Enabling the Great Green Fleet - Office of Naval Research (ONR ...

Vol. 8 | Spring 2012www.onr.navy.mil/innovateINNOVATIONOFFICE OF NAVAL RESEARC H VOL. 8 | SPRING 2012ENABLING THE GREATGREEN FLEET

www.onr.navy.mil/innovate w.o navy.milnnovateVol. 8 | Spring p 2012LETTER FROMTHE NEW CHIEF OF NAVAL RESEARCHChief of Naval Research Mahew Klunder kicks offthe aernoon round of Rebound Rumble during theFIRST (For Inspiraon and Recognion of Science andTechnology) Robocs Compeon being held at theWashington Convenon Center in Washington, D.C.FIRST combines the excitement of sports with the rigorsof science and technology where teams of high schoolstudents design, build and program robots to performprescribed tasks against a field of competors. (U.S.Navy photo by John F. Williams/Released)IN THISISSUERADM Matt KlunderOur Navy connues to deploy new innovavevehicles, vessels, and aircra that make today’ssystems more effecve and affordable andtomorrow’s a leap ahead from our currentcapabilies. This diverse fleet of systems andplaorms requires efficient power sources tooperate opmally and affordably. Here at ONR,we are focused on three key characteriscsof energy systems to meet the needs of ourfuture Fleet and Force: Mobile, Marime,and Affordable.The Navy uses 75% of its energy afloat,creang a unique need for energy sourcesthat are both efficient AND portable. Thisdemand for mobility is oen not met bycurrent, commercially-viable energy soluons.Our challenge is to develop new methods forconversion, distribuon and control to meet theFleet and Force power demands for light-weightand low volume systems.Navy EnergyNumber and FactsFrom the Sea,Self Sufficient,CombatEffectiveMicrobe Power!Powering the LargeDisplacementUnmanned UnderseaVehicle for theLong HaulONR’s TechSolutionsLights Up theShip with GreenTechnology4 6 10 13 152

Vol. 8 | Spring 2012www.onr.navy.mil/innovateNot only are the Navy and Marine Corps mobile,but we operate in some of the harshest, mostcomplex environments. Boom line: futurepower systems must be able to operate reliablyand safely wherever our Sailors or Marines arefound. Whether at sea, in the air, on the groundor in space, we must be able to rely on thenew energy sources to support and power usthrough any mission.Energy plays a large role in our operaonal andnaonal security vulnerabilies, so the Officeof Naval Research connues to invest in thisvital area even as budgets shrink across theDepartment of Defense. When we invest inour future energy systems, we must considertotal ownership costs when making investmentdecisions to ensure that inial costs areweighed against warfighng enhancements.We have a responsibility here at ONR and acrossthe Naval Research Enterprise to ensure thatour Warfighters never face a day when theycannot carry out their missions because theydon’t have the energy resources they need.Every Department at ONR is working on apiece of the energy challenge and our partnersthroughout the Navy are working too. TogetherI am confident that we will make the type ofprogress we need, meeng the challenges ofenergy head on.I look forward to working with you toward thisimportant goal. •Power and EnergyFocusThe Businessof EngineeringAlternative Fuels forNaval SystemsVariable CycleAdvancedTechnology: FutureEnergy Security forNaval AviationShipboard EnergyStorage ModuleenergyMMOWGLIThe U.S.–CzechInnovationConference:Exploring theInnovationOpportunity17 18 20 23 253

Vol. 8 | Spring 2012www.onr.navy.mil/innovate90 DAYSThe goal of the LargeDisplacement UnmannedUndersea Vehicle (LDUUV)Innovative Naval Prototype (INP)is to provide the Navy with theincreased capability of poweringunmanned UUVs for a 60-90 dayperiod. The program is tryingto achieve the same enduranceas our buoyancy driven UUVs(i.e., gliders) with propellerdriven power. This would be ahuge breakthrough for propellerdriven UUVs as the current stateof the art is just over one week.0The eventual goal of NavySEALs deploying this summeris net-zero energy and netzerowater. “They’re goingto use fl exible generatorsthat are many times moreeffi cient than the generatorswe’re using today. They’reusing portable solar batterychargers, portable solarrays, and highly portablewater purifi cation units,”according to SecretaryMabus at the Navy EnergyForum, October 2011.50-50Last September, the U.S. Navyfl ight demonstration team,the Blue Angels, conducteddemonstration fl ights witha 50-50 mix of biofueland JP-5 aviation fuel.NUMBERSAND FACTS5

www.onr.navy.mil/innovate r navy.mil/innovateVol. 8 | Spring 2012Solar power Ground RenewableExpedionary EnergySystem(GREENS) deployedin the field.FROM THE SEA,SELF SUFFICIENT,COMBAT EFFECTIVE6

Vol. 8 | Spring 2012www.onr.navy.mil/innovateHOW THE MARINES ARE INTEGRATING RENEWABLEENERGY TECHNOLOGY INTO THE FUTURE FORCEMs. Gayle Von Eckartsberg, Deputy Director, Expeditionary Energy Office, U.S. Marine Corps“To a Marine, the term ‘Expedionary’ is morethan a slogan; it is our state of mind. It drivesthe way we organize our forces, how we train,and what kind of equipment we buy.” In March2011, at the same me the Commandant ofthe Marine Corps, General James Amos, madethis statement, the Marine Corps and theOffice of Naval Research (ONR) were movingout to deploy renewable energy capabiliesto Marines operang at the very edge of thebalefield in Afghanistan. The objecve: equipa lighter, more energy efficient force, whichwould go farther, stay longer, at less risk.Prototypes of the ONR-funded solar powerGround Renewable Expedionary EnergySystem (GREENS) deployed in early 2011,with India Company, 3 rd Baalion, 5 th Marineregiment. Operang under nearly constantcombat condions in the Sangin valley, theMarines put the equipment to work; theyreduced their risk profile by powering twopatrol bases enrely on renewable energy,and reduced a Company’s COP fuel demand byover 80%. “With the right amount of panels,that [GREENS] system will power everythingwe need,” said India 3/5’s first LieutenantJosef Paerson. “I was a lile skepcal at first,that this is something new we have to tryout, but I’m completely sold on it. I think it’s agreat thing.”Power is an enduring requirement on thebalefield, but since 2001, the demand forenergy has grown exponenally. Driving thiscurve are new capabilies Marines havebrought to bear on the enemy: a more than300% increase in the number of computers,a 250% increase in the number of radios, a200% increase in the number of vehicles, a 75%increase in vehicle weight due to greater armor,and a decrease of 30% in miles per gallon forvehicles across the fleet. As a result, the MarineCorps consumes upwards of 200,000 gallonsof fuel daily in Afghanistan. The unintendedconsequences: increased reliance on fuelresupply, tethering of Marine operaons, andincreased risk. According to a 2010 study, oneMarine is killed or wounded for every 50 fueland water convoys.GREENS deployed in early 2011, with India Company,3 rd Baalion, 5 th Marine regiment.7

