Submission of proposals
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A02-198 TITLE: Cogeneration: Quiet Power And Environmental Control for Command and Control Shelters TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Human Systems ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PM-Platforms OBJECTIVE: Develop a cogeneration system that provides quiet power (5-6 kW) and environmental control (5.28 kW) for vehicle-mounted command & control shelters. The system must operate from diesel fuel/JP-8, be silent, compact, lightweight, low maintenance, and ruggedized for field use. Possible power sources are stirling engines or fuel cells. Waste heat form the power generator will be used as an energy source for the environmental control unit. DESCRIPTION: A number of vehicle-mounted shelters housing command and control systems on the battlefield require on-board electric power for operation of mission electronics, and an environmental control unit (ECU). These shelters are typically mounted on the High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) and have a 10kW AC generator powered by a reciprocating diesel engine mounted within the shelter, in a walled-off "tunnel" in the lower front of the shelter. The environmental control unit is electrically powered via the AC generator, typically 5.28 kW cooling and 4.4 kW resistance heating, and consumes nearly half the generated power. These systems have several problems caused by the diesel engine, including: high external noise, high internal noise and vibration, substantial heat signature, heat buildup in the tunnel causing possible maintenance/reliability problems, and poor air quality in the surrounding area due to diesel exhaust. Although the mission electronics equipment only require a maximum of 5kW of AC power, the above problems are exacerbated by the need to have a large 10kW engine/generator to provide the additional 5 kW to operate the power-hungry environmental control unit. The weight and size of the generator are excessive, reducing the mission equipment that can be carried by the HMMWV. There has been some effort to find smaller, lighter, and quieter diesel engines but the above problems still have not been reduced to acceptable levels. The size of the tunnel for housing the AC generator, CB filter/blower, and air conditioning condenser is currently 68.6 cm width by 73.7 cm height by 205.7 cm length; it is desired to make this tunnel smaller on future shelters. Stirling engine-generators are in use for radioisotope space power by NASA, and residential cogeneration systems are licensed and being tested in Europe (ref 1). Reference 1 states that stirling-based cogen systems offer significant potential advantages over internal combustion engines in efficiency, life, noise, and emissions. Stirling engines feature external combustion and burn diesel/JP-8 directly. They are nearly silent, sealed, and low maintenance with no oil to change, no muffler, no rubbing parts to wear, and lifetimes of 50,000 hours are achievable. Technology advances are needed to achieve the 5-6 kW output with quick startup times, reasonable size, and cost. Fuel cells are being considered as power plants for automobiles and for stand-alone domestic generators (Ref 2-4). Since fuel cells require hydrogen, and military field systems primarily use diesel fuel or JP-8, there is a need to extract pure hydrogen from these fuels. There has been a significant amount of work in the fuel reformer area but the technology tends to be large, heavy, and costly. Technology advances in diesel/JP-8 fuel-to-hydrogen reforming technology to make it more compact and low cost are a key component of a successful SBIR proposal. It is desired to use waste heat from the power generator as the energy source for the heating and air conditioning system (e.g., an absorption system). This would greatly reduce or eliminate using valuable fuel cell output, and the associated additional fuel, to provide environmental conditioning. Command and control systems are often powered externally, importing power from a large centrally located generator, or from the power grid. The proposal needs to address how heat and air conditioning can be provided when system is powered from imported power, and the on-board generator is not operating. PHASE I: Identify the silent power generator, the current technology to be used, and the proposed technologies to be advanced. Describe all components of the cogeneration system in detail, how they function, interact, etc. Identify waste products, amount and temperature of heat rejected, turn down ratio, expected efficiency. Explain how heat and air conditioning is provided when operating from imported power. Provide a layout showing components integrated into a cogeneration system that fits into a shelter tunnel. Components should be lightweight, compact, silent, and capable of surviving the rough, bumpy environment that a HMMWV would experience on the battlefield. Cost is important and must be reasonable. Safety is also important. Consideration should be given to the field scenario, where: a) electric power demand can vary widely from approximately 1 kW to 5 kW, b) large electrical loads are suddenly applied such as intermittent radio broadcasting, c) a short start-up time is desired, and d) cogeneration on-the-move is required. PHASE II: Conduct detailed design and fabricate a full size prototype diesel/JP-8 co-generation demonstration system. Mount in the tunnel of a Government-furnished Lightweight Multipurpose Shelter (on existing slide-in/slide-out mechanism) and conduct functional tests. Measure fuel consumption, noise level, exhaust temperature, start-up time, quality of electrical output under changing load, heating and cooling output. