Electric Ship: Power and Energy Systems

Electric Ship

USC's participation in the Electric Ship Research and Development Consortium covers three different fields:

Modeling and Simulation
Power Systems
Control

The following are the main goals for each of the research thrusts.

Modeling and Simulation
This thrust addresses the concerns of ONR PIIP Controls, Modeling, Simulation, and Stability. It provides a mechanism to reach the following specific goals of that PIIP:

Develop an automated process for moving from one level of model detail to another.
Develop more time-efficient and cost-efficient M&S tools.
Develop means for integrating models across disciplines to create interdisciplinary system simulations.

The objectives of this task are to enhance the virtual test bed capabilities in the following respects:

Develop new solver methods.
Develop tools to help the user define new models.
Enhance the user interface.
Enhance the real-time capability.
Ensure the security of the simulation environment.
Develop processes that support simulation under uncertainty.

The simulation of the Healy Ship is one valid example of the VTB capability for Electric Ship Analysis and Design

VTB is first of all a unique answer to the problem of putting together different engineering backgrounds

Power Systems
This thrust addresses the concerns of ONR PIIP Controls, Modeling, Simulation, and Stability. It provides a mechanism to reach the following specific goals of that PIIP:

Devise approaches to actively control power system stability.
Define metrics to measure system stability.

The task also addresses concerns of ONR PIIP Advanced Electrical Equipment and Systems. It provides a mechanism to reach the following specific goals of that PIIP:

Reduced size, weight, and cost of ship electric power systems.
Survivable power architectures.
Design criteria for integrated electrical, mechanical, and thermal ship systems.

These tools/methods/processes in turn provide the means to achieve goals of ONR PIIP: Advanced Electrical Power Systems, such as a dynamically reconfigurable ship, that is less vulnerable or susceptible and more survivable. The objectives of this task are to:

Develop models and study the performance of dynamic power systems.
Develop tools to characterize system stability.
Identify optimal power system architectures.
Optimize and study the performance of critical subsystems.

An example of Zonal System in VTB

A VTB 3D- Animation studying power systems on a ship

Control Systems
This task addresses the concerns of ONR PIIP Controls, Modeling, Simulation, and Stability. It provides a mechanism to reach the following specific goals of that PIIP:

Completely distributed hierarchical and autonomous control of ship electric power systems.
Control algorithms for real time ship-wide energy management and stability.
Intelligent controllers that can function with incomplete and uncertain information.
Real time system state estimation of complex systems.
Control ~100MJ/second transients.
Active control solutions for high power (>10MW) AC system stability.

To develop methodology to improve rapid control prototyping.
To experiment agent-based technology for power-systems.
To exploit capability of Synergetic Control and Inversion and Invariance Control.
To experiment Wavelet approach for the design of advanced non-linear controller.
To develop modular control system for pulsating load such as EMALS.
To develop control for innovative drive systems.

Rapid Control Prototyping is one of the main research activity in the ESHIP project at USC

Integration of VTB and advanced control design platforms makes the design of the control of innovative systems such as an electromagnetic aircraft launcher possible