www.onr.navy.mil/innovate Vol. 8 | Spring 2012The Marine Corps is about combat effecveness.For the Marines, the promise of renewableand hybrid energy is its value to expedionaryoperaons. Capabilies that reduce the logiscsrequirement, that allow forces to beer fit onships, that enable warfighters to operate longerand go further when ashore, add up to a morecombat effecve force.GREENS HAD THE POTENTIALTO FIT THE BILLIn 2009, the Commandant of the MarineCorps jumpstarted the expedionary energyprogram, and created the Experimental ForwardOperang Base process, or ExFOB. By focusingthe aenon of key players across the MarineCorps and Naval Research enterprise, ExFOBmoved the prototype system from test, throughend user evaluaon in CONUS and in theater, torequirements development and into acquisionin less than two years. In Spring 2011, feedbackfrom India Company 3/5 influenced the MarineCorps to accelerate deployment of GREENS tofive baalions in theater. The first produconsystems were deployed in December 2011, withmore than 100 systems on track to deploy byMarch 2012.This rapid transion from prototype to programof record required intense collaboraon fromONR, Naval Surface Warfare Center Carderock,Marine Corps System Command, MarineCorps Warfighng Lab, Marine Corps CombatDevelopment Command, and the Marine CorpsExpedionary Energy Office.Developed and tested by Naval Surface WarfareCenter Carderock, GREENS harvests energythrough the sun using a man-portable array ofsolar panels and storage baeries to provide anaverage of connuous output of 300 Was—thepower needed to support small Marine combatoutposts, arllery, and radio and surveillancesystems, or other demands at the forward edge.Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Divisionat China Lake assessed the final prototype,subjecng it to connuous power tesng intemperatures exceeding 116 degrees Fahrenheit.Even under these condions, GREENS worked at85 percent capacity.“Systems like this allow [Marines] to chargerechargeable baeries and wean awayMajor SeanSadliertrains usersonGREEEENsin the fiele d.8

Vol. 8 | Spring 2012www.onr.navy.mil/innovatefrom throw-away, one me use baeries,which greatly reduces weight and resupplyrequirements,” said Jusn Govar, the teamleader for Advanced Power with MarineCorps Systems Command in an interview withthe Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune PublicAffairs Office.“Infantry baalions that are far forwarddo not have immediate access to a widerange of logiscs and maintenanceequipment; therefore, any source of powerthat requires no [military-grade fuel],low maintenance and no special skillsto operate becomes an instant success.GREENS is modular, portable, rugged andintuive enough to deploy in a combatenvironment. Units trained on GREENSas part of pre-deployment training haveprovided posive feedback.”opmized personnel performance as well asenergy storage other than liquid, expedionarywater harvesng, and energy efficient, combateffecve mobility.For the Marine Corps, the focus remainsintensely on power and energy capabilies thatmake for a lighter, faster, and more austerefighng force—the keys to the expedionaryfuture force. •JP-5&F-76— Major Sean Sadlier, a logiscs analyst withthe Marine Corps Expedionary EnergyOffice, who trained users on and testedGREENS in the field with India Company 3/5.WHAT’S NEXT?expedionary energy as one of the six “crical”pillars of modernizaon for the Marine Corps.The mission of the Marine Corps ExpedionaryEnergy Strategy provides a compelling targetfor future investment: “By 2025, we willdeploy Marine Expedionary Forces that canmaneuver from the sea and sustain C4I and lifesupport systems in place; the only liquid fuelneeded will be for mobility systems which willbe more efficient than systems are today.” Toachieve this will require investment not only inprocurement, but in science and technology.The Expedionary Energy Water and WasteInial Capabilies Document (ICD), approved inSeptember 2011, together with Marine CorpsScience and Technology Objecves released inJanuary 2012 provides the roadmap. Prioriesinclude expedionary energy harvesng,temperature-independent electronics, andJP-5 and F-76 are Navy unique fuels thathave demonstrated durability in the maritimeenvironment. The maritime environment bringsunique challenges to fuel and to the developmentof biofuels, with signifi cant testing and evaluationnecessary to ensure the fuel can withstand theNavy environment—specifi c challenges suchas saltwater, handling, and storage life.NUMBERS9

www.onr.navy.mil/innovate Vol. 8 | Spring 2012MICROBEPOWER!Linda A. Chrisey, Ph.D, ONR Program Officer,Naval Biosciences and Biocentric TechnologiesFor the past dozen years, the Office of Naval Research (ONR) hasbeen supporng basic and applied research to understand anddevelop microbial fuel cells for various underwater and terrestrialapplicaons. Although amongst the smallest organisms on theplanet, the discovery that certain bacteria can sustainably generateelectricity is big news.WHAT IS A MICROBIAL FUEL CELL?A microbial fuel cell (MFC) is a novel, “green” approach forgenerang electricity that ONR is developing for the persistentpowering of undersea devices. Like convenonal fuel cells, MFCshave two electrodes (an anode and a cathode) which are wired toallow the flow of electrical current. However, MFCs are special inthat they use microbes as catalysts for generang electricity insteadof chemical reactants.WHAT ARE “ELECTRICIGENIC” MICROBES?Nature is oen a source of inspiraon for new science andtechnology (S&T). Over millions of years of evoluon, organismshave adapted to the many unique environments that exist onour planet. A special class of bacteria known as metal-reducers,actually respire on minerals that include metal oxides and sulfate.These microbes consume organic molecules for fuel and generateelectrons which are transferred to the mineral. In 1999, ONR-fundedsciensts discovered these bacteria could transfer electrons to anelectrode. When wired in a circuit with a cathode, small amountsof electrical current were produced and could be used to powervarious devices.Geobacter and Shewenella are two key electricity-generangbacteria that ONR is studying. Elucidang the physiology andgenecs that allows them to produce electricity may lead toopmized MFC’s for praccal powering of devices.WHAT DOES A MICROBIAL FUEL CELL LOOK LIKE?(top) False-color image of Geobacter showingpilin (nanowire) network. Credit: PI Lovley,UMASS-Amherst. (boom) Shewanellaoneidensis strain MR-1 growing on hemate.Credit: Pacific Northwest Naonal Laboratory.ONR is exploring two types of MFCs in its program: chamberedand sediment. Chambered MFCs resembles convenonal fuelcells in that there are anode and cathode chambers filled withan electrolyte, with a proton-exchange membrane separangthe two chambers. Chambered MFCs have been used to powersmall portable generators, desalinaon systems, and wastewatertreatment systems. The Department of Defense is exploring MFClikeapproaches for wastewater treatment to aain energy-neutral,or possibly energy-posive processes, in order to help minimizelogiscally costly diesel fuel use at Forward Operang Bases.10

Vol. 8 | Spring 2012www.onr.navy.mil/innovateThe sediment MFC (see schemac at right) has beenthe primary focus of the ONR program, as it presentsunique opportunies for powering devices underwater.The anode is typically buried in the seafloor sedimentto protect it from oxygen, whereas the cathode floatsin the water column. Sediment organic maer is the“fuel” used by the MFC to produce electricity as thisorganic maer is connuously renewed through naturalprocesses; thus, MFCs are sustainable energy harvesngsystems. Because the power density is low, powermanagement systems have been designed to storethe electricity produced, to convert the MFC power tousable voltages, and to minimize the power needed tobootstrap and run devices.WHY USE MFCS AND NOTCONVENTIONAL BATTERIES?Microbial fuel cell technology offers an alternave toseawater baeries which have a finite lifeme and caninvolve hazardous reactants or products (e.g., lithium,hydrogen). Because MFCs require only renewableorganic fuel and can generate electricity directly, theyprovide a route to safe and persistent power in theundersea environment. Seawater baeries provideapproximately 100 W·hours/L—a finite lifeme thatdepends on the power consumpon rate. MFCs providelower but persistent power (approximately 0.05 W/L).At this power level, the seawater baery would dieaer 12 weeks whereas the MFC would connue tofuncon. Studies have shown MFCs can connuouslyprovide power for over three years. MFC’s havesuccessfully powered acousc pingers, hydrophones,acousc vector sensors, underwater modems andenvironmental sensors (such as oxygen, temperature,and conducvity sensors).Teledyne Benthos developed a highly efficientMFC power management package to enablepowering of a compact acousc modem.Chambered MFC. Credit: www.kids.esdb.bg/images/Microbial_Fuel_Cell.gif.HOW WILL THE NAVY USE MFCS?Current field demonstraons of MFCs have focused onpraccal device powering. ONR has demonstrated thatMFCs can operate in environments that range from 10 to1000m in depth, and from the tropics to the temperatePacific Northwest coast.The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR)–Pacific may use MFCs to power hydrophones whichtrack movement of endangered green sea turtles in SanDiego Bay. SPAWAR-Pacific has also developed a diverlessdeployment system which enables self-burial of theMFC-anode.A schemac showing a possible concept ofoperaon.11

