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Pod Mechanical Power Production
Navy SBIR 2008.1 - Topic N08-035 NAVAIR - Mrs. Janet McGovern - [email protected] Opens: December 10, 2007 - Closes: January 9, 2008 N08-035 TITLE: Pod Mechanical Power Production TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Ground/Sea Vehicles, Electronics ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMA-234: EA-6B Airborne Electronic Attack, and PMA-265: EA-18G Program The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation. OBJECTIVE: Develop innovative technology capable of converting ram air energy into mechanical power DESCRIPTION: For smaller aircraft, airborne electronic attack (AEA) equipment contained in a wing mounted pod requires supplemental electrical power. Since high power electric cables are heavy and their addition would require extensive airframe modification, a system that produces power at the point of use is preferred. The point of use in this case is within the AEA pod. One form of energy that is readily available to a pod is the ram air flowing past the pod. A system that can convert the kinetic energy of ram air to mechanical power with better size and weight efficiency is required. Electric power for traditional AEA pod equipment is created by axial flow ram air turbines (RAT) with air foil blades. The RAT is coupled to an electric generator to convert mechanical to electrical power. RATs are limited in available energy conversion. All of their kinetic energy is created by the change in air pressure between the forward and aft ends of the system. Additional energy is available only from increased airspeed or greater turbine diameter. The air pressure differential is not great enough for good size and weight efficiency. The slow turning wind turbines that drive the generators in modern wind turbine "farms" operate by the same principal as RATs. These wind turbines are optimized for efficiency, and help illustrate the size inefficiency of ram air turbines. In the case of a RAT, the rotational speed is much greater than a wind turbine. Since the linear speed of the blade tip is much greater than the speed near the blade root, only a small portion of the total turbine radius can be used for efficient power conversion. For a next generation airborne electronic attack (NG-AEA) pod, the expected power requirement is 60 KW. The goal for minimum airspeed at which this power can be produced is 250 knots calibrated airspeed (KCAS). The expected diameter and overall system size for a RAT capable of providing the required power may be too large for NG-AEA pod application. The payoff for a successful technical development effort is an unconventional technical solution that will allow point of use power production with a better ratio of power to size and weight, than is given by traditional RAT technology. Equipment with a cross section perpendicular to the airflow direction that is smaller than that of equipment using existing axial flow RAT technology is required. Compare the capability to the expected overall system weight and component sizes. The overall system may include a gearbox and electric generator. A gearbox and generator are not necessarily part of this technology development, but their respective size and weight depends on the design of the new mechanical power production solution. One possible example of a suitable solution is the "Tesla Turbine," also known as a "Bladeless Boundary Layer Turbine." Instead of traditional airfoil blades, a Tesla Turbine uses many spinning parallel thin disks that are oriented parallel to the airflow. However, a Tesla Turbine has inherent disadvantages, and other solutions may be more practical with lower risk. Another possible solution may be a turbine that operates similar to a water wheel. This may be an unlikely solution, but there is no record of study for applying this turbine type to ram air power production. PHASE I: Determine the feasibility and technical merit for providing mechanical-rotary power for an aircraft pod at the point of use while using technology other than axial flow ram air turbines with air foil blades. Develop a concept with limited design of critical components and a recommended design approach for the complete system. Show the electric power production capability of the system through engineering simulation or analysis of the conceptual design. PHASE II: Continue development of the NG-AEA pod mechanical power production (PMPP) system by performing detailed design of all system components. Fabricate a prototype operational mechanical power production unit that can meet all operational requirements. PHASE III: Integrate the PMPP equipment into the NG-AEA pod, and begin limited production of the PMPP equipment. PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Other military and commercial aircraft use RATs for emergency power production. The application of this new technology would provide a more space and size efficient emergency power production system. Other commercial use includes power production for aircraft pods that perform any function, such as communication or surveillance. REFERENCES: 2. Livingston, Sadie P. and William Gracey. "Tables of Airspeed, Altitude and Mach Number, Based on Latest International Values for Atmospheric Properties and Physical Constants." National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Langley Research Center, NASA-TN-D-822, 1961. 3. NAVAIR 01-85ADC-1 NATOPS Flight Manual, Navy Model EA-6B Block 89A/89/82 Aircraft, specifically Chapter 4 KEYWORDS: Military Airborne Stores; Power Generation; Electronic Warfare; Ram Air; Airborne Electronic Attack; Pod TPOC: (812)854-2677
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