Submission of proposals
Natick Soldier Center (NSC)
Download 1.22 Mb.
|
| Natick Soldier Center (NSC)
A00-162 TITLE: Flexible Photovoltaics for Fabric Structures TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes, Human Systems DOD ACQUISITION PROGRAM SUPPORTING THIS PROGRAM: Program Manager Soldier Support OBJECTIVE: Advance new flexible photovoltaic technology to enable its incorporation into textile products, specifically military tentage providing a renewable energy source for powering lights, mission equipment environmental control and chemical/biological warfare chemical filtering systems. Ideally, the goal is to achieve a tent skin that acts as an environmental barrier in addition to generating mission power. This technical advancement will reduce the logistics burden of power generation systems including weight, cube and fuel by incorporating lightweight flexible photovoltaics into military tentage systems. DESCRIPTION: Mission electrical power requirements continue to increase for shelter-housed operations such as command & control and medical treatment. Where protection from chemical/biological agents is required, filtering and environmental control equipment adds a tremendous increase in logistics burden in terms of power generation equipment. This equipment adds significant weight and cube to lightweight tentage systems in addition to requiring refueling and maintenance/repair. Various new materials and processes have improved the manufacturability of thin-film, flexible photovoltaic panels opening the door to new applications such as textile-based power generation systems. This effort will assess the current state-of-the-art and implement modifications required for installation on and into military tentage to maximize efficiency and affordability without compromising current tentage characteristics. The goal is to integrate the solar capability into the tent skin as much as possible. Key areas to be explored include alternative substrates for improved flexibility and durability to withstand multiple deployments and allow integration into fabric substrates (e.g. heat/radio frequency welding) and camouflaging issues. This work could also be transitioned into soldier garments or backpacks for power generation. PHASE I: Identify technical barriers associated with integrating the current state-of-the-art flexible photovoltaics with new and existing tent fabrics. Evaluate the properties of existing coatings, films, and fibers used in tentage fabrics that will influence the selected approach used to incorporated flexible photovoltaics. Develop suitable materials, interface methods (e.g. deposition, lamination, adhesion) and continuous manufacturing technology for applying photovoltaics to tent fabrics. Demonstrate the success of the chosen approach through fabrication and testing of laboratory samples. PHASE II: Identify remaining technical issues and shortcomings from phase I. Further mature the necessary materials and processes. Scale up the continuous process demonstrated in phase I to ensure consistency and affordability. Demonstrate the capability through the use of full-scale prototyping and testing. PHASE III DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Military tentage programs that can immediately benefit from this technology include the Joint Transportable Collective Protection System (JTCOPS) and Force Provider. NASA has multiple fabric space structure applications that could utilize these flexible photovoltaics. For commercial applications, flexible photovoltaic panels could be incorporated into commercial tensioned fabric structures (e.g. Denver airport, stadiums, concert and special event tents) for power generation of items such as fans and lights. They would also be useful for disaster relief efforts where commercial power generation plants have become inoperable or remote exploration projects where cumbersome power generation systems are undesirable. Non-shelter textile applications include garments and backpacks to provide power/charge batteries for items such as laptops, communication systems, microclimate cooling and flashlights and space structures. OPERATING AND SUPPORT COST REDUCTION (OSCR): A renewable power source such as solar power could have a significant impact on the logistics burden of current systems and result in reduced operating and support costs. Successful implementation would reduce reliance on fuel and disposable batteries as well as reducing or eliminating power generation and environmental control units. REFERENCES: www.ttcorp.com/upvg/record/rc298ndm.htm A commercial concept demonstration of incorporating flexible photovoltaics into a fabric structure. www.nrel.gov/ncpv U.S. Department of Energy, National Center for Photovoltaics web site with useful links. www.ttcorp.com/upvg Utility Photovoltaic Group, an international nonprofit group including 150 organizations. Web sites contains many photovoltaic links. KEY WORDS: photovoltaics, tents, shelters, power A00-163 TITLE: Self-Deploying Tentage for Smart Cities TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes, Human Systems DOD ACQUISITION PROGRAM SUPPORTING THIS PROGRAM: Program Manager Soldier Support OBJECTIVE: Explore innovative materials and structural technologies to produce a lightweight structural support system and/or deployment technique that enables large tent complexes to be set up using minimal time and labor while still enabling operation in climatic extremes. DESCRIPTION: In today's fast moving military, the capability to rapidly establish shelter complexes using minimal personnel for functions such as medical, command & control, and billeting are needed. The ability to set up large shelter complexes in a clean or CB contaminated environment using minimal time and personnel must be improved for operations such as medical treatment, billeting, maintenance and command and control. Traditional aluminum or steel structures do not provide the level of mobility and reduced logistics burden required for future Army needs. Also, collective protection to enable operations to continue on a chemically/biologically contaminated battlefield is currently available to only a small portion of the military. This lack of availability is primarily due to the excessive cost and logistical burden that Chemical Biological (CB) protection incurs to shelter systems. Many non-CB shelter structural support concepts exist although are often criticized for their weight and deployment time. Faster deployable structures are emerging, however, their ability to perform as collective protection shelters must be examined. Characteristics unique to collective protection structures such as interfaces, airlocks, leakage, the use of continuous fabrics, and use of CB materials are often incompatible to allow simple incorporation. This investigation will serve as the framework for planned programs within PM Force Provider, PM Soldier Support and the Joint Transportable Collective Protection System (JTCOPS). PHASE I: New materials, configurations and techniques for achieving lighter and faster structural concepts will be explored. Once the most promising approach is identified, the focus will be on maturing the technology incorporating necessary performance characteristics. Subscale components of critical features will be fabricated and tested to demonstrate the structural capacity of the proposed system. PHASE II: Further mature the concept and technologies demonstrated in phase I. Integrate components to achieve an optimized structural design. Address the development of any manufacturing technology issues. Fabricate and test a full-scale prototype system to ensure satisfactory performance in all operational and environmental extremes PHASE III DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: The goal is to transition this technology into future military shelter complexes requiring rapid deployment such as the Joint Transportable Collective Protection System and the next generation Force Provider. Rapidly deployable structures/shelters have commercial applications ranging from disaster relief, emergency response and rental/special event tents. Also, NASA is interested in easily deployed structures for space applications and may benefit from advances in this area. OPERATING AND SUPPORT COST REDUCTION (OSCR): The goal of this program is to reduce OSCR costs by reducing the logistics trail of shelters. Weight and cube reduction will result in reduced transportation costs. Rapid deployment will eliminate many labor hours reducing cost and freeing up personnel for more important assignments. REFERENCES: www.sbccom.army.mil/products/shelters provides an overview of existing tentage items KEY WORDS: shelter, tent, fabric, structures Download 1.22 Mb. Share with your friends:
|