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Potential commercial applications for silent cogeneration systems that consume liquid fuel, for either primary or backup power, are: automobiles, homes, emergency mobile hospitals, temporary counter-terrorist police stations and crash investigations, refrigerated semi-trailers and vans, recreational vehicles, boats, rural areas, and developing nations. REFERENCES: 1) "Stirling Engines for Gas Fired Micro-Cogen and Cooling", Neill Lane and William Beale, presented at Strategic Gas Forum, Detroit, MI June 1996. 2) "Making Way for Micropower", Cogeneration and On-Site Power Production, Vol 1, Number 5, October 2000. 3) "Fueling the Cells", Paul Sharke, Mechanical Engineering, December 1999. 4) Fuel Cell Handbook, Fifth Edition, US Department Of Energy, National Energy Technology Labs, Morgantown, WV, October 2000.
DESCRIPTION: The US Army is actively pursuing advanced parachute and airdrop technologies to develop high altitude deployable, precision, airdrop systems for payload weights in the range of 200-42,000 lbs. High altitude delivery significantly reduces aircraft vulnerability. Precision in delivery reduces recovery time and allows the placement of payloads in predetermined patterns. The Natick Soldier Center (NSC) is currently pursuing low cost, precision, cargo airdrop systems using ballistic or semi-ballistic flexible aerodynamic decelerators. Gliding single parachutes have been studied (References 1, 2, 3 and 4), and guided round parachutes are currently being investigated (References 5 and 6) for precision airdrop applications. However, scaling to low payload weights presents many challenges. In addition, these airdrop systems may require delivery from non-standard transport aircraft such as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's). Offerors can anticipate that the transport aircraft/vehicle will be equipped with a mission planning system that can provide target location and relatively accurate wind data (+/- 1 meter/sec and +/- 15 degrees) just prior to deployment. The system will also be provided with an accurate vertical ground elevation in the area of the drop. A GPS system will be on board many of the to-be-delivered payloads, however, a power source must be included in the proposed system. Guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) software can be proposed or can be provided as GFE (under some restrictions). Radio-controlled prototypes are desired in Phase I and Government furnished testing will be provided if requested (i.e., a UAV and/or helicopter). Autonomous control and precision landing of a prototype are desired in Phase II. Systems such as small parafoils, controllable round parachutes, controllable cross parachutes, and other concepts will be considered. Cost will be a critical consideration. PHASE I: In this phase, new innovative concepts and technologies/methodologies to develop a highly precise, low cost, controllable airdrop system prototype for high-low altitude deployment of low weight payloads are desired. Offerors may consider the use of computer simulations to analyze these new concepts and system performance. Full scale wind tunnel testing can be conducted to study the aerodynamic performance of the system. PHASE II: Based on Phase I results, a number of full-scale prototype systems should be constructed and tested from an aircraft/UAV to investigate glide and control performance. It is desired to design the tests for a 35-pound payload while the system should be scalable or able to handle payload weights in the range of 20-75 lbs. A series of scaled system radio controlled airdrops is desired with the identification and preliminary design of a GN&C system and/or integration of a GFE GN&C system. Instrumentation to measure system performance during flight tests can be requested as GFE if tests are to be conducted at government facilities. PHASE III AND DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: A number (5 minimum) of systems should be fabricated for a series of flight tests to fully characterize the systems and demonstrate their accuracy toward the end of this phase. These tests will take place at the US Army Yuma Proving Ground in Yuma, Arizona. Interface control documentation and issues related to integration with specified Government payload systems (hardware and software) will be generated and refined with the Government. Ground tests of these interfaces and target, weather and other information passing to the system from Government payloads (if required) will be conducted prior