Ram Air Turbine Driven Power and Cooling Unit for Enhanced EA-18 Pod Effectiveness

CFDRC has completed preliminary design of a next generation Ram Air Turbine (RAT) suitable for operation in the Navy’s next generation electronic warfare pod. The RAT will be capable of delivering 60 KVA at a sea level flight speed of 280 knots. The unit will also be capable of providing adequate liquid coolant to maintain electronic component operating temperatures below specified levels. During Phase II the 60 KVA goal will be demonstrated using a turbine that includes inlet guide and de-swirl vanes with root and tip diameters of 10-12 and 18-20 inches respectively. To maximize turbine performance a regenerative heat exchanger system is under consideration. Phase II development will include detailed design, fabrication, assembly and wind tunnel test and evaluation of the prototype RAT system. CFDRC will lead the design and development of the turbine, inlet, and cooling systems. Several generator manufacturers are under consideration to support adaptation of existing generator technologies to meet future U.S. Navy power conditioning requirements. Our mature partnerships with numerous power and cooling equipment manufacturers will facilitate rapid Phase IIE RAT customization and Phase III commercialization within all impending Navy and Air Force missions.