DEVELOPMENT OF FLYWHEEL ENERGY STORAGE FOR REPLACEMENT OF THE TORPEDO MK 48 ADCAP THERMAL BATTERY

A REPLACEMENT BATTERY FOR THE THERMAL BATTERY CURRENTLY BEING USED IN THE MK 48 TORPEDO IS SOUGHT. THIS REPLACEMENT BATTERY SHOULD PERFORM AS A FORM, FIT, AND FUNCTION REPLACEMENT FOR THE EXISTING BATTERY BUT ALLOW MULTIPLE FIRING ATTEMPTS. FLYWHEEL ENERGY STORAGE IS A PROMISING MEANS OF IMPLEMENTING LOW MAINTENANCE, SHORT TERM ENERGY STORAGE FOR THIS TYPE OF APPLICATION. THESE FLYWHEEL SYSTEMS OFFER A NUMBER OF ADVANTAGES COMPARED TO NICKEL-CADIUM OR OTHER ELECTROCHEMICAL BATTERIES. THESE ADVANTAGES INCLUDE LONG SHELF-LIFE, LOW MAINTENANCE, LOW SELF-DISCHARGE, UNLIMITED CHARGE/DISCHARGE CYCLING, AND THE ABILITY TO DETERMINE STATE-OF-CHARGE. A RECENT NAVY PROGRAM SUPPORTED THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUCH A SMALL FLYWHEEL ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEM SUITABLE FOR AERONAUTICAL APPLICATIONS. THIS SYSTEM, CALLED AN INERTIAL POWER STORAGE UNIT (IPSU), PERFORMS AS A FORM, FIT, AND FUNCTION REPLACEMENT FOR A NICD BATTERY. USING THE TECHNOLOGY BASE DEVELOPED DURING THE IPSU PROGRAM, THE OPPORTUNITY EXISTS TO DEVELOP FLYWHEEL ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS THAT WILL ADVANTAGEOUSLY REPLACE THE THERMAL BATTERY IN THE MK 48 TORPEDO. THIS PROPOSED RESEARCH PROGRAM WILL INVESTIGATE THE TECHNICAL FEASIBILITY OF USING FLYWHEEL ENERGY STORAGE FOR THIS APPLICATION.