1 kW Man-portable Hybrid-Electric Power System using Catalytic Fuel Ignition Technology

"EDTEK proposes a program to develop and validate a conceptual design for a prototype, man-portable, 1 kW multi-fuel thermophotovoltaic (TPV) generator suitable for battlefield use. This program addresses both the problems of weight reduction to allow thegenerator to be man-portable and low thermal and RFI/EFI signatures reducing the possibility of field detection. The proposed TPV technology uses low-bandgap photovoltaic cells to convert radiant energy from relatively low temperatures heat sources toelectricity. The EDTEK TPV approach uses a unique infrared bandpass filter to conserve energy in he system and allows fuel-to-electric effieiencies of >15% to be attained. The TPV generator weight can also be substantially lower than conventionalgenerators. In 2000 EDTEK demonstated to the DARPA and U.S. Army CECOM a testbed diesel fueled TPV generator designed to produce 500W of electricity. The unoptimized testbed unit weighed 27 lbs before packaging. Based on the testbed results it appearsthat a 1 kW unit weighing less than 50 lbs can easily be achieved. With the successful implementation of the proposed improvements, a highly portable, ultra-lightweight 1 kW generator weighing about 20 lbs is feasible at a cost low enough to compete incommercial markets. The result of the proposed effort will be the conceptual design for a man-portable, lightweight, low detection, 1 kW generator whose cost will be competitive in commercial mark