Browse Topic: Electric power
ABSTRACT This paper describes next generation modeling tools to solve a basic problem of concept analysis, which is the lack of component models that realistically estimate the performance of technology that has yet to be fully reduced to specific products. Three important classes of electric power components essential to future Army vehicles are addressed: integrated electric machines, battery energy storage, and traction motor drives. Behavior models are delivered in a common software simulation “wrapper” with a limited number of user settings that allow the ratings of the component to be scaled to the performance required by the vehicle concept represented in a larger simulation. This approach captures expert knowledge about components so the systems engineer managing the concept analysis can create reliable simulations quickly
ABSTRACT Military ground vehicles need greater electrical power generation to address continually increasing power demands due to various loads, e.g. advanced communications equipment, jamming equipment, electronic armor, and electronic weapons system. More electrical power is also required for electrification of auxiliary systems (steering, cooling fans, HVAC, and pumps) to improve system efficiency - currently driven mechanically. Electrical equipment can be powered from the 600 volt DC bus power supply or from the conventional 28 volt DC bus depending on size, cost, weight, cooling, performance, and cooling impact. Appropriate power electronics converters (dc to dc, ac to dc, dc to ac) are used to manipulate the DC source to drive equipment on the Stryker APOP electrical system. These devices are highly efficient and should lead to the reduction of parasitic losses. With the above in perspective, the US Army RDECOM-TARDEC, GVPM (Ground Vehicle Power and Mobility) has been pursuing
ABSTRACT Situations exist that require the ability to preposition a basic level of energy infrastructure. Exploring and developing the arctic’s oil potential, providing power to areas damaged by natural or man-made disasters, and deploying forward operating bases are some examples. This project will develop and create a proof-of-concept electric power prepositioning system using small autonomous swarm robots each containing a power electronic building block. Given a high-level power delivery requirement, the robots will self-organize and physically link with each other to connect power sources to storage and end loads. Each robot mobile agent will need to determine both its positioning and energy conversion strategy that will deliver energy generated at one voltage and frequency to an end load requiring a different voltage and frequency. Although small-scale robots will be used to develop the negotiation strategies, scalability to existing, large-scale robotic vehicles will be
ABSTRACT An efficient and collaborative process for the realization and implementation of an electrical power management strategy for a modern military vehicle is demonstrated. Power, software and hardware engineers working together and using simulation and emulation tools are able to develop, simulate and validate a power strategy before prototype vehicle integration, reducing integration cost and time. For demonstration, an intelligent electrical power management strategy is developed for a generic military vehicle with conventional engine/transmission propulsion and an inline generator. The challenge of this architecture is maintaining electrical bus stability/regulation at low engine speed given that electrical power demands may exceed power supplied. The intelligent electrical power management strategy presented limits the total power demand to power available by overriding the demands of the individual loads. Based on load prioritization and vehicle system dynamics, power limits
ABSTRACT A sudden increase in microgrid electrical power consumption requires the fast supply of energy from different generating sources to guarantee microgrid voltage stability. This paper presents the results of simulations investigating the integration of an electric supercharger into a Heavy Duty Diesel (HDD) genset connected to a microgrid for reducing engine speed droop in response to an abrupt power demand requested from the grid. First, a mean value model for the 13 L HDD engine is used to study the response of the baseline turbocharged engine during a fast load increase at low engine speed. The limited air mass in the cylinder during the transient results in engine lugging and ultimately engine stall. Then, an electrical supercharger is integrated before the turbocharger compressor to increase the engine air charge. During steady state operation, the simulation results indicate that the supercharger is able to increase the air-charge by approximately 50% over the lower half
It’s common knowledge that a major challenge for solar energy is how to store excess energy produced when conditions are right, like noon-time sun, so that it can be used later. The usual answer is batteries. But renewable energy resources are causing problems for the electricity grid in other ways as well. In a warm, sunny location like California, mid-afternoon had been a time of peak demand for the electric utility, but with solar it’s now a time of peak output
As the U.S. military embraces vehicle electrification, high-reliability components are rising to the occasion to support their advanced electrical power systems. In recent years, electronic device designers have started using wide band-gap (WBG) materials like silicon carbide (SiC) and gallium nitride (GaN) to develop the semiconductors required for military device power supplies. These materials can operate at much higher voltages, perform switching at higher frequencies, and feature better thermal characteristics. Compared to silicon, SiC-based semiconductors provide superior performance. The growing availability of these materials, in terms of access and cost, continues to encourage electrification. With the ever-present pressure of size, weight, and power (SWaP) optimization in military applications, and a desire to keep up with the pace of innovation, there's a need for capacitors that can deliver higher power efficiency, switching frequency, and temperature resistance under harsh