www.onr.navy.mil/innovate Vol. 8 | Spring 2012SerialPortFlashMemoryMooring EyeBoltTransducerReal TimeClockBattery(top) Receiver used to track signals sent fromtags mounted on sea turtles (boom), whichhas been adapted to use MFC power. Courtesyof Dr. Bart Chadwick, SPAWAR–Pacific.The Naval Research Laboratory and SPAWAR–Pacific havebeen developing an MFC to connuously power a staonaryacousc array used for surveillance. This applicaon requiresnumerous anodes (photo at le) to generate approximately 1W ofpower connuously.Oregon State University, Teledyne Benthos and Harvard Universityhave deployed an MFC system at 900m depth off the Californiacoast at the Monterey Accelerated Research System (MARS)underwater observatory. This field study aims to determine ifMFCs can power underwater modems along with other sensors(e.g., oxygen or water temperature sensors). Currently a TeledyneBenthos SM-75 modem (powered by the MARS observatory),receives data transmied by compact, MFC-powered modemswhich are located several hundred meters away.This ongoing demo, has proven that an MFC can successfully poweran underwater acousc modem as well as various sensors atimpressive ocean depths (see hp://www.mbari.org/mars/science/bmfc.html).Anodes (black cylinders above) used togenerate power for a staonary acousc arrayused for surveillance.Teledyne power management package.MFC aer being pushed into sediment with Remotely Operated Vehiclemanipulator. Courtesy Oregon State University.WHAT’S NEXT FOR ONR MFCS?Teledyne Benthos SM-75 underwater modemused for the MFC MARS demo.To date ONR’s program has shown that MFCs are a viable oponfor powering many devices of interest to the Navy, such as acouscpingers, modems, hydrophones and analycal sensors. As theseproof-of-concept studies have been accomplished, the programis now focused on two main objecves: increasing power andimproving reliability in diverse underwater environments. Withinthe next five to seven years we expect to deliver a safe, sustainableand reliable approach for meeng the Navy’s needs for poweringunderwater surveillance systems. •12

Vol. 8 | Spring p 2012www.onr.navy.mil/innovatew n .navy m innonovatPOWERINGTHE LARGE DISPLACEMENT UNMANNEDUNDERSEA VEHICLE FOR THE LONG HAULMr. Dan Deitz, ONR Program Officer, Ocean Sensing and Systems Applications DivisionMr. Eric Dow, ONR Program Officer, Naval Materials DivisionIn today’s world where most everyone is usingsmall computers in their watches or phones,and supercomputers are a staple of almost anylarge industry, where you can even purchase arobot to clean your floors, it doesn’t take mucheffort to look around and see that automaonhas removed the burden of some of our oldtasks. Like the automated products you find inthe commercial sector, the Navy and MarineCorps are also looking into these technologiesas a way to reduce the manpower necessaryto operate some of its most basic funcons. Insupport of the Navy’s mission to have worldwidepresence and project power where andwhen it is needed, the Office of Naval Research(ONR) is taking on the task to fulfill this missionautonomously with the development ofUnmanned Undersea Vehicles (UUVs).In parcular, the Large Displacement UnmannedUndersea Vehicle (LDUUV) InnovaveNaval Prototype (INP) will develop the newtechnologies necessary to provide the Navywith the capability of operang UUVs for 60-90 days. This is a breakthrough for poweringUUVs as the current state of the art is justover one week. The increased persistence ofUUVs will allow for enhanced parcipaon andawareness in many of the Navy’s missions toinclude: ansubmarine warfare; intelligence,surveillance, and reconnaissance; and minewarfare. But the LDUUV INP can also havea large impact at home as well. The 90 dayendurance period can provide constant weathersensors that improve our ability to forecastthe weather and climate more accurately, canconduct more surveys of the crical shippingroutes to ensure safe transit of commercialshipping, and can allow for more me at sea forscienfic research in oceanography.In a me of shrinking budgets, it is imperavethat the Navy look to soluons that maintainits capability in an affordable way. The LDUUV13

www.onr.navy.mil/innovate Vol. 8 | Spring 2012SupportStructureLOXVaporizerUUV Fuel Cell DiagramINP provides the needed range and missioncapability to complete core missions withoutthe need for deployed Sailors or ships. Whennecessary, the LDUUV INP can go into thedangerous areas or sea condions while keepingour Sailors and Marines safe on the ship or attheir operang bases.The LDUUV INP will push technologydevelopment in three major areas: thedevelopment of new high energy dense powersystems that are safe aboard navy plaorms;the ability to autonomously navigate inthe liorals; and the creaon of endurancetechnologies that allow a vehicle to operatein the open ocean for up to 90 days. The firsttechnology development area is new UUVenergy systems. Unlike many ships that canbreathe air, the UUV must carry its own oxygensource. This means standard diesel engineswill not work and more exoc sources must beconsidered. The UUV is also small comparedto submarines with equivalent endurance. TheLDUUV INP is looking for a very energy densesystem of over 1000 Wh/kg. The scale of thisresearch goal is like packing the LDUUV INPfull of TNT and its energy output into youroven for 90 days, all while making it safe foruse on ships. The challenge is in controllingthe energy and efficiently drawing a smallamount of it from a source as energy dense asTNT, while conducng operaons safely in anaval environment.The energy development is an enormousand somewhat daunng challenge when youconsider these forward deployed and fullysubmerged UUVs need to operate connuously14LOX FillTubeLOX CryostatLOXPre-HeaterProduct WaterStorageLH 2VaporizerLH 2CryostatLH 2Pre-HeaterLH 2Fill TubeCoolingSystemFuel Cellfor greater than 60 days without re-charging.Just think about it, if UUVs were to rely solelyon today’s best baeries, they would operatefor less than five days before needing to be recharged!In addion to the primary challengeof storing large amounts of energy in smallvolumes, the secondary challenge is to developpower conversion technologies which areupwards of three mes more efficient thantoday’s best automobile engines all the whilebeing much more reliable. Imagine being ableto run you car’s engine for over 1000 hoursof connuous driving, or about 40,000 miles,without ever having an oil change or conducngroune maintenance! The technology soluonswhich are possible candidates to address thesechallenges are several, some of which couldinclude srling engines, solid oxide fuel cells,polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells orthermal combustors, to name a few. Severalof these technologies could be ‘hybridized’ orcombined with other energy storage devices,such as baeries or capacitors, in an aemptto make the overall system more efficientthroughout its operang regime as it goesfrom very low power (loitering, waing) to veryhigh power (accelerang, sprinng). Lastly,these systems must include any necessaryenergy storage sub-systems for efficientpower conversion to the vehicles’ payloadsand propulsion system, all the while providingin excess of 600 Wh/l on a fully integratedsystems basis.ONR is on its way to solving these energychallenges and delivering to the Navy andMarine Corps innovave and safe UUV energytechnology for the LDUUV INP. The LDUUVINP is ancipated to be tesng this technologyin 2018. These experiments will aim todemonstrate that UUVs can operate in the openocean providing mission capabilies to boththe Navy and the Department of HomelandSecurity, without the need for support ships.The energy technology emerging from theLDUUV INP program will provide the capabiliesneeded to meet the Navy’s UUV near-termand far-term objecves in persistent, forwardpresence. Perhaps more importantly, it willenable manned plaorms to be kept hundredsof miles removed from areas of conflict,resulng in reduced risk to naval personneland plaorms. •

