A Flexible Power Management System Architecture for Unmanned Underwater Vehicles

With UUV sizes ranging from 9” to +60” in diameter and missions that include forward fleet reconnaissance, mine detection, inspection, oceanography, payload delivery, communication, and anti-submarine warfare; a flexible and modular energy storage system with advanced power management system architecture (PMSA) is needed to meet these applications. However, before such a PMSA can be developed the proper energy storage system must be identified. To determine the most optimal energy storage system, a design model is required that accounts for factors related to UUVs in the 9” to 21” size. Stand alone and hybrid energy systems are ideal for use in UUVs, but determining the proper combination and chemistry is critical to achieving optimal performance. The result of this design model will be used in the development of a flexible power management system architecture. The PMSA is based on Lynntech’s propriety fuel cell/battery hybrid power management system architecture that has shown its effectiveness on real systems ranging from 20 W - 1000 W. An optimized PMSA with an energy storage system that is modular will allow for greater flexibility in the use of UUVs for Naval applications.