40 OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2007

ARMY AL&T

Army Invests in Testing Facilities to SupportCurrent and Future Technologies

Dr. Grace M. Bochenek and Jennifer Hitchcock

The U.S. Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineer-

ing Center (TARDEC) has played a critical role in developing a

hybrid electric powerpack designed to meet all anticipated Future

Combat Systems (FCS) Manned Ground Vehicle power requirements (see

Army Transitions Hybrid Electric Technology to FCS Manned Ground

Vehicles, Page 36). TARDEC has also been instrumental in developing the

testing facilities, expertise and processes necessary to ensure that each

powerpack component, and the powerpack as an integrated whole, will

answer de facto requirements for each FCS ground vehicle variant that

eventually goes into production.

Mike Reid, Lab Director for Ground Vehicle Power & Mobility (left), explains the system components of a new dieselengine to Assistant Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology Claude M. Bolton Jr. during a recent tour of the Michigan EGTL. (Photo courtesy of TARDEC.)

A_ALT_Oct-Dec 2007_V10_CC.qxp 9/25/2007 11:53 PM Page 40

Army propulsion systems are inher-ently expensive and time-consumingto change or upgrade once a vehiclehas entered production. SuccessfulArmy transformation demands thatthe best possible propulsion technolo-gies get into the vehicle developmentlife cycle at the earliest possible junc-ture. Early life-cycle collaboration be-tween Army science and technology(S&T), acquisition and industry part-ners makes this possible.

To successfully transition and integratethese technologies into a vehicle plat-form that is itself under development, itis necessary to adopt evolutionary acqui-sition practices and constantly test, refineand reengineer the propulsion system asthe vehicle platform matures. That re-quires still greater collaboration betweenall program partners, and demands thevery latest in testing instrumentation,

facilities and methodologies from theS&T community.

In short, it is notenough for the S&Tcommunity to delivera state-of-the-artproduct at a certainpoint in time. Itmust also be preparedto partner with pro-gram managers andchief engineers tomonitor field dataand to fully test andrefine that productthroughout the host platform’s devel-opment life cycle.

TARDEC has worked for the lastdecade to ensure that it can deliver onboth of these requirements. Theprocess typically begins with propulsion

system component testing at govern-ment and contractor facilities to verifyperformance capabilities and specifica-

tions. Componentsare then tested at thesubsystem and, finally,the entire propulsionsystem level. Individ-ual components oftenbehave much differ-ently than intendedwhen integrated intoa system, and addi-tional engineeringwork is required to resolve installed

systems-level performance conflicts.

TARDEC Engine GeneratorTest Laboratory (EGTL)TARDEC has been conductingcomponent-level and subsystem testingof FCS engine/generator elements for

ARMY AL&T

41OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2007

Successful Army

transformation demands

that the best possible

propulsion technologies

get into the vehicle

development life cycle at

the earliest possible

juncture.

A_ALT_Oct-Dec 2007_V10_CC.qxp 9/25/2007 11:54 PM Page 41

the past year at its Michigan EGTL.This testing includes verification of en-gine/generator performance and cool-ing loads, validation of power systemtransient response for vehicle perform-ance and mapping offuel consumption forthe power system.

TARDEC’s EGTLwas configured fromthe onset specificallyfor FCS engine/gener-ator testing. The cellhas a custom-builtload bank capable of600 kilowatt (kW)power absorption. Ithas a custom inverter system consistingof 4 Emerson industrial inverters with apower absorption capability of 500 kWand a current rating of 880 amperes.The cell has a customized high-pressurefuel system capable of delivering fuel at11 bar and 3 cooling system loops tomeet FCS propulsion system require-ments.

Two high-speed data acquisition sys-tems acquire the data (300 low-speedand 120 high-speed channels capableof sampling the data at 1,000 hertz).The high-speed data acquisition canperform engine combustion analysis upto 2 million samples per second. Theseadvanced facilities provide FCS vehicleintegrators with very high fidelity datato validate performance, incorporatethe data into FCS modeling and simu-lation efforts, and refine the propulsionsystem architecture development.

TARDEC Power and EnergySystem Integration Laboratory(P&E SIL)The P&E SIL is another proactiveTARDEC investment that the FCSprogram has leveraged for state-of-the-art testing of combat vehicle hybridpower propulsion systems at the whole

system level. Located in the heart ofSilicon Valley, the P&E SIL is a com-panion lab to TARDEC’s Michigan fa-cilities, which are strategically at theheart of the world’s automotive capital.

The SIL maximizesthe Army’s ability totap into the technicalexpertise that both lo-cations offer.

