Description
Organization: Office of Naval Research (ONR)
Team Name: Power Electronic Building Blocks (PEBB) Team
Related Acquisition Topic(s): Commercial Practices, Commercial and Non Developmental Items (CANDI), Open Systems, Partnering
Description:
The Power Electronic Building Block (PEBB) program has significantly reduced the cost of defense power electronics by developing a universal, scaleable power control device, to deliver high quality, digitally synthesized electric power for multiple applications. PEBB, under Mr. Ericsen’s program leadership, owes its success to innovation in teaming between Industry, Government and Academia. It has employed a concurrent development strategy to enable academic institutions to assist a broad industrial base in supplying power electronics solutions for military and commercial applications.
The Office of Naval Research (ONR) and its Surface and Submarine community have identified power electronics as key to meeting system objectives of reduced cost, high reliability, low maintenance and reduced manning for all Navy and Marine platforms. The Navy has taken the lead in advancing power electronic drive and control concepts with the DoD, coordinating its programs with the Army, Air Force, DoE, DoC, NASA, the automotive industry (via PNGV), and other industrial users. Today, plans are proceeding in the System Commands for the more electric aircraft, the more electric ship and the hybrid electric ground vehicles. Power electronics are a common element that govern the architecture of each platform, make possible the mission and are the major cost driver. PEBB has demonstrated a successful, multi-disciplinary concurrent technology development model, meeting both commercial and military needs for power electronics into the 21st century.
This nomination seeks to establish Mr. Ericsen’s accomplishments, and those of his team, as being exceptional to the normal methods and practices through close integration of defense requirements with the commercial base and practices. Specific categories of accomplishment include the strengthening of the joint commercial and defense industrial base for power electronics; integration of commercially available technology into military systems; maintaining US technological superiority in power devices; combining best practices of world class customers/ suppliers; and partnering within DoD and with industry.
Specifically these accomplishments are:
Strengthening the joint commercial and defense industrial base for power electronic systems required close collaboration of Government, Industry and Academia. The PEBB team created a supportive environment for each member of this triad. The government provided the program stability, longevity, adhesion and management, which initiated and sustained the technology development. Private Industry provides the economies of scale, attainable from a dual-use business base. Universities proved to be a fertile ground for transferring innovative technology to industry during the PEBB program. This collaboration triad of Government, Industry and Academia established a new power electronics industrial base to supply new generations of affordable military equipment.
Mr. Ericsen, and the PEBB team held a firm belief that integrating commercially available technology into military systems was the only way to achieve affordability of future weapons systems. Mr. Ericsen structured the PEBB program with a military applications focus, derived by establishing a strong commercial technology base from which to supply military products. For example, PEBB industrial partners successfully demonstrated a 250Kwatt power conversion package, achieving a 10-fold increase in volumetric power density to 50kW per cubic foot. This commercial technology, when applied to Naval platforms like the DDG-51, saves more than $5M per ship in electric power converters alone. This dual-use strategy is a most important precept of PEBB.
Maintaining technological superiority and aggressive technology leadership is exemplified by 29 technical patent disclosures to commercial partners of the PEBB program, in three key areas. First, patents were issued for the Negative Polarity MOSFET Controlled Thyristor development with its associated high pulse power (18,000 Amps) and high turn-on switching speed ( > 1Meg Amps/mSec); the first military application was for ignition and fusing. Second, advanced soft-switched power conversion topologies were patented and operating systems were demonstrated at the November 1999 International Power Conversion Conference in Chicago. Third, advanced research into high frequency Silicon Carbide has been merged with the Fast-Turn-Off Thyristor, which promises to bring even higher frequency operation to power electronics, further reducing the size, weight and cost of typical systems. Through these achievements PEBB is not only maintaining but also driving trends in the power electronics industry.
Combining best practices of world class customers/ suppliers was achieved through participation and collaboration of the world’s leading power electronic suppliers and system users. Mr. Ericsen’s commercial PEBB team included ABB Semiconductors AG - Europe’s largest power component and systems house; Rockwell - both a component supplier and motor systems producer; Ford, GM and Chrysler electric vehicle divisions; Northrop- Grumman, Texas Instruments, Litton and SATCON as system integrators, as well as the major US shipyards. Through industry wide workshops, major conference participation and targeted government programs, the best ideas and practices in the PEBB community were showcased for incorporation into the next generation Naval platforms.
Partnering within DoD and with industry was so successful in the PEBB program that major European and US power companies (ABB, Rockwell, SPCO, SATCON) are incorporating dual-use features, such as cellular interconnect, into their new commercial and military power modules. ONR wants to repeat this successful industry interaction by capturing key PEBB strategies and methodologies as part of a new dual-use implementation process that resolves Navy needs through commercial products. It is anticipated that this new way of doing business between ONR and industry will serve as a model for DoD into the new millennium.
