RT26 Edinburgh | Development of a PHiL testbed for aerospace electrical systems

This presentation details the development of a megawatt-scale Power Hardware-In-the-Loop (PHIL) testbed for validating future Aerospace electrical systems, including conventional and microgrid architectures operating across AC and DC networks. Building on PNDC’s experience with electrical Distribution applications, the facility combines programmable power supplies, dynamometers, real and emulated components, and an OP5707XG real-time simulator to reproduce normal, abnormal, and fault conditions. The approach supports high-fidelity testing of Power Systems incorporating fuel cells, energy storage, cryogenic power distribution, converters, motors, and aircraft mechanical dynamics, while power-supply characterization helps identify latency, resonance, and stability considerations before full system deployment.