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This test stand allows the aviation industry to test a wide range of electric propulsion systems to understand efficiencies and identify needed design improvements.
Armstrong Flight Research Center, Edwards, California
As powered flight expands to include electric propulsion technologies, aeronautics designers need to understand the electrical, aerodynamic, and structural characteristics of these systems. Therefore, researchers at NASA's Armstrong Flight Research Center have developed a modular test stand to conduct extensive measurements for efficiency and performance of electric propulsion systems up to 100 kW in scale.
The test stand helps engineers understand subsystem interactions as well as efficiencies of different batteries, motors, controllers, and propellers. It offers opportunities to determine effective test techniques for this emerging technolog)'. The test stand's large suite of sensors gathers extensive data on: