Energy Storage Devices as Prime Power Supplies for Low Energy, High Voltage Marx Generators

Abstract

University of Texas at Arlington Office of Research Administration Grant #: FA9451-15-1-0077 “Energy Storage Devices as Prime Power Supplies for Low Energy, High Voltage Marx Generators” Abstract It goes without saying that there is a desire to make pulsed power systems more mobile, compact, and efficient than they presently are. From a historical perspective, pulsed power research has been performed in large laboratories where size is not typically a limiting factor. Transitioning these large systems into compact devices that can be used by the military in theatre and by every day civilians aboard mobile platforms is challenging but necessary. Developing compact pulsed power supplies for these various applications has slowly evolved through decades of hard fought research and despite researcher’s ability to reduce the volume and mass of nearly all components used in pulsed power sources, the prime power supplies remain relatively large and most often AC grid-tied. This is a show stopper if these systems are to be usable aboard moveable systems within society or in theatre anytime soon. Because the emphasis has largely been placed on improving the pulsed power generation source itself, very little research has been performed over the years to reduce the size of prime power supplies. Many have developed mobile battery powered prime power supplies for pulsed power systems but it is clear from the way the work is presented that the prime power supplies were not optimized or given the attention needed to make them as compact and efficient as they could have been and need to be to make them fieldable. In this effort, UT Arlington’s Pulsed Power and Energy Laboratory (PPEL) is working with AFRL’s Directed Energy Directorate to perform basic research in the combined areas of high power electrochemical energy storage and high voltage pulsed power sources. Together we are performing both analytical and experimental research to understand the fundamental limitations of electrochemical energy storage devices, initially high power lithium-ion batteries and PEM fuel cells, when they

Document Details

Document Type
DoD Grant Award
Publication Date
Jul 14, 2016
Source ID
FA94511510077

Entities

People

  • David A. Wetz

Organizations

  • Air Force Research Laboratory
  • United States Air Force
  • University of Texas at Arlington

Tags

Readers

  • Electrical Engineering
  • Energy Conservation and Renewable Energy Engineering.

Technology Areas

  • Biotechnology
  • Directed Energy