Project Website http://esrdc.mit.edu/
Project Start Date January 2008
The Electric Ship Research and Development Consortium (ESRDC) brings together in a single entity the combined programs and resources of leading electric power research institutions to advance near to mid-term electric ship concepts. Additionally, the consortium addresses the national shortage of electric power engineers by providing educational opportunities for students in state-of-the-art experimental facilities. Member instutions include: The Florida State University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Mississippi State University, Naval Post Graduate School, Purdue University, United States Naval Academy, University of South Carolina, and the University of Texas at Austin. The ESRDC's efforts contribute to the goal of ensuring the United States' superiority in electric systems well into the future. The ESRDC is supported through a grant from the United States Office of Naval Research.
The U.S. Navy is investing in technology for an electric naval force to enable increasing affordability and military capability. This transformational war fighting capability represents unprecedented levels of system complexity, through integrated electric power systems technologies that will include electric propulsion, energy storage, and enable integration of future electric weapons and sensors, while ensuring system communality.
The unique and challenging requirements of the electric naval force require a dedicated effort in development and assessment of technologies and system engineering, and in manpower.
To achieve the goals of the electric naval force, the Navy is making substantial investments in universities to provide leadership in the technologies and system engineering, as well as the education and training of the employees in both the Navy and industry.
As a result, the Office of Naval Research established the Electric Ship Research and Development Consortium in 2002 to stimulate a multidisciplinary approach to the electric naval force system complexity, and to develop the necessary tools for the complex system design and engineering to reduce the risk and costs of early decisions.
The five major thrusts are: • Combat Power and Energy Systems (CPES) Design Methodologies • High Power Dense Component Development and Characterization • System Management and Control Technologies • Developing New Design Functionalities: S3D, LEAPS, and RSDE • System Level Experimentation
Through these projects, the ESRDC expects to significantly expand the science and technology base needed by the Navy and industry to successfully build the necessary functionality, increased efficiency and reliability, and cost effectiveness into the All Electric Ship.