Coaxial Insulated Bus Pipe for High Energy Application

Hepburn and Sons LLC proposes to design a Medium Voltage Direct Current (MVDC) coaxial Insulated Bus Pipe (IBP) conductor with the associated connectors, bulkhead penetrations, and shock excursion mounts for transmission of MVDC with voltages in the range of 6 kV to 12 kV and ampacity from 2000 to 4000 amperes in response to this Navy need. High energy loads such as directed energy weapons and new combat systems are increasingly being integrated onboard current and future Naval warships. With these new systems, it has become important to analyze alternative energy conduits and installation methods to save the Navy and shipbuilding industry time and money. IBP is a solid conductor, offering prefabrication of up to 30-foot sections enabling tight bend radii fitting well into modular shipbuilding principles. This is ideal across the Navy’s diverse power systems on ships, piers, and in shipyards. Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) has invested over $2M in conducting MIL-STD testing of single conductor IBP over 15 years. This project allows the Navy to develop, test and deploy a low magnetic signature version of IBP in a coaxial MVDC design.