Waste heat harvesting for autonomous drone energy management

The Navy seeks to develop an autonomous charging and energy management system to support large fleets of unmanned systems. The goal is to create a deployable power generation solution that integrates renewable energy, hybrid power sources, and intelligent energy management software to sustain unmanned operations with minimal human intervention. The need for such a system arises from the growing reliance on unmanned systems in military operations. An autonomous charging infrastructure will optimize energy usage, reduce dependency on fuel supply chains, and enhance mission readiness in austere environments, enabling unmanned fleets to operate continuously with minimal human oversight.ÝÝIn areas without access to a well-fueled fleet of vehicles, electric power can require large amounts of pre-charged batteries which must be carried in. The Navy is in need of a solution that can function at any time of day, with or without a supply of refined fuel.ÝÝLynntech intends to provide thermal power generation as the base of a universal portable charging infrastructure for autonomous UAS, by taking advantage of recent advances in high temperature thermoelectric technology and design. A key advantage of this system is, as an external combustion engine, its ability to utilize both solid, flammable material as fuel as well as contaminated liquid fuelsósuch as sugared gasolineóthat would otherwise be unusable by internal combustion engines, which serve as the prime movers for nearly all other hydrocarbon-consuming military electrical generation hardware. This capability allows forces in the field to make use of compromised or low-grade fuel supplies, enhancing operational flexibility in resource-constrained environments.