Vol. 8 | Spring 2012www.onr.navy.mil/innovatenavy.mil/innovatONR’S TECHSOLUTIONSLIGHTS UP THE SHIPWITH GREEN TECHNOLOGYMs. Dylan Ottman, TechSolutions Program AnalystUnited States Navy Sailors andMarines aboard submarinesand surface ships know toowell the irritang buzzingsound of fluorescent lights.Tired of the distracng soundmade by fluorescents andthe intensive maintenanceprocedures associated withthe lighng fixtures, a Navysonar technician decided totake acon. Knowing theremust be a beer lighng oponavailable, he reached out to theNavy’s science and technologycommunity hoping they couldoffer a soluon. Luckily, he gotin touch with the right team forthe job: TechSoluons at theOffice of Naval Research (ONR).TechSoluons’ projects areiniated in direct response torequests they receive fromindividual Sailors and Marines.The request to replace anoisy fluorescent bunk lightwith a quieter light bulb wassubmied by a sonar technicianat Submarine Force Atlanc(SUBLANT), Norfolk, VA. Notonly are these fluorescent lightfixtures noisy, but they containhazardous materials, aremaintenance intensive, and areeasily damaged.Upon receiving the request,TechSoluons beganinvesgang g alternave lightfixtures. The three main lightsources are incandescent,fluorescents and Light EmingDiodes (LEDs). Incandescentlight bulbs are an even oldertechnology than fluorescentlight bulbs. Incandescent lightbulbs are highly wasteful andmost variees convert lessthan 10% of the energy theyuse into visible light, withthe remaining energy usedbeing converted into heat.LEDs are a newer technologyand are gradually replacingincandescent and fluorescentfixtures. LED fixtures improvethe rao of visible light to heatgeneraon and are consideredenergy-efficient lighng. Inaddion to the humming soundthey make, there are otherissues associated with thesefluorescent fixtures that renderthem less than ideal for shipsand submarines. Fluorescentfixtures are unreliable andrequire a lot of maintenance,they break easily, are noisyand expensive. LEDs alsoknown as solid state lighng,are an excellent alternave tofluorescents, thus improvingSailors quality of life andhelping to boost the Navy’senergy efficiency.Exisng fluorescent lighngsystems on board Navy vesselsare maintenance intensive. Theoperaonal bulb life of the LEDfixture is longer, lasng up to50,000 hours, compared withthe fluorescents, which onlylast up to 7,500 hours. The LEDfixture’s significantly longerlife means it does not need tobe purchased and replacedas oen, thus minimizingmaintenance for the Sailorsand disposal costs for theNavy as well as reducing thenumber of spare bulbs needed.Unlike fluorescent bulbs, whichcontain mercury, LED bulbscontain no hazardous materials,thus further lowering disposalcosts and eliminang specialdisposal procedures.Another benefit of replacingthe old fluorescent fixtureswith solid state lighng is theimproved energy efficiencyacross the fleet. Solid statelighng consists of low-power,high-reliability, light-emingdiode (LED) fixtures. The LEDLED light designed by EnergyFocus Ltd. (U.S. Navy photo byJohn F. Williams/Released)15

www.onr.navy.mil/innovate Vol. 8 | Spring 2012fixtures match the form, fitand funcon of the old 8WT5fixtures and provide more lightoutput for the same powerinput. Over me, solid statelighng could also help theNavy save in fuel costs and lessfuel consumed could result in acost savings for the Navy.Naval leaders have issued a setof ambious new goals to boostthe Navy and Marine Corps’energy efficiency and solidstate lighng supports theirplans to make the Navy moregreen. One of these goals is tosignificantly reduce the Navy’sconsumpon of petroleum.One of the main petroleumproducts used by the Navy isdiesel fuel consumed by ships.Some of this diesel fuel isconsumed by the generaonof electricity used to powerthe lights on the ship. Becausesolid state lighng uses lesselectricity to generate thesame light output, LEDs help tosave fuel.For this project, TechSoluonswent above and beyond theirtypical scope of work in orderto get the solid state lighngfixtures on board. While theLED fixtures matched the form,fit and funcon of the 8WT5fixtures, TechSoluons firsthad to update the militaryspecificaons (MILSPECs)to allow the use of solidstate lighng on board shipsand submarines. BeforeTechSoluons could installthe prototype technologyon board any Navy vessel,they had to pay to have theMILSPECs changed to permitsolid state lighng on boardships and submarines. Sincethe MILSPECs did not allow forthe installaon of solid statelighng fixtures on ships andsubmarines, the team fundednot only the developmentand cerficaon of the LEDfixtures, but also had the NavyMILSPECs changed to allowsolid state lighng on Navyships and submarines.TechSoluons’ solid statelighng project improvesthe quality of life for Sailors.First, by replacing fluorescentbulbs with LED bulbs, Sailor’smaintenance and repairworkloads are significantlyreduced. The LED fixtures donot break as easily and lastlonger than fluorescents, thusallowing Sailors to focus onmore important challenges.Next, installing solid statelighng in place of fluorescentsfrees up storage space onthe ship or submarine. Amajor issue for the Sailorson submarines is the lack ofspace for themselves and theirequipment. Sailors currentlyhave to store hundreds ofaddional fluorescent bulbsto replace broken bulbs. Also,Sailors must store broken bulbson board, taking up even morevaluable space.“For over 22 years, I was anelectronics technician on boarda submarine where storagespace is at a premium. Helpingthe Sailors free up some ofthe space used for storinglight bulbs was in their bestinterest and therefore mypriority,” said Command MasterChief Ziervogel, head of theTechSoluons program underONR’s Director of Innovaon.TechSoluons solid statelighng could eventuallyreplace fluorescent fixtureson board surface shipsand submarines across theNavy. The Navy has alreadyordered more fixtures to beinstalled on board the USSNew Hampshire. The originaloperaonal alteraon to theUSS New Hampshire has beenextended from 33 inial fixturesto include all 8WT5 fixtures inthe forward secon of the ship.This includes 269 addionallight fixtures for a total of 302fixtures on board the USS NewHampshire. Solid state lighngis showing great promise onboard Navy vessels and solidstate lighng usage fleet-widecould add up to considerablesavings and improvedreadiness. Solid state lighngis just one of several rapidresponse technologies beingfunded by TechSoluons usingrecommendaons from Navyand Marine Corps personnel. •About TechSoluons16TechSoluons is a rapid-response science and technology (S&T) program focused on producing prototypetechnologies to meet requests submied by United States Sailors and Marines. Rapid responsetechnology reaches the fleet quickly and is significantly faster than the standard DoD technologyacquision cycle. TechSoluons is an innovave business process that works to bridge the gap betweenthe warfighter and the scienst. Accepng requests directly from Sailors and Marines, TechSoluonsteams up with government researchers to develop a soluon. TechSoluons aims to put the prototypesoluon in the hands of the requesng warfighter within 12-18 months of their submission.

