Staying in Command of Demand
Increased capabilities for the soldier increase energy demands on the battlefield. Fuel and battery use at forward operating bases, specifically patrol bases and combat outposts at the “tip of the spear,” has been problematic.The power and energy community has been working to keep up with that demand, creating smaller, lighter, energy-dense power sources that are more efficient and will allow soldiers to go longer between resupply.
However, the increase in demand has been far outpacing supply.
There is more that needs to be considered in order to achieve a solution. Instead of focusing efforts into producing better power supplies, a serious examination need to be done on how best to manage and reduce demand.
Engineers at CERDEC’s Command, Power and Integration directorate are attacking the problem on all fronts. They believe that the key is through better power management. They’re working to enable an energy-informed environment at the tactical edge where systems interoperate intelligently.
Energy Informed Operations Architecture. Seamless power and power data transfer across the mission space with an intuitive interface with the missions, commander and soldiers. (Graphic illustration provided by CERDEC/Released)
All the parts of the power system play an important role, but historically not much attention has been paid to power management for the battlefield. CP&I’s new Energy Informed Operations (EIO) program enables two key management components which aid in a more effective use of available power: the ability to closely match energy supply with energy demands and the ability to prioritize loads.
The first point allows power systems to operate more efficiently, thereby reducing the amount of fuel needed, while the second makes the best use of the available energy in order to assure the mission can be completed before running out of power.
Generator systems typically run inefficiently because trained personnel are limited. These inefficiencies lead to a significant amount of wasted fuel and a higher incidence of generator failures. Generator “right-sizing” and the use of microgrid type distribution systems can help alleviate some of the fuel use problems.
These solutions have seen little use due to difficulties of implementing them into forward operations.
CP&I is developing applications and algorithms that will make power generation and management systems intelligent. That is, capable of monitoring and communicating power data, and developing creative ways to deal with unintelligent loads. This is the key to implementing intelligent tactical microgrids.
CP&I is demonstrating this capability for tactical operations by leveraging work previously accomplished under its Hybrid Intelligent Power (HI-Power) program, with the addition of this advanced communications and controls piece to support contingency base power.
However, this power management concept can be applied across the tactical battle space. The idea is for power systems to automatically inter-operate and share usage data, moving seamlessly from the Tactical Operations Center to the vehicle and ultimately to those worn by the soldier.
Let’s take batteries, for example. They are used to power almost every piece of equipment a soldier carries. While batteries have made incremental improvements over the years, they still suffer from short runtimes and must be swapped out frequently.
Consider the current rifleman radio. The desire is to allow the soldier 72 hours of dismounted operation without resupply. However, at the current power consumption rates, currently fielded batteries would last less than 10 hours. CP&I battery development is looking to extend that window of use to 24 hours,with the goal of reaching 60 hours by the year 2020.
However, even with those advances, it’s not enough to keep up with the demand.
One answer to this complex issue, CERDEC believes, is SIMPLE – the Soldier Interface to Manage Power of Local Equipment. This EIO effort places a hub on the soldier, which is used to manage the power of the equipment as well as collect data on the power systems.
Architecture for the Soldier Interface to Manage Power of Local Equipment (SIMPLE). In this configuration, a mobile application provides critical, mission-relevant energy information to the soldier via the EUD. (Photo provided by CERDEC/Released)
It is also designed to develop an interface to display that data on the end user device.
As this effort progresses, the individual soldier data will be compiled and available at the squad and platoon levels and will be used to determine how to more effectively utilize power across the formation.
The CP&I team is working to achieve power-aware development. This is where power consumption is taken into consideration early in the development cycle, and alternative low-power methods to achieve the same goal are considered. Power consumption information plays a critical role in accomplishing an energy-informed architecture.
Knowing the power draw of a load allows units to more closely match power generation to usage, which leads to efficiency. It can also assist in predicting the power needed for a mission or time between resupply.
Obtaining applicable information on the demand side of the power equation, however, is problematic since the power draw of equipment is rarely, if ever, constant due to daily and seasonal fluctuations. Furthermore, the conditions and the duty cycles seen in the field are not necessarily analogous to the ones developed by stateside experimentation.
Ideally, all the loads will be intelligent, capable of sensing, storing and communicating their peak and average power draw. This is a substantially larger challenge due to the vast amounts of equipment used by the Army fielded through various offices, and will take some time.
These efforts work in concert to significantly reduce energy use in the battlefield.
This reduces costs to the Army, reduces the amount of fuel conveys on the roads, and allows the soldier to spend more time focusing on his mission, rather than worrying if he will run out of power.
CP&I is strategically postured to add value in the power management space for the Army as its core competencies of power, mission command and integration provide the personnel and skill sets needed to attack problems where those capabilities merge.
Additionally, CERDEC seeks to partner with others in the Department of Defense to help them complete their goals.
Through the OECIF sponsored efforts for the Tactical Microgrids Consortium and Energy Efficient Outpost Modeling Consortium, CP&I is partnered with CERL and Office of Naval Research, respectively, as well as with numerous other DoD and Department of Energy organizations through those efforts, including the PM customer base.
To succeed in achieving the seamless intelligent operations the EIO program is looking for, there will need to be consensus among government organizations on how these systems are supposed to operate and interface. Inter-operational ability of systems is a critical component of the Energy Informed Operations, which makes these strategic partnerships essential to a successful program.
At the end of the day, it will be everyone working together – whether it’s intelligent power systems with information sharing, or coordination of efforts in government agencies – that will really make an impact on solving the power problem on the battlefield.
Written by Marnie de Jong, CERDEC Command, Power and Integration
Edited by Jessica L. Tozer
http://science.dodlive.mil/2014/02/04/staying-in-command-of-demand/
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