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Frontier > A320 Electrical > Flashcards

A320 Electrical Flashcards

1
Q

How many ways are there to produce AC power on board the aircraft?

A

5 ways. 3 generators (2 engine driven, 1 APU), 1 emergency generator, and a static inverter

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2
Q

What is the output of the 2 main engine driven generators?

A

90KVA, three phase, 115/200V, 400Hz power

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3
Q

What is the electrical output of the APU?

A

The same as the engine driven generators. 90KVA, three phase, 115/200V, 400Hz power

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4
Q

What does the RAT automatically drop?

A

In flight when AC bus 1 and AC bus 2 are unpowered

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5
Q

What does the static inverter do on board the aircraft?

A

A static inverter converts DC power from the batteries to AC power.

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6
Q

Which battery powers the static inverter?

A

Battery 1

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7
Q

How is the aircraft normally provided with DC power?

A

The generators produce AC power which is then converted to DC power via the transformer rectifiers (TR’s)

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8
Q

How many transformer rectifiers are there on board the aircraft? What are their names and what does each power?

A

There are 3 transformer rectifiers on the aircraft

TR 1: Powers DC bus 1
TR 2: Powers DC bus 2
Essential TR: Powers the DC Essential Bus

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9
Q

How much current can the normal transformer rectifiers supply?

A

Up to 200 amps

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10
Q

How many batteries are on board the aircraft? What are their names and what does they power?

A

2 batteries.

Battery 1: Hot Bus 1
Battery 2: Hot bus 2

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11
Q

What is the capacity of each of the aircrafts batteries?

A

23 amp hours

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12
Q

What monitors the charge of the batteries?

A

The battery charge limiter (BCL)

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13
Q

What controls the battery line contactor?

A

The battery charge limiter (BCL)

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14
Q

What do the BUS TIE contactors do? How is it different than what the GEN line contactors do?

A

The 2 BUS TIE contactors allow any generator to power both AC busses. During normal operation in flight they are both open such that only GEN 1 powers AC bus 1 and GEN 2 powers AC bus 2. If one of the engine driven generators fails or is turned off, the contactors close, allowing the remaining generator to power the offside AC busses. If the APU is running and an engine fails, only one of the BUS TIE contactors closes, allowing the APU to run the unpowered AC busses.

The GEN line contactors are just upstream from each generator, and allow the electrical output of any generator to be completely isolated from the aircraft.

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15
Q

Is there ever a time when two different generators could be connected to and powering the same AC bus?

A

No. The BUS TIE contactors allow only 1 generator to power any AC bus.

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16
Q

How many generator control units (GCU’s) are there? What do they do?

A

There are 3 generator control units (GCU’s), one for each engine driven generators, and one for the APU. They control the generator output as well as provide protection to the electrical system via the GEN and APU line contactors. If one of the generators produces too much power the respective GCU will command the respective line contactor to open, providing overcurrent protection to the electrical system.

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17
Q

What’s the difference between the generator on the APU and on the engines?

A

All 3 generators produce the same output. The difference is that each engine driven generators has a constant speed drive to allow the generators to supply a constant power supply regardless of the engine speed. The APU generator however does NOT have a constant speed drive, and its electrical output is controlled by controlling the speed of the APU itself.

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18
Q

What powers the emergency generator?

A

Hydraulic pressure from the Blue Hydraulic system. This can be provided by the blue system electric pump and via the Ram Air Turbine (RAT).

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19
Q

What is the rating of the emergency generator?

A

5VKA, 115/200V, 3-phase, 400Hz AC power

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20
Q

What can the emergency generator power?

A

It can directly power the AC Essential bus, and indirectly power the DC Essential bus via the Essential transformer rectifier.

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21
Q

If all 3 generators and the emergency generator are inoperative, how can we get electrical power?

A

Battery 1 can for a limited time directly power the DC Essential bus, and indirectly power the AC Essential bus through the AC static inverter.

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22
Q

What is the rating of the static inverter?

A

1KVA, 115V, single-phase, 400Hz AC power

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23
Q

Under normal operating conditions with both engines running and the APU off, what’s the chronological flow of electricity from generator 1?

A

Generator 1 —> GEN 1 line contactor —> AC BUS 1 —> Transformer rectifier 1 —> DC BUS 1 —> DC TIE contactor —> DC battery bus —> DC ESS BUS —> DC ESS SHED

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24
Q

In what scenarios would both BUS TIE contactors be closed?

