Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division (NSWC Crane) has entered into a new cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with Purdue University. The focus of this agreement will be the development of next generation high capacity, safe, reliable and cybersecure energy storage systems.
“This is a great agreement to couple Purdue's vast power and energy research with NSWC Crane, which features the Department of Defense’s (DoD) largest collection of expertise on energy storage and interconnect technologies,” said John Fassino, NSWC Crane’s Principal Investigator. “As the future Naval combat systems become more integrated, the need for more flexible, networked, and adaptive power and energy solutions will be required to meet mission demands. This collaborative research will help foster the innovative solutions necessary for mission performance while reducing size, weight, and power requirements, and also improving safety on military platforms.”
The desired end result of this agreement between NSWC Crane and Purdue University is to provide safe, non-flammable, non-explosive batteries; ammo piercing, high-impact collision-safe devices; low-weight, high volumetric density solutions; long-life energy supply well exceeding mission duration needs; and built-in battery health monitoring.
“Safe, reliable, cyber secure energy storage systems are pivotal to the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps to meet surface, undersea, air, facilities and expeditionary requirements,” said Dr. Ernesto Marinero, Purdue’s Principal Investigator. “Whereas high energy density lithium batteries offer the capacity requirements for various missions, their safety and reliability hinders their wide implementation for military applications. Purdue University and NSWC Crane seek to develop – through the execution of this CRADA – materials solutions for batteries, as well as the technologies required to provide real time information on their state of charge and state of health.”
A CRADA provides federal laboratories with a vehicle to facilitate the transfer of commercially useful technologies from federal labs to the private sector. NSWC Crane’s Technology Transfer (T2) Program helps link federal research and development to academic institutions and businesses in the private sector. The program has partnerships with more than 100 businesses, individuals and universities.
NSWC Crane is a naval laboratory and a field activity of Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). The warfare center is responsible for multi-domain, multi-spectral, full life cycle support of technologies and systems enhancing capability of today’s warfighter.