U.S. Navy Awards Florida State University $10.9 Million for Work on All-Electric Ship
July 20, 2000
Contact:
Barbara Ash, (850) 644-8138
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The U.S. Navy's vision of an all-electric ship is one step closer to reality. The Office of Naval Research has awarded Florida State University $10.9 million over three years to begin research and development of the electric drive and integrated power systems that will propel these next-generation ships in the 21st century.
The new technology will revolutionize the Navy's war-fighting capabilities by improving combat effectiveness while reducing operational costs and crew size. Electric ships will cut crew size from several hundred to 95. In current ships, propulsion systems use up to 90 percent of a ship's space capacity. All-electric ships will free hull space, reducing ship weight, increasing payloads, and allowing greater design flexibility.
Eliminating hydraulics and compressed air also will lead to cleaner, quieter, un-interruptible and re-configurable electric power systems. The new systems will allow the Navy to take advantage of future direct energy conversion sources, electric weapons, and advanced sensors and defenses.
“This is a major transition that will build a Navy of the next century that is fundamentally stronger than the Navy of the past and better adapted to seize the opportunities of the future,” said Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig. “The architecture of our ships will change dramatically as will the conditions under which our sailors operate and the way we go to sea. Electric drive will change the character and power of our forces in revolutionary ways.”
While research and development of next-generation ship propulsion will be a major focus at the Florida State University's Center for Advanced Power Systems, the Navy and FSU scientists expect equipment and systems developed at the center to have broader applications in aerospace, defense, and electric utilities.
Earlier this year, ONR awarded FSU $175,000 to generate commercial interest and cooperation in the research and development program. In June, ONR awarded the university another contract to bring the grand total to $10.9 million over the next three years.
“Our significant multimillion dollar investment in the Florida State University Center for Advanced Power Systems recognizes the contribution that FSU can make to this vital Navy initiative,” said Adm. Jay Cohen, director of ONR.
The Center for Advanced Power Systems will build on the expertise of FSU's National High Magnetic Field Laboratory in materials, superconductivity and high-field electro-magnetics. In addition, FSU and the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering can apply their considerable resources to develop new equipment and systems for electrical power applications and for educating the next generation of electrical power system engineers. The center is dedicated to developing a multidisciplinary research program with a strong partnership between government, industry and a major research university.
“We see this opportunity to work closely with the Navy, other federal agencies and the private sector as a unique collaboration and one that will serve all participants well,” said Raymond Bye, vice president for research at FSU. “The creation of this center at Florida State University will move the vision for an all-electric Navy to the next level.”
The FSU Center for Advanced Power Systems (CAPS) is composed of scientists at Florida State University, the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (NHMFL) in Tallahassee, the FSU-FAMU College of Engineering, and other academic and industrial participants.
Further information:
Mr. James Ferner, CAPS Interim Director
Florida State University
1800 East Paul Dirac Drive
Tallahassee, FL 32310
ferner@magnet.fsu.edu
850-644-9360
fax: 850-644-9462
