Rotating machines for pulsed power

The requirement for more compact pulsed power sources is increasing in response to a broad range of pulsed and intermittent duty electric weapon systems currently under development. Electromagnetic launchers, aircraft catapults, directed energy systems including microwave sources and electric lasers, and electric armors all require high energies delivered intermittently at very high power. Power systems that can provide both compact energy storage and have the ability to generate, condition and deliver power to these types of loads are of particular interest. Recent advances in rotating machines that incorporate composite structural materials have allowed significant improvement in the achievable energy storage density. Optimized electromagnetic designs, using both iron-based and air-core magnetic circuits, are being studied for pulsed and intermittent duty applications. Combining these electromagnetic designs with the ability to store energy in compact form, and advanced output power conditioning technologies offers a variety of opportunities for rotating machine innovation in pulsed power. This paper summarizes current trends in high-performance pulsed rotating machine development, and discusses some of the trade-offs involved in the selection of an appropriate rotating machine approach to a given set of application requirements. A system level view, including energy recharge, output power conditioning, and auxiliary support systems, must be considered to minimize overall power supply weight and volume. In some cases, where compactness is not the driving constraint, there are opportunities to improve efficiency and reliability, reduce complexity, or improve output pulse fidelity.