HPDM-180D integrated electric motor drive

HPDM-180D is an integrated electric motor drive from H3X, a direct-drive electric motor with a built-in inverter for aircraft propulsion and for generation. It delivers 180 kW of continuous power in a 13.7 kg package, and it can operate either as a motor or as a generator. The H3X range is aimed at aerospace, defense, marine and heavy-industry users, and this model is the one in the range with the highest power density.

For propulsion, the main figures are power, torque and speed. Continuous power is 180 kW, continuous torque is 86 Nm and maximum speed is 20,000 rpm. Specific power is 13.2 kW/kg continuous, which sets the mass penalty of the motor and inverter together at the aircraft level, and peak efficiency is 96.5 %, which reduces heat that the cooling loop must remove and energy drawn from the battery or generator. The maker notes that its specifications, power and torque curves, and efficiency map are approximate and based on dynamometer data and simulation, so system designers should confirm suitability with the maker.

The design combines several technical elements. The stator winding is made for high thermal conductivity and resistance to partial discharge, with a fill factor above 70 % and a temperature capability of 265 degrees C for 20,000 hours, and the maker states more than 40 % higher continuous current density than conventional windings. The inverter uses discrete silicon carbide devices and a self-sensing rotor position algorithm. A single additively manufactured cooling jacket cools both the power electronics and the stator at the same time. The winding is designed to withstand short-circuit currents indefinitely.

Integration data: nominal high-voltage DC bus voltage is 800 VDC, coolant type is liquid, and the motor is 140 mm in diameter and 308 mm long. Operating temperature is -40 to 60 degrees C, and electrical operation is specified up to an altitude of 45,000 ft. Communication is over CAN, and the control modes are torque, speed and DC bus voltage, the last one for generator mode. Because the inverter is part of the unit, the aircraft supplies the DC bus and coolant and sends commands over CAN.

Typical applications include electric and hybrid-electric aircraft propulsion, eVTOL and large uncrewed aircraft propulsors, and generator duty where the machine produces DC power regulated to a bus voltage. The maker offers a datasheet and CAD model for design-in.