Electric Aircraft & UAV
Silver Power Systems engineers have experience gained from working on three fixed wing electric aircraft projects. Two large ( ~40m) wingspan high altitude pseudo satellites designed for low mass and long mission duration, and the third a smaller faster aircraft for targeted point to point applications. We have undertaken complete electrical systems design including thin film PV arrays, Li-ion battery packs, power distribution, power control, motor and speed controller selection and custom software interfaces into commercial autopilots, combined with our own ground station software systems, all designed for operation at high altitude with its associated low temperature and pressure environment.
Reference Designs
Silver Power Systems have complete reference system designs available for a multi-engine electric aircraft, designed for high altitude (90,000 ft.) and long endurance missions (>90 days). All optimized for low mass and reliable performance under arduous conditions. These systems are also suitable for use in lighter than air vehicles
Custom Development
We understand that each individual aircraft design will have its own unique requirements and characteristics. We therefore work closely with airframe developers, supporting them to adapt our reference design for their specific aircraft needs and its anticipated mission profile. We also have extensive mechanical design and thermal simulation and analysis capability and offer consultancy services on overall system design, component selection, integration and testing, including support to your team for flight trials. This extends to supporting preparation of the DFMEA and safety cases to secure CAA/FAA approvals.
SILVER POWER SYSTEMS CAPABILITIES:
Aircraft Power Systems Design – requirements decomposition and specification; writing from flight profile to airframe requirements.
Solar Charge Controllers – over 98% efficiency and 3W/g energy density; our solar charge controllers are class leading for UAV applications.
Battery Packs – high energy density, fault tolerant, Li-ion battery systems for high voltage propulsion and low voltage avionics / payload applications.
Power Distribution – complete redundant distribution: cabling, protection and DC-DC conversion systems for propulsion, avionics and ancillary payloads.
Power Control – distributed redundant propulsion and avionics power control for fully autonomous operation and fault management.
Ground Control Station – extensive, control, telemetry and data logging via proprietary autopilot and narrow band modem interfaces to provide customisable displays and controls for pilot and flight engineer operations.