to airdrop demonstrations. Demonstrations of a range of payload weights, most being 35 pound payloads, will be conducted. Potential offerors are encouraged to discuss various interface options with Government payloads during the pre-solicitation period. Low cost, autonomous, precision delivery of low weight payloads has many potential commercial uses. Systems could be used by the Coast Guard, law enforcement, search and rescue, ski patrols, border patrols, drug intervention, forest fire fighting support, humanitarian relief operations, and maintenance and repair parts delivery to remote areas. If the cost, re-use and reliability of such systems are exceptional, precise delivery of critical small mail packages via air-carriers could be utilized in remote locations around the world. REFERENCES: 1) TRADOC Pam 525-66, Future Operational Capabilities (FOCs). (See http://www.tradoc.army.mil/pubs/pams/). (1) QM 99-001 & SF 98-605. Aerial Delivery/Distribution. (2) CSS 98-001. Battlefield Distribution. (3) CSS 98-002. Velocity Management. (4) Art 4.0-Perform CSS and Sustainment. (5) IN 97-300. Mobility-Tactical Infantry Mobility. (6) IN 97-301. Mobility-Tactical Infantry Deployability. (7) IN 97-321. Mobility-Soldier's Load. (8) TC 98-002. Force Projection Operations. (9) TC 98-004. Rapid Supply/Resupply of Early Entry Forces. (10) DBS 97-030. Mobility-Tactical Dismounted Mobility. 2) U.S. Army Field Manual FM7-15, Army Universal Task List (AUTL). (See http://www-cgsc.army.mil/cdd/F1AUTL.hmt) 3) Heinrich, H. G. et al., Aerodynamic Characteristics of the Parafoil Glider and Other Gliding Parachutes, Technical Documentary Report No. RTD-TDR-63-4022, Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory Research and Technology Division, Air Force Systems Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, December 1962. 4) Menard, G. L. C., Performance Investigation of Various Configurations of Personnel Maneuverable Parachute Canopy Assemblies, Technical Report No. 5-71, US Naval Aerospace Recovery Facility, El Centro, CA, February 1972. (Available from the Defense Technical Information Center, Ft. Belvoir, VA, Report No. AD 893225.) 5) Steele, J. L., Evaluation of Steerable Parachutes; Final Report, Report No. D 023/JLS:mrt, US Marines Corps Development and Education Command, Quantico, VA, January 1973. (Available from the Defense Technical Information Center, Ft. Belvoir, VA, Report No. AD 907186.) 6) Riley, V. F., et al., Investigation of Various Textile Parachutes and Control Systems to Achieve Steerability, Technical Documentary Report No. FDL-TDR-64-81, Phase I, Air Force Flight Dynamics Laboratory Research and Technology Division, Air Force Systems Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, October 1964. (Available from the Defense Technical Information Center, Ft. Belvoir, VA, Report No. AD (453219.) 7) Brown, G. et al., The Affordable Guided Airdrop System (AGAS), Proceedings of the 5th CEAS/AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Technology Conference, pp.316-325, Toulouse, France, 8-11, June, 1999. 8) Dellicker, S., et al., Low Cost Parachute Guidance, Navigation, and Control, Proceedings of the 15th CEAS/AIAA Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Technology Conference, pp. 51-65, Toulouse, France, 8-11, June, 1999. KEYWORDS: Precision airdrop, gliding parachutes, cargo parachute system, autonomous airdrop system, and guidance, navigation and control A02-200 TITLE: Rapid Helicopter Sling Load Hookup TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Human Systems ACQUISITION PROGRAM: OBJECTIVE: The objective of this effort will be to explore and develop concepts that will expedite the hookup of Helicopter Sling Loads (HSL). The requirement will be to reduce time on the pickup zone (PZ) for personnel and the helicopter without negatively impacting load stability in the air, or flight speed of the helicopter with the HSL. DESCRIPTION: The most common user of this mode of aerial delivery is the 101st Air Assault Division, and they have already established the Eagle Vision 2010 plan to transform themselves into a more streamlined force by 2010. Shortening the time required on the PZ has been put forth as an element of this effort. Currently the hookup of HSL is dangerous and time consuming, requiring the pilot to put the hook of the helicopter within arm's length of a soldier standing on top of the load, holding the sling set attachment point. The main causes of delays are the inherent difficulty in maneuvering the hook (which is invisible to the pilot) of a 20,000 pound helicopter to within an approximately one-foot cube where the soldier on the load can reach it to attach the slings. Further delays are caused by "frustrated loads," where the slings become entangled on the load prior to lift-off, requiring the pilot to release the slings and make a second attempt. Human resources are therefore the foundation of this type of operation, creating a large degree of variability in the time required to get a load from the ground to stable forward flight. An automated system that could reliably replace or supplement the human resources required for this operation