SPLASHGen : A Renewable Electrical Power Source for SOC-R Operations

This SBIR Phase-I effort proposes a novel, soldier-portable, low acoustic signature hybrid power generation system, SPLASHGen, which provides an alternative solution to the energy requirements of the SOCOM SOC-R mission. The proposed SPLASHGen technology is a parallel hybrid electric power system that uses a swing-engine-based power generation system that is augmented by a rechargeable battery pack when operating under peak loads. Preliminary sizing studies have estimated the total deployed mass of SPLASHGen below 20kg (including fuel mass for 72 hours continuous operation), distributed across two units measuring 6"x12"x12" and 12"x15"x15" units. SPLASHGen provides for a 9.26 times reduction over the original marine battery system, from 172.8kg to 18.65kg, achieves an order of magnitude increase in specific energy over battery systems and can be routinely transported by a two-man team, with each operative carrying approximately 9kg.