Rockwell, U.S. Navy to develop power conversion technologies

Thousand Oaks, Calif . — Rockwell International and the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research announced Nov. 9 the formation of a team to develop point-of-use power conversion technologies for commercial and defense applications. The two-year, $8 million project will operate under the Joint Services Dual-Use Science and Technology Program and the Office of Naval Research Power Electronics Building Blocks Program. Rockwell will provide the majority of funding.

If the program succeeds, it will provide significant advances in both power density and efficiency, resulting in significant size reduction and energy savings in many types of electronics.

The effort will attempt to achieve such objectives as: 50% increase in motor drive power density; 50% reduction in size and weight of aircraft power conversion systems with significant increases in efficiency and power; and dc-dc power converters that are 1-in.3in volume and 90% efficient. Hank Marcy, director of government programs for Rockwell’s Science Center, its principal research and development laboratory, says these improvements will be pursued through the use of advanced silicon power devices, advanced packaging techniques and materials, and advanced power conversion control algorithms.

The center will head the development programs, using recent government investments in power conversion and control technology. Partners on the team are: Rockwell Automation (Milwaukee, Wis.) and Rockwell Collins (Cedar Rapids, Ia.); Boeing Inc. (Seattle, Wa.); U.S. Department of Energy (Washington, D.C.); Oak Ridge National Laboratory (Oak Ridge, Tenn.); and Lambda Electronics Inc. (Melville, N.Y.).

“We’re very proud to be part of this team,” says Derek Cheung, Rockwell’s research vp and director of the Science Center. “These programs will realize significant performance and cost benefits for our industrial customers as well as contribute to the nation’s defense.”

Rockwell Automation’s contribution will be the development of standard cell-based design and manufacturing approaches for solid-state motor drives. These motor drives are the most energy efficient means for controlling speed and torque of motors, which is critical in many industrial and military processes. The standard cell-based approach will make it easier to deliver performance and cost optimized products.

For more information, visit www.controleng.com/freeinfo or www.rockwell.com.

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