Advanced Marine Propulsion and Energy for Revolutionary Efficiency (AMPERE)

Problem Statement

To maintain superiority in the evolving maritime domain, the U.S. Navy seeks to enhance the warfighting capabilities of its next-generation surface destroyers. These vessels must remain adaptable and lethal against both conventional and asymmetric threats.

Achieving this requires a compact, lightweight, and highly efficient power generation system capable of supporting increasingly demanding high-power electrical loads, such as advanced sensors, directed energy weapons, and propulsion systems. A transformative power and propulsion architecture is essential to meet these operational and technical demands.

Surface Ship Attributes:

• Length Between Perpendiculars: 160 – 180 meters
• Beam Overall: 22 – 25 meters
• Full Load Displacement: 13 – 15K tonnes
• Maximum Speed: 30+ Knots
• Endurance Speed: 16 Knots
• Up to 40MW of Electrical power generation, in excess of ship service requirements at 16 knots
• Increased range, time-on-station, and reduction in annual fuel-burn over legacy Navy destroyers

Desired Solution

The Navy seeks proven Integrated Power System technology to inform and de-risk power and propulsion design for the next generation Navy destroyer. Solution providers selected for prototype should expect to deliver a software-based Integrated Power and Propulsion (IPS) architecture model and ship IPS test assets to the Navy’s land-based testing facility.

Power and propulsion architecture proposals must incorporate integrated power distribution capabilities to support the full range of mission demands to include propulsion, power generation and distribution, auxiliary and damage control systems, combat systems, and energy storage. Solution architectures should account for power quality management, dark ship mitigation, casualty power, and electric start for proposed engine types.

All proposed solutions must be capable of conforming to applicable Navy maritime (or equivalent commercial) standards for safety, performance, and environmental conditions. In early prototyping, a “design to” work plan can be adopted, while physical testing and verification will be required in development phases to demonstrate compliance. Solutions must ultimately meet relevant shock, vibration, noise, EMI, enclosure, power, thermal management, and battery safety requirements as defined by authoritative military specifications and NAVSEA guidance.

Successful solutions should consider:

• Diesel Fuel Marine (DFM) will be the primary fuel source; Nuclear Power or Ammonia will not be considered
• Different motor and drive technologies to achieve ideal Integrated Power System (IPS) architecture
• Provision of a very high operational availability (Ao)
• Survivability with graceful degradation
• Signatures Performance (i.e. acoustic radiated noise, radar-cross section, and magnetic signature)
• Lifecycle and sustainment burden, as well as flexibility for future upgrades
• Secure supply chains for all components

Prototype

Execution Stage 1: Modeling and Simulation

Successful vendors will deliver a software-based system model compatible with the Navy’s preferred modeling & simulation software (Matlab Simulink, real-time compatible) utilizing real (not idealized or generic) vendor models of equipment. Models should characterize component-level and system-level performance (i.e. impedance characteristics, response to step and ramp inputs, behavior under extreme terminal conditions) and support system-level integration for the purpose of real time porting and Controller Hardware and Power Hardware-in-the loop (CHIL/PHIL) applications.

Execution Stage 2: Hardware in the loop evaluation

Select architectures will undergo land-based testing at Navy partner facilities. Prototype test assets to include commercial-off-the-shelf energy storage, generators, converters, control systems, propulsion motor drives (with load), mechanical systems, and other components as defined by the architecture modeled in Stage 1.