Transient Voltage Suppressor (TVS) for F/A-18 E/F and EA-18G Proposal

Transient Voltage Suppression DevicesTransient Voltage Suppression (TVS) devices protect electronics from potentially damagingtransients. There are many causes of electrical transients. Mobile applications, such as aircraft, areespecially susceptible to varying power generation capability as well as fluctuating electricaldemand. Increasing electrification of aircraft systems has led to increasing the demands on powerand there is often not enough space and generating capacity to meet these needs.The ideal transient protection device would encompass several features. First, the device should beinactive in the sense that there is no power dissipation below the operating threshold and thus notadding to the overall heat loading and thermal management challenges. Second, the device shouldallow loads to operate with no power interruption during voltage excursions. Third, the TVS shouldbe capable of handling High Pulse Power (spikes) as well as repetitive and longer duration electricaltransients (surges).Sensitron is a leader in developing TVS protection devices that meet or exceed a variety of PowerQuality Standards. This includes:? Aircraft Electric Power Characteristics: MIL-STD-704? Electric Power, Alternating Current: MIL-STD-1399? Characteristics Of 28 Volt DC Input Power To Utilization Equipment In Military Vehicles: MILSTD-1275.This experience will be applied to enable legacy avionic systems on the F/A-18 E/F and EA-18G tomeet or exceed the requirements of MIL-STD-704E. This standard requires avionics to withstandovervoltage transients to 180Vrms. Since legacy avionics components were not tested to the 180 V rmslevel, exposure to the MIL-STD-704E levels has led to reduced avionics reliability. Sensitron willdevelop a bus level TVS device that will reduce the transients to 150Vrms maximum as seen by theavionics and complex electronic loads. This is the level the legacy avionics were tested to prior tothe advent of MIL-STD-704E.Applying a TVS device at the aircraft bus level as a supplement to the voltage regulation scheme ismuch more efficient than requalifying all of the legacy avionics and the associated loads. It isenvisioned that by selectively emplacing TVS devices on the two electrical buses compatibility withMIL-STD-704E can be achieved. The Sensitron TVS device(s) would be sized appropriately for keyparameters such as voltage levels, voltage duration, and required power-energy dissipation. Bycentralizing the protection scheme Instead of revamping each of an estimated 50 avionic boxes, aproperly designed TVS device will reduce development resources, ship set costs, and ease fleet wideimplementation.