Megawatt Digital Generator Control Unit (MDGCU) for Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) Applications

Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) laser or microwave-based systems are being developed for both ground and airborne applications. These applications require significant amount of power, which ranges from several hundred kilowatts to Megawatts. The laser DEW requires that the full, tightly regulated, power is available intermittently, typically 5 seconds on followed by 10 seconds off. The control of a generator, which delivers Megawatt of the intermittent power greatly differs from the of normal steady state generator control. It poses significant challenges, and needs to be explored. Application/removal of such amount (1MW) of power is a transient phenomenon that takes time and effects whole power system (engine, generator and regulator). It is imperative that the full power is available for the required duration (including the transients) with no degradation in quality (level, ripple and stability). There are three sources that affect the performance of the control system:  The regulator control loop  The generator electromagnetic and mechanical properties  The Engine/JEDEC transient performance characteristics Innovative Power Solutions is proposing to explore the interaction between these systems and provide an optimal solution for controlling this class of Megawatt generators. PC Krause will perform system modeling so that realistic results will be attained.