Energy Sources and Systems Rahul Lakhotia Fareed Zaffar

Information Age Warfare n High combat effectiveness through technology –detailed information exchange –automated tasking n Large number of increasingly “smart” equipment with higher energy requirements n power sources, a logistics and tactical burden for the soldier

Continued….. n need to store, generate and manage power n Increased demand for power n Conventional sources have reached saturation n Major improvements needed in power sources for today’s battlefield

Fuelling the Future Force n Sources of power (electricity) –Generators, Batteries, Solar Cells, Fuel cells n Categories of sources –Power Generation, Storage and Management

Technologies n Battery –Energy density –Safety –Environmental impact n Fueled systems –excellent potential for improvement for large power requirements –low cost n Nuclear energy sources –high cost and public acceptance

Technologies n Human Powered Systems –enormous energy stored in human body –sufficient to provide power if only a fraction of this is converted to electricity –sophisticated energy management and low powered electronics needed –physical activities like Limb motion, heel strike, blood pressure –inherently intermittent therefore storage mechanism necessary

Technologies continued n Photovoltaic –solar energy “there for the taking” –must track the sun –currently used as battery chargers n Thermo-photovoltaics –converting energy from a heat source to electricity –radiant element heated from a fossil-fueled combustion source, solid state converters –requires cooling

Reducing power requirements n Reduce need for power n reduce power consumption through a combination of technological and procedural improvements n improved power distribution to take advantage of available output from current generators

Forecast n Hybrid systems –no need to design for worst case –large difference between peak and average demand for power –combine high specific energy, low power with low specific energy, high powered source –“load leveling” –substantial mass savings –longer operational times