Home : Home : Team Ships : PEO Ships : Electric Ships Office : New Technologies:
Electric Ships Office
New Technologies:

The ESO serves as the power and energy bridge between Science and Technology (S&T) office and ship platform and mission systems acquisition programs by identifying prospective applications for S&T research, advanced development, and performing additional product development and qualification when necessary to meet platform or mission system requirements.

Innovative technologies will be required to satisfy electric power demands for advanced sensors and weapons, which is why PMS 320 is continually working across the Fleet to develop and transition innovative technologies to enable these advanced warfighting capabilities. PMS 320 is the transition sponsor for four ongoing Future Naval Capability, Enabling Capability developments at the Office of Naval Research:

  • Advanced Circuit Protection: Being pursued to address shipboard electrical DC circuit protection needs, the objective of this product is to reduce electrical fault detection time and clearing time by a factor of 100 relative to today’s shipboard circuit breaker technology. Such a reduction in fault clearing time will lead to a proportional reduction in energy that would need to be dissipated by the equipment in the power system during a fault. Reduced energy dissipation could lead to a reduction in the size and weight of the power distribution equipment, thereby increasing the power system’s overall power density.
  • Multi-function Energy Storage: Advanced energy storage will enable safe operation of energy storage systems, enable affordable high power and energy dense storage, enable multi-function system development and support sharing energy storage capacity among different applications. It will support back fit on existing platforms, and operate with future systems on new platforms.

  • Robust Combat Power Control: Methods that take full advantage of a ship’s energy resources to deliver the required energy to the mission systems. Enables Higher Power Weapons and Sensors on platforms, provides “Mission Load Power Elasticity,” utilizes shared energy storage and higher bandwidth capabilities of power conversion equipment located within distribution system, configures system to operate at maximum efficiently when appropriate and switch to maximum performance when necessary through 3-way communication and control between machinery system, mission planning and directed energy mission systems, and will comply with cyber security requirements.

  • Advanced Gas Turbine Materials: The Navy is developing advanced coatings for gas turbine components to extend their life. As mission systems receive more power, the Navy will be running GTGs for extended periods of time at close to rated power. The ESO initiated these actions due to the combination of additional operating time, prolonged temperatures, and high salt environment initiated these actions.