Multi-Stage, Multi-Phase, High Efficiency, Intelligent, Electrical Energy Conversion Unit for Navy and USMC

The Navy and USMC are embarking on an aggressive power and energy program for applications in surface and underwater vehicles as well as expeditionary systems. Limited by either shipboard space and weight or portability, the Navy and USMC require innovative technology solutions to increase electrical energy conversion efficiency and density in order to reduce volume, weight, and cost. The goal of the research is; to find innovative power solutions to reduce the variety of equipment that is required to accomplish missions, to reduce size and weight of power conversion units/inverters to better support the mission goals, to improve the thermal management of such units to reduce their weight and to increase their reliability and operational capabilities. We will develop a concept for the above universal power inverter/converter using state-of-the-art and emerging technologies. We will identify all the critical areas of the design: the overall topology of the power inverter, power switching technology, emerging concepts for self contained cooling and thermal management, strategies to improve power management, power quality, and advanced prognostics and diagnostics that might include partial self-reconfiguration as required.