Charging Analysis of Ground Support Vehicles in an Electrified Airport

Within a fully electrified airport, no fossil fuels would be used on the grounds. This includes the electric load of the building along with any indoor and outdoor operations such as the ground support vehicles servicing the jets on the runway. This paper focuses on the analysis of airside ground support vehicles and their plug-in charging requirements. Following the modeling proposal for such an airport and its ground support vehicles, this work describes a charging algorithm created to service each vehicle type efficiently. The simulation-based experiments for a synthesized airport model show numerically and graphically how this algorithm optimizes vehicle performance and minimizes operating costs by managing various parameters in Monte Carlo simulations. The results of the simulations are analyzed and discussed from an efficiency perspective according to the design variables using Pareto optimality. Secondly, a component level analysis of a purpose built vehicle charger will be presented. This vehicle charger will be able to charge the various vehicles required to have an airport function normally. Components will be specified to meet design goals while still being robust enough to work at various output levels. Finally, the output waveforms will be presented showing various operating conditions.

Co Advisor: Eduardo Cotilla-Sanchez
Co Advisor: Yue Cao
Committee: Ted Brekken
GCR: Megumi Kawasaki