A

In any scenario where only one generator is required to power the whole aircraft. Ground power is on, APU is on with the engines off, single engine with no APU, etc.

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25
Q

How long does it take the emergency generator to deploy and begin producing electrical power? What happens to the electrics while you’re waiting for the emergency generator to begin producing power?

A

About 8 seconds to deploy the RAT and begin supplying power. During that time the DC essential bus will be directly supplied by battery 2, and the AC essential bus will be supplied by battery 1 indirectly via the static inverter.

26
Q

What color are the circuit breakers that are monitored? Unmonitored?

A

Green = monitored
Black = unmonitored

27
Q

How long does a green circuit breaker have to be out before you get a C/B tripped warning?

A

More than 1 minute

28
Q

How long does a black circuit breaker have to be out before you get a C/B tripped warning?

A

Trick question. Black circuit breakers are unmonitored by the FWS and so will never trigger an ECAM warning.

29
Q

Why are some C/B’s monitored and others are not?

A

Green circuit breakers are not monitored because they are more critical than the black C/B’s. The green C/B’s are monitored because the components that the green C/B’s power may not be immediately detected if they were to be unpowered. Thus it’s important to monitor the C/B itself. The black circuit breakers are unmonitored because the components they power would be immediately detected by the FWS if they went unpowered.

30
Q

What warning will you get if 2 C/B’s are tripped on the same panel?

A

You’ll get the same warning as if just 1 C/B was tripped, so be sure to check the whole panel when you get a C/B tripped ECAM.

31
Q

What are the only C/B’s that have red caps on them to prevent them from being reset?

A

The Wing Tip Brakes (WTB).

32
Q

When do you get an IDG fault light on the overhead panel?

A

IDG oil temperature in excess of 180ºC or IDG low oil pressure. This alert is inhibited below N2 of 14%.

33
Q

What must you ensure when pressing the IDG 1/2 push button?

A

2 things. The respective engine must be running. Additionally you musn’t press the button for more than 3 seconds to avoid damaging the disconnect solenoid.

34
Q

If you have to disconnect the IDG in flight how can it be reset?

A

Only on the ground by maintenance

35
Q

What is lost if both AC busses are powered by only 1 engine driven generator?

A

You will lose some galley power, like the AC outlets in to cockpit, as the GALLEY SHED is lost.

36
Q

If you lost AC Bus 1, how long would it take DC BUS 2 to begin powering the DC BAT BUS?

A

About 5 seconds

37
Q

Which bus usually provides power to the AC ESS BUS? What would happen if this bus failed?

A

AC BUS 1. In the event of a failure of AC BUS 1, or if that bus is simply unpowered, AC BUS 2 should automatically power the AC ESS BUS. If the switch fails to happen automatically, you can press the AC ESS FEED push button to manually switch the AC ESS BUS to be power by AC BUS 2.

38
Q

When performing the preliminary cockpit preparation flow, what’s the minimum battery voltage? Can the batteries be in the auto position to check the voltage?

A

That batteries must be in the OFF position in order to properly check the voltage. The minimum voltage is 25.5V.

39
Q

What should you do if you’re checking the batteries in the preliminary cockpit preparation flow, and the voltage is below 25.5V?

A

Select the batteries to AUTO with with external power connected to the aircraft. This will start the battery charging process. This should take approximately 20 minutes.

40
Q

During the cockpit preparation flow, how else do we check the batteries other than the voltage?

A

You go to the ECAM ELECTION page, select both batteries to OFF, and then back to ON. You need to ensure that the battery charging current is less than 60 amps after 10 seconds and continues to decrease. If the charging current is greater than 60 amps after 10 seconds let the batteries continue to charge and do the check again after a full charging cycle (20 minutes).

41
Q

Will the batteries completely drain if you leave the BAT switches in auto after AC power is removed from the aircraft on the ground?

A

No. Battery cut-off logic prevents complete discharge when the aircraft is on the ground and unpowered. Cut-off is at 22 volts. This still means that the next person will need to charge the batteries but it won’t be completely dead.

42
Q

How is the battery bus normally powered?

A

Via DC BUS 1 through a DC TIE contactor. DC BUS 1 is then powered by AC bus 1 via Transformer Rectifier 1 and another tie contactor.

43
Q

What does the amber FAULT light in the GALLEY push button indicate?

