Keynote: The Role of FEA Simulations in Electrifying Aviation

In this keynote talk, Mustafa Baris Topçuoglu discusses aerospace company GKN Fokker Elmo's research- and customer-focused approach to electrical wiring interconnection system (EWIS) solutions for the electrification of future aviation. GKN Fokker Elmo aims to become a sustainable partner in the joint EC–European aeronautics industry Clean Sky initiative by offering comprehensive finite element analysis (FEA) services for certification, design, optimization, and safety within the urban air mobility (UAM) and hybrid aviation markets.

Topçuoglu opens the talk with a look at the aviation industry's current and forecasted emissions problem. This is followed by an introduction to GKN Fokker Elmo's roadmap to zero-emissions flight, which includes an exploration of the potential lower- and zero-emissions opportunities in the industry. From there, Topçuoglu addresses how electric aviation's new high-voltage, high-frequency architectures are necessitating significant changes in design considerations, failure mechanisms, protection systems, and certification regulations. Next, he talks about how the COMSOL Multiphysics^® FEA software can be used as a solution. He concludes with a detailed magnetohydrodynamic analysis example of an electrical arc.

Mustafa Baris Topçuoglu graduated from Middle East Technical University and Kocaeli University with a background in FEA, power electronics, and electrical motors. He completed his thesis on the design of eddy current brakes for electric trucks.