Strategic defense spacecraft and weapons require power supplies in new regimes of power and duration with requirements (e.g., survivability) different from past systems. A computer based system is being developed to assist planners and designers in the selection evaluation and conceptual design of such power supplies. It uses the emerging techniques of expert systems to handle the power system synthesis and qualitative issues such as survivability, maintenance, and reliability. A demonstration system is being generated for one power supply type. This program is applying expert system techniques together with conventional algorithms to achieve early operational capability. Models, scaling laws and heuristic rules are being developed and a data base of technology parameters collected. This project, if successful, would provide a set of computer based tools to assist decision makers and designers in organizing the large and complex knowledge base and in finding suitable power systems. It would yield a consistent, comprehensive, transportable program for power system analysis that would be of value to federal, and industrial organizations.
