Why now's the time to be an electrical engineer

Already been on one of the latest airliners? Spotted all those passengers going away on their laptops, viewing movies and charging cell phones? Then you won’t be amazed that today’s planes make use of a lot more electricity than their own forebears. And that’s only the things you can see.

“Behind the actual scenes, a lot of mechanical features are being taken over by electronics that potentially promise higher controllability and efficiency, ” says Douglas Herbert, the engineer at Rolls-Royce.

Mechanised fuel and oil penis pumps have to be directly attached to the particular engine, creating lumps as well as bumps that spoil the aerodynamic shape, whereas electrical pumps can be sited nearly anywhere. Hot air de-icing techniques take air away from typically the engines and add to the plane’s weight with extra piping - electric heaters do not.

“We call it often the ‘more electric aircraft’ and also it’s why planes like the latest Boeing 787 Dreamliner use up to a megawatt associated with electrical power, three or four times just as much as a 767, ” states Mr Herbert’s line office manager, electrical machines team innovator Dr Ellis Chong. “To provide this power we have to design and consider the chance of the ‘more electric engine’. ”

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