Mobile Fuel Generation in Contested Environments
Abstract
The United States Navy and Marine Corps have a need to operate in contested maritime spaces while minimizing supply chain vulnerabilities and maintaining access to fuel abroad during prolonged operations. This capstone project analyzed the Navy's ability to generate alternative fuels in contested environments, while maintaining operational readiness and assessed the amount of power that would need to be supplied to maintain that capability. The mobile fuel generation system (MFGS) focused on solutions that can be delivered between now and 2045. This study considered an MFGS supporting an MQ-8C Fire Scout conducting intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). Operations were defined in two scenarios that dealt with two specific instances of ISR mission requirements in contested waters. Five primary fuel alternatives were considered: JP-5, liquid hydrogen (LH2), methane, synthetic jet fuel, and LH2 with fuel cell. The LH2 with fuel cell alternative had the best performance in terms of operational availability, flight hours per day, and power requirement for the MFGS. This project recommends further research be dedicated to the development of LH2 fuel cells as an alternative fuel/technology solution for the Navy.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1224515
Entities
People
- Aaron E. Dupree
- Albert Apaloo
- Andrew A. Herold
- Jake C. Brown
- Ryan A. Ussing
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School