Aircraft power management system
A method and associated system for managing power within an aircraft electrical system, the aircraft comprising a generator driven by a gas turbine engine for the supply of electrical power to the system, wherein the generator and electrical system are connected to a common energy store. The method comprises determining predicted electrical energy demands of the system and predicted thrust demands for the gas turbine engine over at least a portion of a flight. A plurality of time periods within at least said portion of the flight are defined and a desired rate of charge of the energy store for each time period is determined based upon the predicted thrust and electrical energy demands over said time period. The rate of charge of the energy store is controlled during the flight in accordance with the determined desired rate of charge for each time period. The desired rate of charge of the energy store may represent an optimal energy efficiency charge profile based on a global assessment of the operational characteristics of the flight.
