Regional Electric Power Technology Integration & Leveraging Enterprise (REPTILE)

Background:

The Regional Electric Power Technology Integration and Leveraging Enterprise (REPTILE) is focused on the advancement of Naval ship systems and battle forces through the introduction, application and demonstration of new electric power technologies to the Navy. The types of systems that will directly benefit from this regional thrust include electric propulsion systems, electrical and mechanical power systems, power conversion and management systems, and energy generation and storage systems. The REPTILE program will greatly benefit the entire fleet of the U.S. Navy, current and future, by improving the technology transfer from commercial industry to the various shipboard platforms and systems. Many companies in the Delaware Valley region provide the critical capabilities necessary for sustaining such a thrust. As an example, NAVSEA (Philadelphia) provides expansive capabilities for mechanical and electrical systems research for naval applications and an engineering foundation with scalable testing facilities. The American Competitiveness Institute (ACI) provides a rich manufacturing, engineering and training foundation along with a strong network of commercial, academic and government contacts. Working within the framework of an agile partnership, the REPTILE program will provide "single point of reference" within the region for Navy marine power system solutions, from conceptual design through completed product.

The technology areas that are a part of this overall application thrust are as follows:

• Cost reduction efforts for the power conditioning modules (PCMs) used for electric propulsion system development.
• High power semiconductor switches will be defined, packaged and tested for process control compatibility with high power system applications.
• Evaluation of advanced software control architectures from the power electronic module level to system monitoring and control.
• Design and development of next-generation power electronics. Areas of concentration will be medium power design, simulation, manufacturing, test, and training.
• Fuel cell system validation and application
• Integration of various ship systems to simulate full load and dynamic transient states.
• Production readiness of Integrated Power Systems for DD (X) and beyond.

The initial phase focused on the following goals:

• Cost reduction of PCMs through improved manufacturing designs
• Develop a plan for a high power test facility
• Test the next generation high power switches and converters
• Demonstrate advanced high power applications
• Perform engineering studies
  • Turbine Electric Start
  • Fuel Cell Interface to ship's systems
  • Point of Use converters for medium power intrazone application
  • DoD wide applications for power technology