To expand the availability of electricity generated from nuclear power, several countries have started developing designs for small modular reactors (SMRs), which could take less time and money to construct compared to existing reactors
Penn Engineers have developed a new chip that uses light waves, rather than electricity, to perform the complex math essential to training AI. The chip has the potential to radically accelerate the processing speed of computers while also reducing their energy consumption
Solar panels are an increasingly popular way to generate electricity from the sun’s energy. Although humans are still figuring out how to reliably turn that energy into fuel, plants have been doing it for eons through photosynthesis. Now, a team reporting in ACS Engineering Au has mimicked the process to produce methane, an energy-dense fuel, from carbon dioxide, water and sunlight. Their prototype system could help pave the way toward replacing nonrenewable fossil fuels
The automotive PowerNet is in the middle of a major transformation. The main drivers are steadily increasing power demand, availability requirements, and complexity and cost. These factors result in a wide variety of possible future PowerNet topologies. The increasing power demand is, among other factors, caused by the progressive electrification of formerly mechanical components and a constantly increasing number of comfort and safety loads. This leads to a steady increase in installed electrical power. X-by-wire systems1 and autonomous driving functions result in higher availability requirements. As a result, the power supply of all safety-critical loads must always be kept sufficiently stable. To reduce costs and increase reliability, the car manufacturers aim to reduce the complexity of the PowerNet system, including the wiring harness and the controller network. The wiring harness e.g., is currently one of the most expensive parts of modern cars. These challenges are met with a
A new electrical power converter design achieves a much higher efficiency at lower cost and maintenance than before. The direct current voltage boost converter is poised to be a significant contribution to the further development of improved electric and electronic components for healthcare devices
The 2023 FISITA White Paper (for which the author was a contributor) on managing in-service emissions and transportation options, to reduce CO2 (CO2-e or carbon footprint) from the existing vehicle fleet, proposed 6 levers which could be activated to complement the rapid transition to vehicles using only renewable energy sources. Another management opportunity reported here is optimizing the vehicle’s life in-service to minimize the life-cycle CO2 impact of a range of present and upcoming vehicles. This study of the US vehicle fleet has quite different travel and composition characteristics to European (EU27) vehicles. In addition, the embodied CO2 is based on ANL’s GREET data rather than EU27 SimaPro methodology. It is demonstrated that in-service, whole-of-life mileage has a significant influence on the optimum life cycle CO2 for BEVs and H2 fuelled FCEVs, as well as ICEs and PHEVs. Thus, the object is to show how much present, typical in-service life-mileage differs from the
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have invented and patented a new cathode material that replaces lithium ions with sodium and would be significantly cheaper. The cathode is one of the main parts of any battery. It is the site of the chemical reaction that creates the flow of electricity that propels a vehicle
The electric power sector accounts for about 30 percent of U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide
Researchers have created electrostatic materials that function even with extremely weak ultrasound, heralding the era of permanent implantable electronic devices in biomedicine. Recent research explores implantable medical devices that operate wirelessly, yet finding a safe energy source and protective materials remains challenging. Presently, titanium (Ti) is used due to its biocompatibility and durability. However, radio waves cannot pass through this metal, necessitating a separate antenna for wireless power transmission. Consequently, this enlarges the device size, creating more discomfort for patients
Storing energy is one of the key challenges for implementing sustainable but intermittent electricity sources like solar and wind. Engineers at Sandia National Laboratories are collaborating with New Mexico-based CSolPower LLC to develop a very affordable method of accomplishing that storage
While many consider electricity a basic human right, there are places where people have never had access to it. Among the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals is global access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable energy by 2030. Recently, the U.N. reported that progress in global electrification had slowed due to the challenge of reaching those hardest to reach
Scientists have developed a flexible battery as thin as a human cornea, which stores electricity when it is immersed in saline solution, and which could one day power smart contact lenses. Smart contact lenses are high-tech contact lenses capable of displaying visible information on our corneas and can be used to access augmented reality
To turn an ultra-small component on and off, one requires an actuator — a device that transmits an input, such as electricity, into physical motion. Actuators in small-scale technologies to date have critical limitations; for example, if it's difficult to integrate the actuator into semiconductor electronics, real-world applications of the technology will be limited. An actuator design that operates quickly, has precise on/off control, and is compatible with modern electronics would be immensely useful
Most space satellites are powered by photovoltaic cells that convert sunlight to electricity. Exposure to certain orbit radiation can damage the devices, degrading their performance and limiting their lifetime. University of Cambridge scientists have proposed a radiation-tolerant photovoltaic cell design that features an ultrathin layer of light-absorbing material
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