would significantly streamline HSL operations for every type of force. However, there should be limited or no increase in the time required to rig the new system for HSL. Reducing this time would also have a considerable impact on time and resources required to complete a mission, especially in a large division-sized force. PHASE I: This phase will focus on the development of technological concepts for reducing time required to get the sling attachment point into the cargo hook of the helicopter. Close attention will be paid to ensuring compatibility with current U.S. Army helicopters, cargo hook systems, and load lift points. Concepts may include the use of automated systems to aid the ground team, electronic guiding sensors to aid the pilots, material aids which could be attached to the cargo hook and guide the sling attachment point automatically to the cargo hook, or other offeror proposed concepts. Models will be created or laboratory experiments will be conducted quantifying time-saving potential. The final report will include results and recommendations based upon Phase I findings, and provide a follow-on plan for Phase II full-scale prototype tests.
REFERENCES: 1) Army Field Manual 10-450-3, Multi-Service Helicopter Sling Load: Basic Operations and Equipment. KEYWORDS: helicopter sling load, robotics, sensors, automation A02-201 TITLE: Heat-Driven Managed Cooling Cycle for Remote Refrigeration TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Human Systems ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PM-Soldier Support OBJECTIVE: Develop a cold-storage thermal-management system that can efficiently utilize and store energy from electric and/or heat sources to quickly pull down and maintain food-safe temperatures in high ambient temperatures. Additional emphasis will be on maximizing usage of heat, and capability of temperature holdover for up to 18 hours without external input. DESCRIPTION: Army field-feeding policy calls for at least two cook-prepared meal per day, METT-T (Mission, Enemy, Troops, Terrain -- Time Available) dependent. This requires that individual kitchens have their own refrigeration capability, so the recently fielded Containerized Kitchen (CK) comes equipped with two 30 cubic-foot commercially-available refrigerators. Power for the refrigerators, appliance burners, lighting, ventilation, and AC is supplied by an onboard 10 kW generator. During meal preparation, the generator operates at an appropriate capacity, but for the other 14-18 hours each day must be shut down to avoid wet-stacking, a reliability failure that occurs when diesel engines operate below 50% capacity for extended periods. Unfortunately, the commercial refrigerators lack features that permit maintenance of safe food temperatures during the hours each day they are without power. This can impact food delivery from the prescribed 2-2-3 weekly schedule. To mitigate the limitations of generator produced electricity, a prototype Super-Heated Liquid-Injection Cogeneration (SLIC) Kitchen is under development. It simultaneously produces a small amount of electrical power for low-demand fans or pumps, and ample high-temperature energy to support heat-driven appliances. Thus, an opportunity arises and a challenge remains to identify a system that can be integrated with, and take advantage of SLIC technology for purposes of cold storage for food. The best whole-kitchen efficiency is attained by maximizing use of available heat, so heat-driven refrigeration would follow. Since the kitchen might only operate 10 hours/day (or less), any system must be capable of maintaining safe temperatures in the absence of external power, and include controls to operate properly throughout the day and possibly during transit even as available energy fluctuates. Examples of heat-driven technologies might involve, but would not be limited to, chemisorption or thermoacoustics. Heat could be provided by the SLIC system, steam, or a low-fire diesel burner. Technology developed that can utilize the relatively low temperature heat from the SLIC system will pave the way for waste heat reclamation in many situations and advance solar refrigeration development. Possible tactics used to increase holdover times might include advanced insulation, eutectics, external thermal storage, refrigerant latent heat, compressed gas, diesel burners, or batteries. Simplicity, robustness, efficiency, light-weight, and ease of use are desired. Proposals will also be judged on innovativeness. PHASE I: The product of this phase would be a small proof-of-principle system demonstrating capabilities of the proposer and feasibility of the technology. An accompanying final report would contain modeling details and technical justification such as projections of scalability and performance for full-size fully-functioning devices. These two pieces of evidence would be used to assess potential for a second phase. PHASE II: This phase would result in one or more full-scale prototypes capable of being integrated with a military kitchen and testable in field situations. A single 40-50 cubic-foot container may effectively replace the dual 30 cubic-foot containers now in use aboard the CK. Prototypes would be used as demonstration/display models. