Reconfigurable permanent magnet electrical machines and aircraft power and propulsion systems including the electrical machines. An aircraft power and propulsion system includes: a gas turbine engine; DC electrical network; permanent magnet electrical machine including a rotor drivingly coupled to a spool of the engine, and a stator including windings controllably switchable between a star and a delta configuration; an AC-DC power electronics converter, an AC side is connected to terminals of the stator windings and a DC side is connected to the DC electrical network; an additional electrical power source connected to and controllable to supply electrical power to the DC electrical network; and a control system configured to control the switching of the stator windings between the configurations and to control the additional electrical power source to supply electrical power to the DC electrical network during a time interval when the stator is being switched between the configurations.

Examples described herein provide a computer-implemented method that includes providing the hybrid electric engine, the hybrid electric engine having a gas generating core and an electric machine powered by electric energy. The method further includes determining, by a processing device, whether a use of the electric energy will increase time on wing of the hybrid electric engine of the aircraft a threshold amount. The method further includes, responsive to determining that the use of energy will increase time on wing the threshold amount, apportioning the electric energy from a battery system of the aircraft to increase the time on wing.

An apparatus for aircraft propulsion includes a propeller and a hybrid-cooled electric engine mounted to a support structure and configured to rotate the propeller. The electric engine is located in an enclosure, with a first heat transfer element thermally coupled to the electric engine via a fluid flow path, partially located outside the enclosure. A second heat transfer element, integral to or thermally coupled to the electric engine, provides air cooling. Both heat transfer elements are housed within the aircraft's support structure. At least one air inlet on the upper side of the support structure receives propeller downwash. A first cooling path directs a portion of the downwash from the air inlet to the first heat transfer element, and a first air outlet exhausts the downwash.

A method of designing and manufacturing a power electronics converter for an electrical power system is provided. A circuit design for the power electronics converter is selected. A shape constraint for integrating the power electronics converter into the electrical power system is determined, and at least one multi-layer carrier substrate is obtained according to the determined shape constraint. A plurality of power semiconductor prepackages are obtained. Each power semiconductor prepackage includes a power semiconductor switching element embedded in a solid insulating material and an electrical connection extending through the solid insulating material from a terminal of the power semiconductor switching element to a connection surface of the prepackage. The power electronics converter is assembled by forming electrically conductive connections in a z-direction connecting terminals of the power semiconductor switching elements of the power semiconductor prepackages and one or more electrically conductive layers of the multi-layer carrier substrate.

Methods and systems for monitoring operation of hybrid electric engines of aircraft. The methods include monitoring a motor condition of an electrical power system associated with an engine condition using a motor sensor, wherein the electrical power system comprises an electric machine operably coupled to at least one shaft of an engine core, wherein the electric machine is configured to at least one of add power to the at least one shaft and extract power from the at least one shaft, receiving motor data from the motor sensor at a motor controller, wherein the motor controller is configured to control operation of, at least, the electric machine, analyzing the motor data to determine the presence of a fault in the engine core, and, when a fault is detected, performing a fault response action.

A turbine engine includes integrated electric machines in the compressor section and the turbine section to supplement power produced from fuel with electric power. The example compressor section includes a compressor electric motor that is coupled to a compressor generator. The example turbine section includes a turbine electric motor that is coupled to the geared architecture to supplement power driving the fan section. A turbine generator provides electric power to the turbine electric motor.

An aircraft comprises a fuselage, first and second wing segments each having a leading edge and a trailing edge, a plurality of spokes coupling the fuselage to the first and second wing segments, one or more motors disposed within or attached to the plurality of spokes, and three or more propellers proximate to a leading edge of the plurality of spokes, distributed along the plurality of spokes, and operably connected to the motors to provide lift whenever the aircraft is in vertical takeoff and landing and stationary flight and provide thrust whenever the aircraft is in forward flight. When the aircraft is in vertical takeoff and landing and stationary flight, the fuselage is approximately vertical. When the aircraft is in forward flight, the fuselage is approximately in the direction of the forward flight and extends forward beyond the leading edges of the first wing segment and the second wing segment.

A system includes a low pressure machine, a high pressure machine, a motor controller device, a first set of switches configured to selectively couple the low pressure machine to an inverter or a rectifier included in the motor controller device, based on a control signal, and a second set of switches configured to selectively couple the high pressure machine to the inverter or the rectifier, based on the control signal.

A method of optimizing the noise generated by a hybrid power plant of a rotorcraft in flight, the hybrid power plant driving a main rotor of the rotorcraft in rotation and being provided with at least one engine, with at least one electric machine, and with at least one electrical energy source that electrically powers the electric machine. The method includes a determination step for determining a required power delivered by the hybrid power plant and that is required for the flight phase, and a distribution step for distributing the required power between the at least one engine and the electric machine as a function of a target noise level and of the required power for the flight phase, as well as of a model for the noise generated by the at least one engine as a function of one of its parameters.

A gas turbine engine includes a turbomachine comprising a low pressure (LP) spool and a high pressure (HP) spool that rotate about a central axis, an electric motor mechanically coupled to the LP spool for selectively rotating the LP spool, a starter assembly mechanically coupled to the HP spool for selectively rotating the HP spool, and a controller in operative communication with the electric motor and the starter assembly, the controller being configured to operate the electric motor to rotate the LP spool and operate the starter assembly to rotate the HP spool during engine startup.