Vol. 8 | Spring 2012www.onr.navy.mil/innovateTHE BUSINESS OF ENGINEERINGALTERNATIVE FUELS FOR NAVAL SYSTEMSMs. Sharon Beermann-Curtin, ONR Program Officer, Power and Energy Technical LeadWhen President Obama addressed the Naon atthis year’s State of the Union, it was clear that hehas a strategy geared towards developing, “everyavailable source of American energy,” and thathe is looking to the Navy to play a major role inimplemenng his clean energy plans:“And I’m proud to announce that theDepartment of Defense, the world’s largestconsumer of energy, will make one of thelargest commitments to clean energy inhistory – with the Navy purchasing enoughcapacity to power a quarter of a millionhomes a year.”From the statement made above, to the increasedinvestment in energy programs, it is clear thatthe Navy is seen as a driving force in moving thenaon towards the ability to use alternave fuels.In fact, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus has setambious alternave fuel goals for the Navy thatare driving commercial research as well as marketstrategy. In parcular, one of Secretary Mabus’goals is to sail the Great Green Fleet in 2016. TheGreat Green Fleet will likely include all of theplaorms found in an Aircra Carrier Strike Groupand will demonstrate the ability to use alternavefuel sources in our current naval systems with nodetrimental effects to the marime or aviaonsystems. In the long run, the Navy is confidentthat our ability to use alternave fuels will ensureresiliency in the event of a global oil crisis.To achieve the Great Green Fleet goals the Navyneeds to overcome a significant number ofchallenges. The Navy operates in harsh marimeenvironments and pracces which introducetaxing parameters. The saltwater environmentand our logiscs for underway replenishment, aswell as storage and handling, make it impossibleto eliminate seawater from entering the fuel.The pracce of seawater ballasng in fuel tanksis unique, adding addional opportunies formicrobiologic induced corrosion as well asdegradaon of the fuel. In conjuncon with themarime environment challenge, the Navy alsohas to qualify a variety of fuels meant for differentplaorms (aviaon fuels, e.g., JP-5, and marimedisllate fuels, e.g., F-76). The Navy has longlife stability requirements as well as extensivehandling from ship to ship as well as from shoreto ship and from ship to aircra. Lastly, there is arequirement for ‘drop-in’ fuels; all fuels qualifiedmust work on exisng systems.The Office of Naval Research Alternave FuelsProgram is invesng in a variety of programsmeant to enable the Navy and the Great GreenFleet in meeng their goals. Of note, ONR iscurrently producing predicve modeling tools thatwill allow faster and less expensive qualificaonsof new alternave fuels as they come into themarket place. Convenonal fossil fuels all mustfall within a certain specificaon and fit forpurpose properes. The Navy has experse inworking with fossil fuels; however, we need tobring in new techniques to establish the use ofalternave fuels. Each alternave fuel that is beingdeveloped incorporates different conversionprocesses leading to a unique molecular makeup. These chemical composions determine afuel’s combuson characteriscs. To qualify afuel for each use on individual engines becomescost prohibive. Full engine tesng requires100,000 gallons of fuel to fully cerfy a new fuel.In addion, it takes me and experse to runa full-scale test, all the while tying up valuableassets. The ability to predict the combusonperformance given a molecular composion andintegrang it with gas turbine and diesel engine17

www.onr.navy.mil/innovate Vol. 8 | Spring 2012models, will allow the Navy to determine theability of a fuel to perform on our systems beforewe invest in costly qualificaon tesng. To-date,we have already witnessed the use of alternavefuels both commercially and in our naval systems;from the use of ethanol in our cars to the alreadydemonstrated ability for aircra to fly and ships tosail using alternave hydrocarbon fuels. However,the ability to bring a new technology to marketgoes beyond the technology itself.The real driving force is the ability to bringthe complete alternave fuels process intocompeon with fossil fuel costs. When looking atthe challenge from this standpoint, it is necessaryto point out that conversion technologies are10-20% of the cost per gallon of biofuel. Thebulk of the cost is in the feedstock producon.One of the challenges is ensuring the amount ofbiomass as well as the reducon of feedstock cost,along with the ability to transport the feedstockto the refinery. The ability to persuade farmersto produce non-edible crops, effecvely usefallow land, maximize growth management offeedstock and crop rotaon, efficiently transportthe feedstock to biorefineries through co-locangcrops with relevant refineries, is no small featand is a significant part of the process. The ONRAlternave Fuels Program is currently workingwith the USDA and the Department of Energyon these crical issues to ensure that when weneed alternave fuels we will be in a posion tonot only use them but have a supply chain that iscapable of providing sustainability. In the futurethe success of alternave fuels for the Navysystems and plaorms will be determined bymarketplace, infrastructure, and economics. •Biofuels Supply ChainFeedstockProductionFeedstockLogisticsBiofuelsConversionFuel Testing& ApprovalLarge ScaleDeployment• United StatesDepartment ofAgriculture• United StatesDepartment ofAgriculture / Departmentof Energy• Department of Energy• Defense AdvancedResearch ProjectsAgency• Advanced ResearchProjects Agency–Energy• Department of Defense• Federal AviationAdministration• Commercial AviationAlternative Fuels Initiative• Defense Logistics Agency• U.S. Marine Corps• U.S. Navy• U.S. Air ForceVARIABLE CYCLE ADVANCED TECHNOLOGYFUTURE ENERGY SECURITY FOR NAVAL AVIATIONDr. Joseph Doychak, ONR Program Officer, Division 351 Aerospace Science ResearchThe Office of Naval Research (ONR) is alwaysthinking ahead and looking at what’s aroundthe corner. Rapidly rising energy costs andthe volality of energy supplies are twomajor challenges facing the Department ofDefense (DoD) in the coming decades, and theDepartment of Navy (DoN) in parcular. Navalaviaon is desned to play a crical role inaddressing these challenges. Recognizing thatpropulsion is a key technology enabling navalaviaon’s future capabilies to address thesechallenges, ONR is taking acon by developingnew engine technologies and making themavailable for future naval aviaon missions.Fuel costs and supplies remain volale. DoD is thelargest consumer of fuel amongst Governmentagencies. Aviaon is the primary consumer withinDoD. For the DoN, aviaon ranks right up therewith ships in terms of fuel usage. More efficientengines would enhance aircra range andcapability, and go a long way towards reducingthe impacts of high fuel cost and supply volality.18