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: Development of more robust, efficient, and easily maintainable refrigeration that utilizes more efficiently produced energy and more effective management systems, could serve in disaster relief where terrain is rough and logistical infrastructure support is limited. Heat-driven refrigeration can be used in any application where a generator is not available. A market already exists for recreational vehicles, and car-camping solutions are desirable, particularly if the unit could be operated with the same fuel used for Coleman stoves. The cogeneration used on the SLIC system was developed to provide heat and power in residential application; therefore, as such systems become more common, heat-driven cooling could be integrated into home systems for purposes of refrigeration or air conditioning. REFERENCES: 1) Murphy, B., and Westfalen, D. "Cold Storage Temperature Stabilization", Natick Soldier Center Technical Report TR-01/017, October 2001. KEYWORDS: heat-driven, refrigeration, ammonia, thermoacoustic, low-fire, cogeneration, steam, food storage A02-202 TITLE: Compact Lightweight Containers for Hot Food Delivery TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Human Systems ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PM-Soldier Support OBJECTIVE: To significantly reduce the stored and deployed weight and cube of containers used to deliver hot food to operational units. DESCRIPTION: Army field feeding policy calls for one cook prepared meal and one heat and serve meal each day. Millions of these meals are prepared in field kitchens, packed in insulated food containers, and delivered to sites for consumption hours later. In the 1980s, military unique "mermite cans" were replaced with commercial insulated food containers (Commercial Item Description A-A-52193A). While these commercial containers are inexpensive, robust, and adequate for keeping hot food hot, they were not necessarily designed for minimum weight and cube, two very important characteristics for military equipment. In fact, the containers hold only 15 pounds (433 cubic inches) of food while having an empty weight and cube of 24 pounds and 4426 cubic inches respectively. One container can feed approximately 15 soldiers, so a Maneuver Battalion of 550 soldiers would require approximately 36 containers for food with an empty weight and cube of 864 pounds and 92 cubic feet. They are far too heavy and voluminous for the next generation of field kitchens being developed. Accordingly, advanced materials and novel configurations for Compact Lightweight Containers (CLCs) must be explored to reduce the stored cube by at least 75% (1100 cubic inches) and reduce operational cube by 50% (2200 cubic inches). It is desired that the weight be reduced to within 100% of the food weight (15 pounds). The CLCs shall be capable of being stored, filled with food, set out for pick-up, returned, and sanitized in the same way current containers are now used. The thermal performance shall meet or exceed the current requirement of less than a 40F drop from 180F when exposed to a -20F environment for 4 hours. It is also desired that the containers be configured to limit heat loss when serving food, and that the metal or plastic inserts be designed to minimize sanitation requirements (e.g., nonstick coatings). The inserts shall be sized similar to the new polymeric tray packs (10.5" x 12.5" x 1.75") to maintain a universal design configuration. The CLC design shall consider human factors concerns, such as the anthropometrics of carrying and using the containers. PHASE I: Establish the basic operating concept through the design, fabrication, and test of a proof-of-principle laboratory example, and provide strategies to meet all described requirements with minimal risk. Investigation should include analysis of the current tray pack, numerical modeling of heat transfer, and development of a matrix of configurations and technologies to illustrate a variety of food storage concepts. Areas to be explored may include thinner materials with high insulation values, designs that nest, fold, or compress, phase change materials, and inductive heating assistance. PHASE II: Complete development of the CLC, including outer shell materials, insulation, closure, hinges and fasteners, seals, inserts, and coatings. Affordability and manufacturability shall be addressed. PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: There is a large commercial market for insulated food containers used for catering large groups, cook/chill/rethermalize, pizza delivery, and meals-on-wheels, for example. REFERENCES: (A02-202) 1) Commercial Item Description A-A-52193A - Food Container, Insulated, with Inserts (available through the SBIR Interactive Topic Information System, SITIS via the internet). 2) Natick PAM 30-25, 4th Edition - Operational Rations of the Department of Defense. 3) Army Field Manual No. 10-23 - Basic Doctrine for Army Field Feeding and Class I Operations Management. 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