Higher Power Engineering proposes to develop a compact and lightweight prime power plant operating from JP-8 fuel. Capacity of 155kW continuos, which exceeds the Navy duty-cycle requirements. Unit exceeds all specifications of size, weight, and fuel efficiency. The proposed unit is projected at 24 0x9D Wx24 0x9D Hx46 0x9D L, weighs 470 pounds. Design utilizes a dual-bank rotary diesel engine operating on a high efficiency hybrid thermal cycle. Engine design has only 4 moving parts and provides a thermal efficiency of >55%. Engine is coupled to a high-speed permanent-magnet generator by a planetary gearbox. The generator doubles as starter. The high-frequency AC power produced is rectified & filtered to provide 345VDC+10%. Voltage regulation is accomplished by variable speed engine operation, providing a load-following design. The design is scalable and modular, making application to other size generators simple and easy. Phase I effort includes technical studies which model the proposed configuration. This work will validate the feasibility of the proposed technical approach. The proposed Phase I Option effort leads into the Phase II task by confirming the earlier engineering design, updating market research on advanced engine designs, and procurement of some basic components for use in the Phase II testing tasking. Monthly progress reports are proposed.
Benefit: The completed work will provide an innovative small generator system design that is lightweight, quiet, efficient, and offers long life. This will also operate with nearly any oil-based fuel heavy fuel oil. As the approach can be applied to any size, it has a very large potential military and commercial market. The work represents the first truly innovative approach to improving small generators in many years, and does so without impacting environmental qualifications. The market could range from 1kW to megawatt generator sets.
Keywords: small, small, dc generator, advanced engine, PM generator, diesel, Lightweight, thermal cycle