Vol. 8 | Spring 2012www.onr.navy.mil/innovateVCATms.VCATis the powewer syststem thahat will be usedon fututureTACAIRandISR plalaorormsThe most recent DoD strategic guidance tled“Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Prioriesfor 21st Century Defense,” specifically calls outthe need “to make the necessary investmentsto ensure that we maintain regional access andthe ability to operate freely.” More efficientpropulsion systems will be required to extend therange and endurance of future Taccal Aircra(TACAIR) and Intelligence, Surveillance andReconnaissance (ISR) plaorms.Both the Air Force and Navy have beenlooking at variable/adapve cycle turbineengine technologies. Variable/adapve enginetechnology is any variable geometry enginecomponent or feature that can be changedto opmize engine performance and adapt tomulple operang points within the aircra’sflight envelope. Similar to changing gears in acar, changing an aircra engine’s bypass raoallows the engine to be opmized for high thrustwhen needed for takeoff, while maintainingthe efficiency of a high bypass engine in cruisecondions. The ability to change these engineparameters inflight provides beer performanceand fuel efficiency across a range of flightcondions for naval aviaon, yielding an increasein combat mission capability and reduced fuelneeded to complete a given mission.The VCAT program is a partnership effortbetween ONR and DoN’s Task Force Energy (TFE)iniave. In close coordinaon with NAVAIR andthe overall Naval Aviaon Enterprise, the VCATprogram’s objecve is to idenfy and maturecrical variable/adapve cycle turbine enginetechnologies for future carrier-based TACAIR/ISRnaval aviaon systems.Details of technologies associated with thosemarinizaon and carrier suitability aributeswere defined in a systems analysis effort iniallyfunded by TFE at the beginning of fiscal year2011. That study showed dramac improvementsin range and loiter capabilies for conceptualplaorms and missions. The benefits were dueto a combinaon of improved thermal andpropulsive efficiencies from advanced materialtechnologies and the variable/adapve enginefeatures. Aligned with TFE goals, the studiesalso showed that these technologies wouldoffer the potenal for significant reducons infuel consumpon—that means less demand fordeployed fuel and tanker aircra support.Once specific requirements are established forthe next naval TACAIR/ISR system, performancethresholds and objecves will be determined forthe engine. Unl that me, TFE goals associatedwith turbine engine efficiency and fuel burnreducon will be a primary driver for research onvariable cycle technology. Enhanced capability forfuture naval aviaon systems will connue to bean important part of the VCAT program’s visionfor the future. •19

www.onr.navy.mil/innovate w.onnavy.mil/ nnovateVol. l 8 | Spring spring 20121SHIPBOARDENERGY STORAGE MODULEMr. Donald Hoffman, Program Officer,ONR Ship Systems and Engineering Research Division 331Presently, DDG-51 class ships account for asignificant poron of the total surface ship fuelconsumpon. To reduce the fuel consumponlevels in these ships, various methods are beingused, including trail sha operaon as a commonmode of operang the ship, and pitch scheduling.However, further fuel savings can be achievedthrough the incorporaon of Single GeneratorOperaons (SGO). SGO is an operang modewhere only a single electrical generator is ulizedto power an enre ship. This increases shipboardfuel efficiency through the reducon of the totalnumber of Gas Turbine Generators (GTG) kept online. Under the ONR SwampWorks, “Fuel Efficientand Power Dense Demonstrator” program,an advanced capability for SGO was examinedand demonstrated.The DDG-51 class engineering plant line-upincludes four propulsion turbines (GE LM-2500) and three Gas Turbine Generators (RollsRoyce AG9140 GTGs). Standard electrical plantalignment has been to always operate a minimumof two GTGs. This significantly reduces the risk oflosing all ship service power due to the failure ofone GTG. While this pracce maintains electricalplant integrity, the GTGs are operated rounelyat low, specific fuel consumpon design pointswhich sacrifices efficiency and increasing me perengine. The specific fuel consumpon for simplecycle gas turbines increases sharply, below 50%of load.In order to keep electrical plant integrity duringSGO plant alignment, a ride-through capabilityfor essenal services is necessary in case theGTG shuts down. This requires an instantaneouschangeover of supply in power to ride throughunl standby GTGs can be brought back on lineto assume ships load. Each GTG, by design, canbe started and assume full load in 60 secondsaer loss of shipboard electric power occurs. Thisrequires an Energy Storage Module (ESM) whichincorporates the energy storage device, such asbaeries, and high density power electronicsinterface. The ESM needs to be of size to maintaincrical ship’s load at a minimum or transparentplant operaons at maximum while allowing formulple GTG start aempts. In addion, the ESMneeds to be modular in design with high powerdensity to allow for flexible backfit installaons orfuture plant configuraon.20

Vol. 8 | Spring 2012www.onr.navy.mil/innovateHistorically, convenonal ESM designs have beenextremely large and therefore not suitable foruse in a shipboard applicaon. Recent effortsundertaken by the ONR SwampWorks Program,have resulted in an increase of the power densityand versality of the ESM’s power electronics.The overall ESM system design now allows moreroom for convenonal baery storage, providesthe generic capability to interface with mulpletypes of energy storage, and allows the ESM to beupgraded as new energy storage devices becomeavailable and proven for shipboard installaon.What this really means is that inseron of theseadvanced energy storage technologies willprovide longer operaonal duraon and lighterweight with increased lifeme as compared toNavy state-of-the-art Valve Regulated Lead Acid(VRLA) baeries. VRLAs have typical lifemes offive to seven years depending upon how they arecycled. Future inseron may include advancedlarge format lithium-ion baeries, once propershipboard safety protocols have been addressed.Lithium-ion baeries are capable of far greaternumber of cycles with sustained performance andmay offer lifemes of double to three-mes thelife of a typical VRLA.The ESM consists of a modular bi-direconal AC/DC power conversion system, controls, thermalmanagement system, and standardized systeminterface devices, to work with any type of energystorage device such as advanced lithium-ionbaery system or convenonal VRLA. Overall, theESM interfaces with the ships 450VAC distribuonand includes a high voltage DC-link for conneconwith the baery or other storage device. Thedevelopment of mulple line replaceable units(LRUs) for the bi-direconal AC/DC powerconversion led to a 66% improvement in powerdensity and 122% improvement in power capacityin comparison to a baseline LRU planned to beused in the DDG1000 Integrated Fight ThroughPower (IFTP) system. While the module size isnoonally 600 kW (5 would support a 3 MWload), the system can be scaled to meet shipboardpower and space needs. This modular concept isdesigned to be broken down into sub componentsto allow for shipment through exisng shiphatches and passageways. The unit can then bereassembled in the required area for installaonthus allowing for easy backfit on exisng ships.Overall, the expected benefits of ulizing thedeveloped system include but are not limited tothe following:• Applicable to any shipboard class thatuses gas turbine and diesel electricalpower generaon.• Potenal fuel savings: > 8000 bbl/ship/yraboard DDG-51 Class ships.• Potenal to assist Hybrid Electric Drive– Propulsion Derived Ship Serviceoperaons for addional fuel savings.• Reducon in potenal for a “dark ship”condion.• Flexibility for backfit installaonulizing exisng shipboard hatch andpassageways.Systems in December 2010. This technologyhas been transioned to NAVSEA for furtherdevelopment. This development will includeevaluaon of operaonal aspects and support ofGTG and shipboard systems integraon.For the next generaon of mulfunconcapability, ONR is presently examining HybridEnergy Storage Module(s). Hybrid Energy StorageModule(s) with high power and energy densies,and high rate capability while achieving scalabilityat all power levels, will maximize performance,enhance fuel efficiency, and enable future highpower weapons and sensor systems on legacyand next generaon vehicles and plaorms. Thiscapability to store power dense electrical energyhaving variable charge and discharge rates inmodular-reconfigurable packages is projectedto extend fuel efficiency up to 40% in forwardoperang bases and military plaorms, whileproviding robustness and easy maintenance.The development of hybrid systems with theseenergy and power capabilies poses a uniqueset of technical challenges. To surmount theseshared and parallel challenges, a joint AdvancedResearch Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) andAssistant Secretary of Defense for Research andEngineering (ASD(R&E)) program was announcedby Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus at the ARPA-EEnergy Innovaon Summit on 2 March 2011.ONR is leading the effort on the ASD(R&E) side21

