler
 2. Electrical System Layout
C172 SP
Here we can see the layout of the
electrical system in the C172 SP, this
is indicative of modern light aircraft,
older aircraft systems will typically be
a lot simpler
This diagram shows the layout of the
various buses and components
attached to each
 2. Electrical System Layout
C172 SP
Here we can see the layout of the
electrical system in the C172 SP, this
is indicative of modern light aircraft,
older aircraft systems will typically be
a lot simpler
This diagram shows the layout of the
various buses and components
attached to each
This final diagram shows the standby
battery circuit and associated buses
Questions?