TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Ground/Sea Vehicles, Materials/Processes, Electronics

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PEO Ships, PMS 500 IPS, Mike Collins

OBJECTIVE: Explore the development and application of power dense, efficient and cost effective fault current detection and limiting technology for use in future surface combatant power electronic based distribution systems and Integrated Power Systems (IPS).

DESCRIPTION: Fault current limiters are installed in electrical systems to prevent fault currents from exceeding fault clearance capacity of circuit breakers and/ or to enable system wide benefits. The potential benefits provided by fault current limiters are of increasing importance, due to the steadily increasing power requirements of future surface combatants. The increased power is accompanied by increased short circuit power at various nodes across the system, which is expected to exceed the rated value of available current limiting and current protection technologies.

This topic seeks to explore the application of advanced fault-current detection and limiting technology as means of controlling fault-current levels on power dense electronic based distribution systems. Fault-current limiter based systems will allow for architectural flexibility in placement within the system design without adding impedance to the circuit(s) during normal operation.

Primary distribution systems are planned to support 80-100MW with asymmetrical fault current peaks of 100kA or more. Greatest interest is in higher current, 1000A or higher steady-state current, and higher voltage, 1-15 KV AC or DC, applications. There are numerous potential application opportunities for this SBIR topic in future Navy and commercial distribution systems from 120 to 15,000V AC or DC.

PHASE I: Demonstrate the feasibility of innovative fault current detection and current limiting technology for use in Navy electrical power systems. Establish performance goals and metrics to analyze the feasibility of the proposed solution. Develop a test and evaluation plan that contains discrete milestones for product development for verifying performance and suitability.

PHASE II: Develop and demonstrate prototype(s) as identified in Phase I. In a laboratory environment, demonstrate that the prototype meets the performance goals established in Phase I. Develop a cost benefit analysis and a Phase III testing and validation plan.

PHASE III: Working with the Navy and industry, as applicable, transition the technology to commercial and military power distribution applications.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: The resulting fault current limiting technology improvements will be directly applicable to commercial and military electrical distribution networks. Commercial shipping and cruise lines employ electric drive systems comparable to Navy IPS. Integrated Power Systems employ voltage and current levels comparable to commercial utility and industrial systems. As commercial power levels and power quality/continuity improvements are required, the developed fault current limiting technologies should provide an attractive solution over expensive system upgrades and redundancy improvements.

REFERENCES:
1. "Full scale land based testing of the US Navy�s Integrated Power System (IPS)"; LCDR T. J. McCoy, US Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command, USA, M. Stauffer and E. Harvey, Naval Surface Warfare Center, USA; Marine Engineering Challenges for the 21st Century, Fifth International Naval Engineering Conference and Exhibition, INEC 2000
2. "Shipboard Electric Power Distribution: AC Versus DC Is Not the Issue, Rather, How Much of Each Is the Issue"; LCDR John V. Amy Jr. PhD, Mr. David H. Clayton and Mr. Rolf O. Kotacka; All Electric Ship 98 Conference.2nd ed., vol. 3, J. Peters, Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964, pp. 15-64.
3. Henry Hegner, Bipin Desai: "Integrated Fight Through Power", IEEE Power Engineering Society, Chicago, USA, July 2002. http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/guesthome.jsp
4. Fault current limiters, http://www.wtec.org/loyola/scpa/04_03.htm

KEYWORDS: Integrated Power System; Fault Current; Current Limiter; Power Conversion; Electrical Distribution; Zonal Distribution;

TPOC: Nathan Spivey
Phone: (215)897-8831
Fax: (215)897-8380
Email: [email protected]
2nd TPOC: Tim Furman
Phone: (215)897-7510
Fax: (215)897-8380
Email: [email protected]

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

DoD Notice:   Between May 1, 2006 and June 13, 2006, you may talk directly with the Topic Author(s) to ask technical questions about the topics. Their contact information is listed above. For reasons of competitive fairness, direct communication between proposers and topic authors is not allowed starting June 14, 2006 , when DoD begins accepting proposals for this solicitation.

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