A

At least 1 generator load is above 100% rated output

44
Q

How does the GALLEY push button work in AUTO?

A

It sheds the main galley, IFE, and in-seat power supply if:

-Only 1 generator (APU or ENGINE) is available in flight, or
-Only one ENGINE generator is available on the ground

Note: this means that anytime you’re single engine on the ground without the APU on (usually single engine taxi in without the APU, or Single engine at the gate waiting for external power hookup) that the electrical outlets in the flight will no longer work for charging our iPad’s.

45
Q

What does a FAULT on the ENG GEN push button indicate?

A

The generator line contactor is open because of a fault detected by the generator control unit (GCU), or the generator line contactor is open without being commanded by the GCU

46
Q

What does the APU GEN FAULT light indicate?

A

The generator line contactor is open because of a fault detected by the GCU

47
Q

When is the APU GEN FAULT light inhibited?

A

APU speed too low, or the line contactor is OPEN after EXT PWR or ENGINE GEN takes over

48
Q

What does the white “ALTN” light in the AC ESS FEED pushbutton indicate?

A

That the AC ESS BUS is powered by AC BUS 2

49
Q

What are three time that the batteries are connected to the BATTERY BUS?

A

-APU start
-Battery charging
-AC BUS 1 & 2 not powered and airspeed below 100 knots

50
Q

What’s the sequence for electrical priority?

A

1.) Onside engine generator
2.) EXT PWR (manually selected)
3.) APU generator
4.) Offside engine generator
5.) RAT emergency generator
6.) Batteries

51
Q

With the APU on, and the EXT PWR blue ON light illuminated, which is powering the aircraft?

A

The EXT PWR

52
Q

How do you put the aircraft in the emergency electrical configuration?

A

EMER ELEC GEN 1 LINE…………………………..OFF
EMER ELEC PWR……………………………………..MAN ON
When the EMER GEN is available:
APU GEN…………………………………………………OFF (If ON)
GEN 2………………………………………………………OFF

53
Q

What is the minimum speed for the emergency electrical configuration?

A

140 knots. This is just above the stall speed for the RAT to ensure you don’t lose electrical power on approach to land.

54
Q

Which items are powered by the emergency generator?

A

The AC ESS BUS, and the DC ESS BUS via the essential transformer rectifier (ESS TR)

55
Q

What electrical busses are powered in the emergency electrical configuration?

A

AC ESS BUS, AC ESS SHED (unless shedded), DC ESS BUS, DC ESS SHED (unless shedded), HOT BUS 1, HOT BUS 2

Note: This does not include the DC BAT BUS. Once you land in the Emergency electrical configuration and the RAT stalls, the DC BAT BUS. Becomes available but only until reaching 100 knots ground speed, at which point the DC battery bus is automatically shed.

56
Q

In flight without only the batteries powering the aircraft which 2 screens are still powered?

A

The CA’s PFD, and the Engine/Warning display (E/WD)

57
Q

What 4 screens are available when only the emergency generator is supplying aircraft power?

A

Captain PFD, captain ND, E/WD, #1 MCDU

58
Q

Who must be the pilot flying in the emergency electrical configuration?

A

The captain, as only his side’s screens will be available

59
Q

What automation is available in the emergency electrical configuration?

A

None. The autopilot, autothrust, and flight directors are all unavailable.

60
Q

Where can you find a list of what equipment is available in the emergency electrical configuration?

A

It can be found in the QRH, under ELEC: ELEC EMER CONFIG SYS REMAINING. It should be aircraft specific.

61
Q

Generally walk through what to expect when coming in to land in the emergency electrical configuration

A

The minimum speed is 140knot as the RAT will stall around 125knots.
1.) Inflight
-You’ll have the captains PFD, ND, E/WD, and MCDU #1
-You’ll have to use VHF 1 only as VHF 2 is inop
-Set the transponder to 1 as it’s the only operational side, other ATC may not see you
2.) Below 125 knots (flare/landing
-Emergency generator will stall and you’ll be on battery power only
-Captains ND will turn off
-PFD and E/WD will remain powered until 50 knots.
3.) Below 100 knots
-DC BATT BUS is automatically connected to the batteries
4.) Below 50 knots
-PFD and E/WD go dark
-Nose wheel steering is lost
-Braking and VHF 1 remain powered
-Intercom is still working to make an evacuation PA if required

Frontier (40 decks)

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