EMC modelling of drives for aircraft applications: Modelling process and optimisation of EMI filters

The paper proposes an approach for easy and fast modelling and optimization of power electronics structures. It focuses on the EMC filter design. To achieve this task for electrical drives, a full EMC modelling of the application is defined by combining time simulation (or measurements), FFT and system modelling in the frequency domain. A modular description in a user friendly environment allows describing the model and accounting for all technological parameters of the system: control strategy, inverter model (semiconductors, layout, ...), filter, cables and AC machines. The automatic generation of the model gives also automatically the model gradients. This process is very generic, fast and systematic, and the generated models can be used with any optimisation algorithm, using gradients or not. Therefore, the EMC filter can be optimized to reach the smallest volume. This can also help in choosing its topology, according to the technological choices of the aircraft power electronics specifications. This methodology can also be used to investigate the impact of some technological choices of the drive (control strategy or cable characteristics for instance) on the filter volume.