www.onr.navy.mil/innovate Vol. 8 | Spring 2012with an equal partner from ARPA-E. To date, thisprogram has iniated efforts impacng taccal toimprove fuel efficiency in the balefield; aircrato improve generator reliability; and large powerfor connuous pulse and fuel efficient operaon.In collaboraon, the ARPA-E’s AdvancedManagement and Protecon of Energy-storageDevices (AMPED) technology can then potenallyextend the operaonal performance benefits andsafety for these applicaons beyond the hybridstorage module baseline design configuraons.Overall, shipboard energy storage modulesprovide the potenal to enhance operaonsand provide fuel savings aboard both legacyand future plaorms. As ESM’s componenttechnologies improve in the future, their abilityto be further integrated into shipboard electricalarchitectures and assist in maintaining overallsystem power quality will increase as well. •ESM cabinet dimensionsESMEnergy StoragePower Electronics(4x ~150kW LRUs,ThermMgmt)Balance of Plant(MstrCntrl, HMI,Cntrl PS)22

Vol. 8 | Spring 2012www.onr.navy.mil/innovateQ&AWITH THE energymmowgli TEAMCDR Jim Goudreau, OPNAV N45,Task Force EnergyDr. Larry Schuette,ONR Director of Innovation1) In just a few sentences, please give theaudience an explanaon of what exactlyMassively Mulplayer Online WargameLeveraging the Internet (MMOWGLI) is:(Dr. Schuee) MMOWGLI is a new crowdsourcingtool that has been developed by the Office ofNaval Research and its partners, Instute forthe Future and Naval Postgraduate School,to solve tough problems facing the Navy andMarine Corps. MMOWGLI is an online gameplaorm designed to elicit collecve intelligencefrom an engaged pool of world-wide playersto solve real problems. Mulmedia techniquesimmerse players into the game, where compellingcondions engage their aenon. Piracy off thecoast of Africa was the successful debut scenario.This reconfigurable plaorm can be adapted toany scenario, and ONR will next use MMOWGLIto find creave soluons to power and energyproblems. But it is a general-purpose tool suitablefor many uses.2) What do you hope to achieve withenergyMMOWGLI?(CDR Goudreau) We hope to increase theawareness of energy security as a naonalsecurity issue as well as smulang discussionthat will allow the Navy to achieve greater energyresiliency and combat capability.(Dr. Schuee) ONR is always looking for ways tobring new ideas into the building, to help buildnew concept of operaons (CONOPs), and to beintroduced to new principal invesgators whocan help us in our mission to develop futuretechnologies for our Sailors and Marines.3) What made you decide energy for thegame’s scenario?(Dr. Schuee) With so many future outcomes inthe energy arena and an expansive stakeholdercommunity, we chose a topic that we thoughtwould help unite such a ubiquitous field.Addionally, we wanted to find a customeroutside of ONR to use the MMOWGLI plaormand to benefit from the ideas played in the game.The Navy’s Task Force Energy was a naturalpartner and they were interested in teaming up.The MMOWGLI plaorm is suitable for tacklinga broad range of challenges from macro-levelissues that impact naonal security and mulplestakeholders to micro-level, programmacchallenges that impact a smaller community.Aer the pilot on Somalia Piracy, the MMOWGLIcore team wanted to run a second scenariothat would bring to the game a broad range ofplayers from different organizaons. Over thepast decade, we have seen an increase in powerand energy research and investment across DoD,government, academia and industry.4) Could you give us an example of what the firstround of energyMMOWGLI would entail?(CDR Goudreau) The first round could be anexaminaon of what our energy future looks likeif we fail to act now. Every day that petroleumprices increase, it erodes our ability to train for23

www.onr.navy.mil/innovate Vol. 8 | Spring 2012and execute operaons that our naon demandsof us. Lile by lile, that results in decreasedcombat capability, and that is something that wesimply cannot accept.5) Do you ancipate more or less parcipaoncompared to the first MMOWGLI round?(Dr. Schuee) I think the first round of MMOWGLIgameplay benefied from having the newnessfactor. However, I think this scenario is one thatmore people have a direct interest in. I think theNavy is going to get a lot of parcipaon from thepublic and I look forward to reading some of thenovel ideas that are exchanged in game.6) What types of players do you ancipate forthis round of gameplay?(CDR Goudreau) We’re hoping for an extremelydiverse group of players including talented,thoughul players from academia, industry,military, government, NGOs and global cizens.7) Other than the scenario, have there been anymajor alteraons to the game?(Dr. Schuee) Since the pilot launched last year,we’ve made upgrades to the funcons in thegame such as in-game messaging which allowsyou to contact any player in the game withoutsharing your work or personal email addresseswith anyone. We’ve also improved the game’ssupporng architecture to ensure that moreconcurrent players can join in on the acon.8) What do you think is the biggest challenge forthe Navy in regards to energy efficiency?(CDR Goudreau) Our challenge is two-fold, really.First, we have to make our exisng Fleet moreefficient since this is the Fleet we will have for thenext 30-40 years. Even more importantly, though,we need to build into our culture the belief thatenergy efficiency is a key capability that deliversmore combat capability and can help us prevailwhen we steam into harm’s way.9) What do you think will be the biggest scienceand technology breakthrough in reducing energyuse for the Navy?(CDR Goudreau) I don’t think there will be anyone single breakthrough that will solve all ofour challenges. There’s no silver bullet out thereto make this go away. We’ll achieve our goalsthrough applicaon of a range of technologiesand approaches, while also changing our cultureof consumpon. How we behave is in some waysmore important than what we are using, andwe are looking to energyMMOWGLI to help usincrease awareness of the need for change.(Dr. Schuee) I think in order to answer thisqueson you have to look at the problemholiscally and through a business lens. Thelargest drivers of our Navy’s energy costs areat the taccal edge: our ships and aircra. Wespend a significant amount of me and moneygeng fuel to these plaorms. When lookingacross our Navy’s assets and considering futuretechnical investment, we have to consider thefull life cycle of that plaorm with energy onlybeing a piece of the challenge. When determiningwhich technologies to invest in for the plaorm,we need to evaluate the trade space in termsof return in investment (ROI). Once you havean evaluaon structure like this in place thatconsiders ROI from the perspecve of the Navyacquision and sustainment communies, thenyou can decide what technology to invest in.Boom line, we need to consider the value ofthe energy savings in order to make a smartinvestment in energy reducons.10) Do you think we will be able to reach theSECNAV’s energy reducon targets by 2020?How?(CDR Goudreau) I think we will achieve them, butwe have a long way to go and it will not be easy.Wise investments across a range of technologywill be the key, along with culture change fromthe deckplates to senior leadership.11) When do you ancipate the game launching?(CDR Goudreau) We ancipate a great gametaking place this spring, followed by more roundsof energyMMOWGLI in the future. •SIGN-UPfor inside access to the game launch in Spring 2012hp://www.onr.navy.mil/energymmowgli24

