Health monitoring and pre-flight diagnostics for robust electrical machines

Electrified powertrains have the potential to enable more economical, efficient, safe, and robust air vehicles. The electrical machine plays a central role in all of these topologies, whether configured as a generator or as a propulsive motor. Hinetics uses fault-tolerant design processes to limit the severity and likelihood of failures. However, once mounted to the vehicle, electrical machines are subjected to extreme environmental conditions and maintenance events with inherent uncertainty. To support the safety goals related to electrical machines, Hinetics proposes developing a health monitoring system and corresponding algorithm using multi-modal measurement sources, physics-based models, and advanced signal processing and machine learning techniques. The goal is to detect imminent failures and communicate them to the central controller or operator in order to take actions that limit the impact of the failure. In Phase I, Hinetics will: (1) tabulate an exhaustive list of failure modes, sources, and indicators in its slotless permanent magnet machine topology, (2) design and implement a sensor and data acquisition system, (3) characterize nominal and anomalous machine behavior for two key failure modes, and (4) develop and demonstrate the detection algorithm on its HITRACE testbed using one of Hinetics existing megawatt-class machines. Hinetics will also develop a pre-flight diagnostic routine to complete during taxi to detect failures prior to take-off. This work directly supports Hinetics’ commercialization plans by addressing key compliance requirements imposed by a potential airframer customer.

NASA has heavily invested in electrified flight technologies involving electrical machines and distributed electric propulsion. Recently, Hinetics partnered with NASA to develop a 150 kW generator using Hinetics slotless permanent magnet machine topology for the 25% scale SUSAN hybrid-electric vehicle concept. Additionally, NASA created the Electrified Powertrain Flight Demonstration (EPFD) program that is funding GE and MagniX to demonstrate megawatt-scale hybrid-electric powertrains operating in flight. The need for improvements in the reliability and failure management of electric powertrains is substantiated by NASA’s X-57 development program, which specifically ran into unexpected mechanical failure modes in the propulsion motors that ultimately led to the program being cancelled. The goal of the proposed health monitoring system is to catch such failures during and prior to the flight before they endanger the pilot or passengers. The push for electric flight demonstrations in primarily happening in private industry. Several companies, such as Joby Aviation, Archer, Electra.Aero, Ampaire, and BETA, are already flying aircraft with some form of electric propulsion. As these airframers and powertrain integrators scale-up the size of their vehicles to those which require megawatt class electrical machines, Hinetics’ technology becomes a key enabler due to its efficiency and specific torque metrics at scale. Hinetics is working to meet this timeline by having a fully functional motor, drive, and health monitoring system ready by the time these airframers initiate flight demonstrations of their larger vehicles. Using the compliance requirements outlined by a potential customers as guidance, the work proposed in this project will help Hinetics achieve that goal and position ourselves as a critical supplier of advanced electrical machines for future electrified aircraft platforms.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.