Batteries large and small...........

[buglerbilly]

Innovative battery system lightens the load for troops on ops

An Equipment and Logistics news article

9 Jul 10

New batteries which significantly lighten the load for dismounted soldiers are on their way to theatre. Report by Stephen Tyler.


The Soldier Portable Charger will significantly reduce the number of batteries dismounted soldiers will have to carry
[Picture: Sergeant Keith Cotton, Crown Copyright/MOD 2009]

Commanders in Afghanistan issued a plea for the weight of essential power sources for radios and other communications equipment used on front line patrols to be reduced.

And, just months later, a team of energy experts at Defence Equipment and Support (DE&S) and the Integrated Soldier Systems Executive (ISSE) at Abbey Wood have come up with an ingenious solution tailor-made for operations.

The Soldier Portable Charger (SPC) harvests energy from used batteries, solar panels and even vehicles and transfers it into a soldier's spares.

While the weight savings may seem minor given that each battery weighs 3.75kg at most, the Urgent Operational Requirement's (UOR's) value is clear if you consider the bulk carried over lengthy missions.

Rather than only having to carry one unit, an eight-man section taking part in a 40-hour patrol currently has to contend with a hefty 60kg burden in batteries alone:


The Soldier Portable Charger unit gives troops on patrol a mobile source of power generation
[Picture: Mike Weston, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]

"A major factor in developing this UOR was the weight in batteries required during that 40-hour mission," explained project manager Peter Flowers. "That's a ridiculous amount to be added just for power supplies, so we sat down last autumn and worked out how we could do something about it.

"One of the things we discovered was that [the batteries] were saying they were empty even though they may have had between ten and 20 per cent power remaining.

"The SPC takes that energy out and transfers it to another type of battery. That means that if you take rechargeable batteries, you only need one on the radio and one on charge and you can then take four of each type off the patrol."

The ability to charge batteries on the hoof is made a simple task thanks to the system's versatility.

During daylight hours a solar mat - which is no larger than a piece of A4 paper when folded and only one square metre when deployed - can be hooked up to the SPC unit along with the battery that needs charging and the power begins to transfer.


From top: LIPS 10 battery - life: six hours, weight: 3.75kg; LIPS 11 battery - life: two hours, weight: 1.5kg; LIPS 12 battery - life: four hours, weight: 2.25kg
[Picture: Mike Weston, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]

Energy can also be scavenged from vehicles such as tractors using the same plug-and-play method.

In addition, the ISSE team has created a portable charger that sits in the trunk of a quad bike to provide another option for portable power:

"We don't know how much energy it will save because it is mission-dependent," explained Mr Flowers. "But if you have an engine running, why not do something with it?"

As well as tackling the problem of providing all-important energy, the UOR has done battle with the weight of the batteries themselves.

At present, the only unit used for larger equipment on patrol is the lithium ion power source (LIPS) 10, which provides six hours of juice in a 3.75kg block.


A charging unit fitted in the trunk of a quad bike provides added energy for a patrol's batteries
[Picture: Mike Weston, Crown Copyright/MOD 2010]

Although the units are useful for longer missions, their large capacity adds needless weight to shorter patrols, so the DE&S experts have developed LIPS 11 and LIPS 12 batteries which weigh 1.5kg and 2.25kg and provide enough power for two and four hours respectively:

"We have effectively taken the LIPS 10 and chopped it into thirds," explained Mr Flowers.

"You can now take the lower-power battery if you need it. We're not dictating to commanders on the ground what they should use, we're just putting the right clubs in their bag."

A total of 4,556 units are being deployed to Op HERRICK, with the first 1,000 arriving in theatre this month and the remainder being delivered in batches in August and September 2010.

Each kit comes with an instruction sheet and the UOR has been handed to the Operational Training and Advisory Group to allow soldiers to practise using it during pre-deployment training.

This article is taken from the July 2010 edition of SOLDIER - Magazine of the British Army.

[Redcoat]

Why cant they just go clockwork

[buglerbilly]

Bacteria used to make wearable batteries that could be sprayed onto clothes

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 4:53 PM on 26th August 2010

Genetically-engineered viruses could one day be used to make fabrics which act as batteries.

Scientists used two harmless viruses to create high-performance, rechargeable lithium-ion batteries that could power portable electronic devices like mobile phones or GPS systems for military uses.

These new power sources could in the future be woven into fabrics such as uniforms or ballistic vests, and poured or sprayed into containers of any size and shape.


Scientists say the new batteries could be used to lighten the load for troops on the ground

Batteries produce electricity by converting chemical energy into electrical energy using two electrodes - an anode and cathode - separated by an electrolyte.

Scientists from MIT used M13, a virus that infects bacteria but is harmless to people, but that can be tweaked to produce an iron fluoride cathode for a lithium ion battery.

Meanwhile scientists from the University Maryland scientists used the tobacco mosaic virus (TMV), a virus found on tobacco plants, to create the anode.

The research was reported at this week's meeting of the American Chemical Society in Boston.

Mark Allen from MIT, who presented the research, said: ‘We're talking about fabrics that also are batteries.

‘The batteries, once woven into clothing, could provide power for a range of high-tech devices, including handheld radios, GPS devices and personal digital assistants. They could also be used in everyday cell phones and smart phones.’

He added: ‘Using M13 bacteriophage as a template is an example of green chemistry, an environmentally friendly method of producing the battery," ‘It enables the processing of all materials at room temperature and in water."

He said that the bacteria should be less dangerous than those used in current lithium-ion batteries because they produce less heat, which reduces the chance of them catching fire.

The researchers are working with industry to explore testing and scaling up of the virus-enabled battery materials, which they say could be used to power unmanned aerial vehicles for surveillance operations.

Making light-weight and long-lasting batteries that could result in rechargeable clothing would have several advantages for both military personnel and civilians,.

Allen said: ‘Typical soldiers have to carry several pounds of batteries. But if you could turn their clothing into a battery pack, they could drop a lot of weight.

‘The same could be true for frequent business travellers ― the road warriors ― who lug around batteries and separate rechargers for laptop computers, cell phones, and other devices. They could shed some weight.’


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1306391/Bacteria-used-make-wearable-batteries-sprayed-clothes.html#ixzz0xneXn6Ak

[buglerbilly]

Soldier Worn Integrated Power Equipment System

September 23rd, 2010

Electric Fuel Battery has developed the Soldier Worn Integrated Power Equipment System (SWIPES) which has caught the interest of the US Army’s Research Development Engineering Command. SWIPES provides Soldier worn Communications and Electronic devices a “trickle charge” from a Zinc-Air battery (provided with each SWIPES), which keeps the equipment’s charge consistently above 80%.



The SWIPES system uses a Hub and wiring system which is routed through the Soldier’s gear to its source (radio, DAGR or other application). The Hub is the brains of the system and automatically allows the correct amperage and voltage access to each application, thus taking the burden off of the Soldier. The Soldier simply drops his radio into the Multicam charging station and the Hub takes over the recharging responsibilities.

Each SWIPES Hub charges up to four devices and comes with:

- Two recharging stations. Currently the MBITR/JEM radio, the Motorola XTS Series radios and the FALCON 152 radio is supported.
- One DAGR recharging cord.
- One Zinc-Air BA-8140S battery with a Multicam carrying pouch.
- One Conformal 8140 battery to be worn in your rear body armor pouch.
- One extra wire is open and available on the SWIPES wiring harness for a future application.

Blackheart International is the sole distributor of the SWIPES system. And don’t forget, Blackheart will be available to support end of year purchases until 2400 on September 29th and 30th. In addition to the website, you can also call them at (304) 457-1280, or (877) 244-8166.

http://www.bhigear.com/commoequipment.aspx

[buglerbilly]

Engine on a chip promises to best the battery

September 19, 2006 (this is dated 2006 BUT has just been posted by one of the News Services? strange............)


One of the components of MIT's micro gas-turbine engine. Photo courtesy: MIT

MIT researchers are putting a tiny gas-turbine engine inside a silicon chip about the size of a quarter. The resulting device could run 10 times longer than a battery of the same weight can, powering laptops, cell phones, radios and other electronic devices.

It could also dramatically lighten the load for people who can't connect to a power grid, including soldiers who now must carry many pounds of batteries for a three-day mission -- all at a reasonable price.

The researchers say that in the long term, mass-production could bring the per-unit cost of power from microengines close to that for power from today's large gas-turbine power plants.

Making things tiny is all the rage. The field -- called microelectromechanical systems, or MEMS -- grew out of the computer industry's stunning success in developing and using micro technologies. "Forty years ago, a computer filled up a whole building," said Professor Alan Epstein of the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. "Now we all have microcomputers on our desks and inside our thermostats and our watches."

While others are making miniature devices ranging from biological sensors to chemical processors, Epstein and a team of 20 faculty, staff and students are looking to make power -- personal power. "Big gas-turbine engines can power a city, but a little one could 'power' a person," said Epstein, whose colleagues are spread among MIT's Gas Turbine Laboratory, Microsystems Technology Laboratories, and Laboratory for Electromagnetic and Electronic Systems.

How can one make a tiny fuel-burning engine? An engine needs a compressor, a combustion chamber, a spinning turbine and so on. Making millimeter-scale versions of those components from welded and riveted pieces of metal isn't feasible. So, like computer-chip makers, the MIT researchers turned to etched silicon wafers.

Their microengine is made of six silicon wafers, piled up like pancakes and bonded together. Each wafer is a single crystal with its atoms perfectly aligned, so it is extremely strong. To achieve the necessary components, the wafers are individually prepared using an advanced etching process to eat away selected material. When the wafers are piled up, the surfaces and the spaces in between produce the needed features and functions.

Making microengines one at a time would be prohibitively expensive, so the researchers again followed the lead of computer-chip makers. They make 60 to 100 components on a large wafer that they then (very carefully) cut apart into single units.

The MIT team has now used this process to make all the components needed for their engine, and each part works. Inside a tiny combustion chamber, fuel and air quickly mix and burn at the melting point of steel. Turbine blades, made of low-defect, high-strength microfabricated materials, spin at 20,000 revolutions per second -- 100 times faster than those in jet engines. A mini-generator produces 10 watts of power. A little compressor raises the pressure of air in preparation for combustion. And cooling (always a challenge in hot microdevices) appears manageable by sending the compression air around the outside of the combustor.

"So all the parts workŠ. We're now trying to get them all to work on the same day on the same lab bench," Epstein said. Ultimately, of course, hot gases from the combustion chamber need to turn the turbine blades, which must then power the generator, and so on. "That turns out to be a hard thing to do," he said. Their goal is to have it done by the end of this year.

Predicting how quickly they can move ahead is itself a bit of a challenge. If the bonding process is done well, each microengine is a monolithic piece of silicon, atomically perfect and inseparable. As a result, even a tiny mistake in a single component will necessitate starting from scratch. And if one component needs changing -- say, the compressor should be a micron smaller -- the microfabrication team will have to rethink the entire design process.

For all the difficulties, Epstein said the project is "an astonishing amount of fun" -- and MIT is the ideal place for it. "Within 300 feet of my office, I could find the world's experts on each of the technologies needed to make the complete system," he said.

In addition, the project provides an excellent opportunity for teaching. "No matter what your specialty is -- combustion or bearings or microfabrication -- it's equally hard," he said. "As an educational tool, it's enormously useful because the students realize that their success is dependent upon other people's success. They can't make their part easier by making somebody else's part harder, because then as a team we don't succeed."

Source: MIT, by Nancy Stauffer

[buglerbilly]

Nett Warrior Looking At Plate-Shaped Batteries

(Source: U.S Army; issued February 4, 2011)

WASHINGTON --- New technology, including SAPI-plate-shaped batteries, came out of the recent limited user test for the Nett Warrior system. During a media roundtable Feb. 2, in the Pentagon, Col. Will Riggins, program manager for Soldier Warrior, discussed feedback from the recent Nett Warrior limited user test and the concurrent Land Warrior assessment in theater.

"I think probably the best feedback, the best data point was for both of those assessments -- was it's just a game-changing capability -- knowing where you are, where your teammates are," Riggins said.

Nett Warrior is a system worn on a Soldier's body that will provide "unparalleled situational awareness" to Soldiers on the ground. The system includes a radio, a helmet-mounted display and a hand-held data input device. The wiring for the system is integrated into a protective vest. With Nett Warrior, Soldiers will be able to see their location, the location of their fellow Soldiers, and the location of known enemies on a moving map.

"What this system will mean is they are never lost, never out of reach of their buddies," said Riggins. "They are able to adapt to dynamics of changing combat, and able to share all that information about all aspects of their mission in order to cut through that fog of war."

With Nett Warrior, there are issues of power consumption, system size and system weight. One solution, Riggins said, is the use of form-fitting batteries. Batteries molded in the shape of protective plates might allow systems like Nett Warrior to be powered, but with less bulk on the Soldier.

"The battery we have now looks like a brick and fits on your body as well as a brick," Riggins said. Using side small-arms protective-insert plates as a model, they asked industry to build a battery that was similarly shaped.

While Riggins said the battery might not go into the same location as the SAPI plate -- the pocket inside the vest -- but it will more closely conform to the shape of the body, and will fit easier on a Soldier.

The conformal batteries were demonstrated during an "excursion day" at the end of the Nett Warrior LUT, which ended in November. Riggins said during the excursion day, industry was challenged to bring their best ideas to the table.

"What we want to see is what are the game-changing technologies ... that we can bring into this area of operating in any environment and being situationally aware," he said.

Coming out of that excursion day were the conformal plates, and power-generation capabilities that included solar blankets and power cells, and a generator Riggins described as a "scavenger."

"(It's) a generator that runs off multiple different types of fuel," Riggins said, "if you happen to run across JP8 or diesel or even gasoline. With some small adjustments -- it's got an adjustable carburetor on it -- you can generate power based on whatever you can get off the battlefield. So those are the great types of capabilities that we've got."

Riggins said feedback on some of the equipment was so strong, one unit did an operational needs statement to get some of the equipment to take with them to Afghanistan. That unit took conformal batteries, solar blankets, and smaller power cells -- in the 30-to-50-watt range -- that act as a squad-rechargeable-type capability that runs off methane.

-ends-

[buglerbilly]

Battlefield Battery Packs Work Day and Night.

Analysis by Amy Dusto

Wed Mar 16, 2011 04:54 PM ET




Image: The superimposed numbers are readings for anticipated sunlight. Credit Solar Soldier

Infantry soldiers pack on incredible weights of equipment between weapons, GPS devices, radios and the like, while on duty. And all that high-tech gear needs power. For Brits, the load typically adds 100 to 155 lbs (about 45 to 70 kg), more than 10 percent of which can be attributed to batteries.

A number of universities in the United Kingdom have teamed up, with funding from the Engineering Physical Sciences and Research Council and the Defense Science and Technology Laboratory, to revolutionize the battery packs that soldiers bring into the field. Combining solar cells and thermoelectric technology, which generates electricity based on the temperature difference between two surfaces, the researchers are creating systems that deliver full power, 24/7. One day, the power-generating tech might even be woven into the fabric of soldiers' uniforms.

Photovoltaic solar cells, just nanometers in size, collect energy directly from sunlight throughout the day, with zero cost and zero waste. At night, thermoelectric devices use the difference in heat between the inside and outside of a soldier's uniform to generate electricity. Along with power saved during the day -- the team is working on incorporating small storage devices into the system -- this should provide a reliable, continuous power source for gadgets. A working prototype is expected in the next two years, and will hopefully weigh half as much as the battery packs British soldiers carry now.

The project, known as Solar Soldier, will allow for better mobility and longer treks away from base, since returning for a recharge won't be necessary. Not to mention, according to this news release, such a system should also make it harder to detect a soldier with night vision equipment that uses, for example, infrared, since thermoelectric devices absorb energy across the electromagnetic spectrum.

[buglerbilly]

This is the scope of what they are looking at.............


In this age of stealth jets, nuclear munitions and guided weapons the infantryman still remains the most important weapon system. It is the infantryman who looks in the foxhole or immobilized tank to establish that the enemy is defeated. Wars end when soldiers beat down the door, not bombs. Against enemies who shelter in difficult terrain where military vehicles cannot operate easily (inaccessible to so called 'medium' and 'heavy' forces) and hide behind civilians, it is the infantryman who will effectively utilise the resource available to overcome the enemy. The infantryman has similar power requirements and expectations to his civilian counterpart, albeit his equipment is different and the environment in which he operates is far more challenging and hostile. The critical difference is that, to the soldier, loss of portable power might place his life at risk. Without power for communications, GPS, thermal imagers and other portable surveillance equipment, he is left blind and deaf to all but his immediate environment; cut off from the wider network and consequently vulnerable.

Unfortunately, today soldiers heavily rely on batteries for power requirements which constitute up to 25% of their overall load (including lethal, survival, and communication). This effectively reduces their manoeuvrability, operational range and adds a significant weight and stress burden. The situation not only limits their capabilities and but also increases competition for key resources such as food and ammunition. Increasing technical capability will only increase the demand for power (it is projected that power demand will increase ten-fold by 2020).

Therefore, there is a pressing need for making batteries that powers soldiers' portable electronic equipment, as light as possible. Advances in technology must be directed to eliminate, or at least greatly reduce the need for batteries. Numerous solutions such as miniature fuel cells and ammonium borate based hydrogen generators are currently under consideration. However, it is clear that most of these investigated technologies do not provide an energy sustainable solution. In addition, novel solutions must meet criteria of light-weight, flexibility, climate resistance, robustness, improved energy density/extended life, improved ergonomics and reduced encumbrance. Recognising the nature of the challenge we propose an integrated device that couples photovoltaic cells (PV) with thermoelectric (TE) power.

This project will develop an integrated photovoltaic and thermoelectric power generation device on flexible substrates which work in all weather conditions. The final aim is to incorporate this flexible power generating device into the uniform of infantryman allowing IR masking capability.

[buglerbilly]

More pics and details here.............

http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/newsevents/news/2011/Pages/solarsoldiers.aspx

[buglerbilly]

Not really a battery but a Personal Power Generator.............another form of power storage and generation...........kinetic energy tech derived from watches? Video at link..........

Generate Your Own Power With The nPower PEG

by Matthew Cox on May 13, 2011

This could be a sweet piece of kit. Last week Ben Brooks from Tremont Electric stopped by Military.Com’s offices to give us the download on the new nPower PEG – a light-weight, portable generator for powering your smart phone and other hand-held electronics.

The nPower PEG uses what’s known as passive kinetic energy charging technology. You throw it in your pack and it generates power from your movement, whether you are walking, running or performing other physical activity. Then you hook it up to your gadgets with a USB cable when you need extra juice.

The Marine Corps and the Army plan to test it out as a possible solution to their power-management woes.

Christian is currently testing one out on travel and plans to post a review at a later date. Check out this Military.Com video starring Christian and Ben discussing the nPower PEG.

Read more: http://kitup.military.com/2011/05/generate-your-own-power-with-the-npower-peg.html#ixzz1MI4XSrVH
Kit Up!

Company link: http://www.npowerpeg.com/



Review:

[buglerbilly]

Ares

A Defense Technology Blog

Experimental Energy in Afghanistan

Posted by Paul McLeary at 7/11/2011 12:58 PM CDT



When the 1st Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division deployed to Afghanistan earlier this year, their rucksacks were full of experimental renewable energy equipment provided by the Army in an ambitious effort to see how the gear held up under the stresses of actual combat. A few months in, officials say they’re pretty optimistic about the experiment, especially since the brigade has been in the thick of the fight in Afghanistan’s violent eastern provinces, acting as “thickening” for 3rd Special Forces Group, according to Army Maj. Mark Owens, who recently returned from an assessment trip to the unit.
The Army is particularly excited about hydrogen fuel cell technology, which drastically reduces the amount of heavy, bulky batteries that soldiers have to carry on dismounted missions. Owen’s shop, PM Soldier Warrior, studied one particular 3-day mission with a company-sized element and found that the fuel cell reduced the amount of batteries the company carried by a whopping 600 lbs.

The fuel cells, which are powered by a reform methanol base—meaning that it’s slightly watered down—“gets lighter and lighter as time goes on,” Owens says, “and the case weighs almost nothing.” Still, the rucksack packable fuel cell generator weighs 36 lbs. according to documents the Army shared with AvWeek, which isn’t nothing when humping long distances or over rough terrain. But a 36 lb. generator still beats 600 lbs of batteries, any way you cut it. “Obviously we want to get the weight down as much as possible,” Owens says. There is also a 4.6-lb. wearable fuel cell that can kick out 50 watts of continuous power for up to 10 hrs. that is under evaluation.



On his next trip downrange—which should be coming in a few weeks—Owens is bringing two brand-new rucksack-portable technologies: a 29-lb. 1 kilowatt JP-8 generator, as well as a propane-based fuel cell which, while still being a hydrogen fuel cell, operates on propane gas which any dismounted unit could probably buy from the locals almost anywhere in the world. This, again, is in keeping with the Army’s stated desire to be able to use multiple fuels in different environments, depending on what works best—or is most easily shipped or attainable—in a given situation.

The alternate fuels plan also fits with an idea being kicked around in the Army called the “Adaptive Brigade” which Col. Paul Roege of the U.S. Army Capabilities Integration Center explains as having the capability to use different fuels and power generation technologies to give a brigade some flexibility, “because there might be crops nearby that local farmers can sell you plant oils, there might be a woody biomass available, there might actually be someplace that has a local power grid, so they need to be able to utilize any kind of energy source.” The brigades of the future need “the flexibility [to] operate under different conditions and with different resources,” he says, but also, this capability must be networked, so that all the parts of the brigade, from the radio operator to tactical vehicles, can take advantage of whatever that local power source may be.

As it stands now, the Dept. of Defense sucks up one percent of all of the oil consumed in the United States, but there’s a big push to do things smarter. The Pentagon’s office of Operational Energy Plans and Programs is due to release its energy strategy some time over the next three months, and when it does—and if it gets institutional backing, which is a big if—we might actually see some major changes, as the DoD goes “green.”

Pics: US Army

[buglerbilly]

Via Soldier Systems blog..........

Maneuver Conference – Adams Industries

September 14th, 2011



The Air Ground Warrior Battery pack from Adams Industries is crafted from solid Delrin, a high strength composite. It can be machined and is highly impact resistant.

The case is water resistant. Adams Industries developed a battery case that can be powered by two AA or a single 3v CR 123 per side. Additionally, the rotating switch is more robust than the standard ANVIS toggle with 3 positions for left or right bank and “off” in the middle.

It incorporates the standard clip for attachment to a flight helmet or can be mounted via a Velcro field. Additionally, they have provided attachment points to accept the issue counterweights.

www.adamsindustries.com

[buglerbilly]

Army Testing Soldier-Carried Power Converter

by Matthew Cox on October 9, 2011



Dismounted soldiers may soon be able to siphon power from any electrical source on the battlefield to recharge their battery-powered kit. Army equipment officials are evaluating the SPM-611 Soldier-worn Power Manager, a juice-box-sized device designed to make any power source compatible to charge platoon-sized radios, GPS units and other essential gear.

The SPM-611, made by Protonex Technology Company, is part of a new effort to slim down the Army’s Nett Warrior smart-soldier system. Army officials recently moved away from the wearable, but heavy, command and control ensemble and are evaluating a smart-phone device capable of connecting to a secure radio.

Despite the reduced weight, Nett Warrior still runs on batteries that must be recharged, said Bill Brower, deputy program manager for Nett Warrior, describing the SPM-611 at a recent discussion with reporters at the Pentagon.

I can take power from virtually any source. If I come across an old car battery, I can plug this in and charge either of these devices, Brower said, referring to the Rifleman Radio and the chest-mounted smartphone display for Nett Warrior. It will pull power from any power source, AC or DC.

The SPM-611 weighs just under a pound and measures 1.6 inches high, 4 inches wide and 2.3 inches deep. It has two ports for connecting to power sources and six ports for charging as many devices. It’s also designed to protect against power surges and short-circuiting.

Read more: http://kitup.military.com/#ixzz1aNJLUQyJ
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