COMPACT HIGH-POWER PROPULSION SYSTEM

THERE IS A GROWING INTEREST IN SMALL, HIGH SPEED AUTONOMOUS UNDERWATER VEHICLES (AUV'S). IN PARTICULAR, THE U. S. NAVY SUBMARINE FORCE COULD GREATLY ENHANCE ITS SOFT AND HARD KILL CAPABILITIES AS WELL AS DETECTION AND CLASSIFICATION CAPABILITIES THROUGH THE EFFECTIVE UTILIZATION OF SUCH DEVICES. SUCH DEVICES MUST HAVE VARIABLE SPEED CAPABILITY AND HIGH END SPEEDS COMPARABLE TO MODERN SUBMARINES AND TORPEDOES TO BE TRULY EFFECTIVE. KEY TO THE SMALL SIZE AND HIGH SPEED CHARACTERISTICS OF AN AUV IS THE PROPULSION SUBSYSTEM. THE PROPULSION SUBSYSTEM, COUPLED WITH ITS POWER REQUIREMENTS OFTEN SIZE THE VEHICLE OR, IN REVERSE, THE VEHICLE'S FORM FACTOR MAY CONSTRAIN THE PROPULSION DESIGN AND ULTIMATE PERFORMANCE. DURING PHASE I, SIPPICAN PROPOSES TO PERFORM A COMPREHENSIVE STUDY AND TRADEOFF ANALYSIS OF ELECTRIC POWER SOURCES, D.C. MOTOR TECHNOLOGY AND PROPULSORS, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT THE ENERGY REQUIREMENTS, VOLUME, WEIGHT, NOISE, THERMAL AND HYDRODYNAMIC CONSTRAINTS OF THE PROPOSED VEHICLE. ALSO, A PHASE II PLAN WILL BE DEVELOPED TO ENCOMPASS HARDWARE DEMONSTRATIONS OF THE MAJOR COMPONENTS (I.E. BATTERY, MOTOR, PROPELLER).