Vol. 8 | Spring p 2012www.onr.navy.mil/innovate. o.navy innonovavateTHE U.S.–CZECH INNOVATION CONFERENCEEXPLORING THEINNOVATION OPPORTUNITYMs. Dylan Ottman, TechSolutions Program AnalystCharles Bridge, Prague,Czech RepublicThe Office of Naval Research(ONR) sponsored andfacilitated an internaonalinnovaon conferencebetween the United Statesand the Czech Republic inPrague, March 5-6. The U.S.–Czech Innovaon Conference:Exploring the InnovaonOpportunity, broughttogether senior governmentpolicymakers, leaders inacademia and pioneers inindustry from both the U.S.and the Czech Republic in aneffort to enhance U.S.-Czechcooperaon in science andtechnology (S&T) innovaon.The conference alerted Czechresearchers to opportuniesfor funding from leadingU.S. research organizaons,allowed parcipants toreflect on past U.S.-Czechinnovaon conferences andcurrent collaboraon projects,enabled parcipants todiscuss and appreciate majordevelopments in innovaon,and promoted discussionabout noteworthy reportsfocused on innovaon. Lastly,the conference deepenedthe innovaon partnershipbetween the U.S. and theCzech Republic based onthe mutual understandingthat in today’s internaonalmarketplace innovaonis the key driver of thefuture economy.One of conference goals wasto inform the Czech Republicof opportunies for fundingfrom U.S. organizaons tosupport Czech research.ONR funds Czech scienstswho can rise to the levelneeded to solve some of themost crical internaonalresearch challenges. TheCzech Republic does not havea Navy, but they recognizethe value in partnering withan organizaon that servesthe U.S. naval forces and thatcould lead to technologicaland innovave advances ina many areas within theircountry. ONR funds S&Tresearch that supports thewarfighter; many of theseprograms have commercialapplicaons as well and asa result, they have led todevelopments that improvethe quality of life and increasesecurity for civilians incountries around the globe.“The U.S. Navy supportsmore basic research in othercountries than any otherU.S. service,” Dr. Kassner,ONR’s Director of Research,explained when asked howthe U.S. and ONR couldsupport the Czech Republic’sinnovaon in S&T.This is not the first me theU.S. and the Czech Republichave come together for anS&T-focused conference25

www.onr.navy.mil/innovate Vol. 8 | Spring 2012and certainly it will not bethe last. ONR has fundednine internaonal scienficconferences in the CzechRepublic since 2010; focusareas have included materialsscience, cyber security,human performance andmilitary medicine, andsignal processing. To date,ONR Global has fundedfive research grants in theCzech Republic for studiesof mul-agent systems inair-space management,distributed control systems,trust management underuncertainty, distributedcompung using graphicsprocessing units, andcyber security.The U.S. and the CzechRepublic conferenceparcipants agreed that intoday’s highly compeveinterconnected world everycountry’s number one priorityis to use S&T to create30%innovaon and translate S&Tinto business opportunies.A high quality of life forevery country’s cizens isdependent upon quality jobs,which primarily come fromor as a result of opportuniesand developments in S&T.During the conference, bothnaons’ representavesreferenced a report popularlyreferred to as the “GatheringStorm,” to emphasize theimportance of S&T in everycountry. In “Rising Above theGathering Storm: Energizingand Employing America fora Brighter Economic Future,”the Naonal Academiesconducted a review ofAmerica’s compeve posionin a newly evolved globallandscape and concluded that,“not only is the world flat,but in fact it may be ppingagainst us.” Released in 2005,the report emphasized thatinnovaon will be the primarydriver of the future economyand that concurrent growth ofjobs in the 21 st century will bea direct result of progress inscience and engineering.Meengs such as the U.S.–Czech Innovaon Conferenceallow both countries to askbold, crical quesons andcall aenon to researchthat aempts to answerthese quesons. In this newlyevolved global marketplace,both the U.S. and the CzechRepublic recognize the vitalimportance of invesng ininnovaon partnerships today.It is difficult to see wheretoday’s basic research willlead us in the future withmuch certainty. However,both countries see thatinvestments made in S&Talong with efforts to leverageworld class internaonalresearch will spark newinnovaon and producestronger economies. •Navy energy use is 30% oftotal DoD energy use.75 % & 25 %The Navy uses 75% of its energyafl oat and 25% ashore.NUMBERS26

Vol. 8 | Spring 2012www.onr.navy.mil/innovateDIRECTOR’S CORNERLENGTHENING THE LEASHDr. Larry Schuette,ONR Director of InnovationConflict over natural resources is as old a themeas warfare itself. If you peel back the onion of pastconflicts what has been raonalized on simplerterms can also be explained by what resourcescould be found in the contested region. Whilethe interest in maintaining access to oil fromthe Arabian Gulf is well known, there are otherexamples that while more subtle are sll visibletoday. For example, Barbara Tuchman in her(excellent, highly recommended) book “The Gunsof August” arculates well the dynamics of WorldWar I and its antecedents. One of those was theFranco-Prussian War of 1870. The young GermanEmpire insisted on annexing Alsace-Lorraine bothfor the strategic border shi it would providebut also for the iron ore found in the region. Thereverberaons from that conflict have echoed formore than a century.In the last century, the U.S. Navy switched fromcoal to oil as the principal means of energy forits ships. (N.B., we can thank President TheodoreRoosevelt for the shi to oil; I can’t imagine doingan Underway Replenishment with coal.). Easilytransported, available worldwide, oil is the fuelof choice for trucks, planes and ships: and as astrategic resource is fought over. The Departmentof Defense has worked hard to secure andprotect the fuel used by our defense systems andplaorms. Thus oil is a double edged sword: thevery thing responsible for enabling operaonsand therefore providing naonal security has putour Sailors and Marines lives and security at riskwhile protecng its transport.Our naonal policy to reduce energy consumponand switch to alternave fuels provides strategicand taccal advantages to the Department ofDefense. The strategic advantage occurs becausean increase in energy efficiency implies a globalreducon in compeon for resources. At thetaccal level there are implicaons on land andat sea. On land, fewer fuel convoys are requiredto resupply the troops and marines in the field.Fewer convoys mean less risk to the troopsproviding convoy protecon. At sea, an increasein energy efficiency means less need to replenishfuel which translates to fewer tankers and thetaccal advantage of a longer leash.With new research into innovave power andenergy systems and alternave fuels comes arealized desire to make changes that can leadtowards, “lengthening our leash.” Power andenergy (P&E) is one of those topics that impactsa wide variety of technical areas. At the Officeof Naval Research (ONR) we have programsacross all departments looking to advance ourcapabilies in P&E. ONR invests in programs incompact power conversion technologies thatare geared towards enabling the Navy’s NextGeneraon Integrated Power Systems aboardfuture surface ships and submarines. We aresponsoring research into silicon carbide switchesthat enable compact, lighter, and energy densepower conversion. We are sponsoring energyefficient jet engines for next generaon aircra.We are working with other government agenciessuch as the U.S. Department of Agricultureto develop sustainable biomass producon.In short, we are powering forward as aresearch community to help our Navy meet itsenergy goals.You see, we need to lengthen our leash just a lileand that can make a significant difference. It’s astarng point and one that ONR and the navalresearch community takes seriously. •27