ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM
DESCRIPTION
Similar to most aircraft, the Lightning electrical system has several power supplies: ground power unit, main generator and alternator, standby generator, battery, emergency battery, and an inverter.
These power supplies are connected (via relays) to bus bars which distribute the power to fuse boxes. The fuses protect the downstream circuit wiring and equipment from over-current.
SIMULATION
The original FGUK Lightning used a generic electrical system that could be applied to many aircraft as a good starting point.
As the electrical systems affect most other parts of the aircraft, I was finding it increasingly difficult to accurately model other systems and instruments from the generic electrical system.
So I 'took the bull by the horns' and built an accurate representation of the entire DC distribution system programmed in Nasal scripting language. It was a bit of a Behemoth, with nearly 1000 lines of code to represent fuses, bus bars, batteries and generators, but I now have a nicely working model of the DC system. (At time of writing AC is yet to be modelled).
As devices are now represented in the Lightning simulator software, this system allows for faults to be generated by: blown fuses, faulty generators, flat batteries, faulty contactors, etc... Now a specific blown fuse will remove power from the exact circuits it should.
DC System
DC system modelling is 99% complete, only some outstanding research into generator control and protection equipment needs to be finished.
AC System
TBD...
REFERENCES
Houchin 25KVA ground generator - general and technical:
A.P.120H-0129-126 Diesel Engine Driven Electrical Servicing And Starting Trolley (Houchin)
Ferranti transformers - general and technical (instrument transformer):
A.P.4343B, Vol 1, Book 3, Section 19, Chapter 1, A.L.29, April 1960 - Transformers, Ferranti Types
DC Generator - general and technical:
A.P.4343B, Vol 1, Section 3, Chapter 19, A.L.128, Feb. 1963 - Generators Rotax B3000 Series
T Mk.5 electrical "Vol. 1" - DC:
A.P.101B-1005-1B, Sect.6, Chap.9, A.L.49, July 1971 - D.C. Power Supplies
T Mk.5 electrical "Vol. 1" - AC:
A.P.101B-1005-1B, Sect.6, Chap.13, A.L.1, Nov. 1964 - A.C. Power Supplies
T Mk.5 electrical "Vol. 1" - Instrument Supplies:
A.P.101B-1005-1B, Sect.6, Chap.4, A.L.55, June 1973 - Instrument Power Supplies