DEMONSTRATION OF AN INNOVATIVE TACOM PERSONNEL HEATER

PRESENTLY THE ARMY HAS TWO SIZES OF PERSONNEL HEATERS IN TRACKED VEHICLES. THE SMALLER ONE PRODUCES UP TO 30,000 BTU/HR AND THE LARGER ONE 60,000 BTU/HR. THESE UNITS WERE DESIGNED OVER FORTY YEARS AGO USING TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE AT THE TIME. SUBSEQUENT RESEARCH IN COMBUSTION, POWER CONVERSION, HEAT TRANSFER, AND FLUID FLOW ALLOW THE POSSIBILITY FOR TREMENDOUS IMPROVEMENTS IN THESE DESIGNS. A RECENT STUDY FOR TACOM HAS IDENTIFIED SEVERAL POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVES FOR BURNER DESIGN, AND POWER GENERATION, HOWEVER THIS STUDY ATTEMPTED TO PROVIDE SOLUTIONS BY EMPLOYING EXISTING HARDWARE. THE MAINSTREAM EFFORT PROPOSED HERE INTENDS TO CARRY THIS RESEARCH A STEP FURTHER, BY INVESTIGATING AN ALTERNATIVE METHOD OF FUEL COMBUSTION, AND PARASITIC ELECTRIC PRODUCTION, AND THEREBY IMPROVE RELIABILITY AND REDUCE UNIT COST. THE PROBLEM WITH CURRENT SELFSUFFICIENT HEATING SYSTEMS IS THE REQUIRED NUMBER OF THERMOELECTRIC DEVICES NEEDED FOR THE GENERATION OF ANY REASONABLE VOLTAGE, AS WELL AS THE COMPLEX ELECTRONIC POWER CONDITIONING AND CONTROL NECESSARY TO REGULATE THE POWER PRODUCED AND TO PERFORM THE SWITCH-OVER TO INTERNAL SELF-GENERATED POWER. THE MAINSTREAM DESIGN USES AN INNOVATIVE AND MORE RELIABLE APPROACH TO BOTH THE COMBUSTION AND THE ELECTRICAL PRODUCTION.