Advanced Electrical Power Management System

CME along with Texas A&M University (TAMU) continue under this proposed Phase II to further develop an advanced electrical power management system for shipboard application, called PARE (Power Analysis and Reconfiguration Engine). The present version of PARE is a monitoring and control system that monitors the shipboard electrical power system, detects abnormal and fault conditions, determines a reconfiguration plan, validates the plan, provides instructions for an operator and assesses the result. The abnormal operating conditions could be in response to abnormal loading, as well as battle and equipment-failure induced faults. An expert system based reconfiguration methodology, developed by Dr. Butler-Purry’s research team at Texas A&M for electric shipboard power systems, uses rule-based knowledge representation. The system determines the control units that should be altered for restoring power to de-energized loads based on the priority of loads and security constraints such as generator power capacities, cable current ampacities, and load node voltage operating limits. CME is transitioning this Texas A&M technology from the laboratory to feasible shipboard application. During Phase II, CME/TAMU will determine, characterize, and define external hardware and software systems in existing and future ships. We proposed to modularize and create interfaces among PARE software components and external systems. CME/TAMU will investigate, study, and characterize the performance of the "shipboard equivalent" to a Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (SCADA) system with emphasis on data integrity, timing, coverage and level of control. CME/TAMU will then develop, integrate, and demonstrate the PARE/SCADA/ShipSim system.