The SIL was built in1995 to support theDefense AdvancedResearch ProjectsAgency’s (DARPA’s)Combat HybridPower System pro-

gram. In 2000, DARPA transitionedthe facility to the Army, and specifi-cally to TARDEC. Initially, the labfocused on hybrid electric system component-level research, develop-ment and testing of electric motors,power electronics and high-power/high-energy batteries. Since then,TARDEC and its “One Team” part-ners — including the FCS Brigade

Combat Team, Boeing, BAE Systems,General Dynamics Land Systems andScience Applications International Corp.— have matured the SIL to allow forsubsystem, and now for full system, hy-brid electric research and development.

All along, TARDEC has been transi-tioning the SIL’s data and results to theFCS program, while constantly refiningand maturing the base technologies. InAugust, a fully integrated engine/gener-ator system was installed in the SIL’s“Hot Buck,” a one-of-a-kind virtualFCS test bed platform, for full loadtesting. This represents the first timethat real FCS hardware is integratedinto a full hybrid electric power systemin a vehicle platform, and is an exampleof true technology transfer. The engineand generator data produced byTARDEC’s EGTL is being fed into theSIL’s 440 kW hybrid drive system. Inturn, TARDEC test equipment con-nected to the Hot Buck is providingcritical data on FCS hardware opera-tional capabilities before that hardwareis installed in the first FCS vehicle.

42 OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2007

ARMY AL&T

The P&E SIL is another

proactive TARDEC

investment that the FCS

program has leveraged for

state-of-the-art testing of

combat vehicle hybrid

power propulsion systems

at the whole system level.

Dr. Grace Bochenek, TARDEC Director (left), describes the technologies thathave been integrated into the Hot Buck test bed at the TARDEC P&E SILceremony held Aug. 15, 2007. (Photo courtesy of TARDEC.)

A_ALT_Oct-Dec 2007_V10_CC.qxp 9/25/2007 11:54 PM Page 42

Another important SIL benefit is itsability to develop system models toevaluate performance, and to defineand develop the software required tooperate this very complex propulsionsystem. Today, the SIL is operatingthe FCS Hot Buck platform to helpwork through system integration is-sues, as well as to iterate and optimizethe FCS propulsion system design.This FCS platform is used for testing,evaluating and collecting valuable dataon FCS hardware operational capabil-ity before it is integrated into the firstFCS vehicle.

Investing in the FutureThe EGTL and P&E SIL are redefin-ing how the Army develops and testsfuture propulsion systems. In the past,the only testing option was to simplyrun a propulsion system or component

test and collect basic power data at dif-ferent temperatures and speeds. Today,as the technologies are advancing, so isTARDEC’s investment in testingequipment and processes.

The Army must have systems that candeliver fuel at high pressures and ab-sorb electrical power at 750 volts di-rect current, and must be able tomeasure and control large power gen-eration, energy storage and energy re-covery. Army Test Operating Proce-dures (TOPs) must also be reviewedfor applicability to new technology.For example, the Army is currentlychanging its fuel economy TOP to besuitable to test fuel economy of hybridelectric vehicles. Reliability and safetytesting have begun on the lithium ionbatteries needed for FCS and othercurrent platforms.

These investments in advanced facili-ties and reengineering of current test-ing methods and procedures are layingthe groundwork for future technologytransitions to the warfighter. Technol-ogy improvements such as high-temperature silicon carbide power electronics and other advanced tech-nologies will lead the way to achievinga propulsion system power densitygoal of 8-10 net horsepower/cubic feetfor the future. This combination oftechnology improvements, facility ad-vancements, updated testing methods,and Army and industry cooperationand collaboration — early in the S&Tdevelopment process — are critical totransitioning the latest technologies tothe battlefield as quickly and effi-ciently as possible.

DR. GRACE M. BOCHENEK is the Di-rector for the U.S. Army’s Research, Devel-opment and Engineering Command’sTARDEC. She holds a B.S. in electrical en-gineering from Wayne State University, anM.S. in engineering from the University ofMichigan and a Ph.D. in industrial engi-neering from the University of CentralFlorida. An Army Acquisition Corps mem-ber, Bochenek brings more than 20 years ofscientific, technical and managerial experi-ence to her position.

JENNIFER HITCHCOCK is the AssociateDirector for Ground Vehicle Power andMobility Technology at TARDEC. Sheholds a B.S. in mechanical engineering fromLawrence Technological University and anM.S. in engineering from Oakland Univer-sity. Hitchcock has more than 18 years oftechnical and managerial experience in mo-bility and power and energy technologies,system engineering, acquisition and pro-gram management.

ARMY AL&T

43OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2007

The TARDEC P&E SIL ceremony, which marked thecommencement of testing on a new engine/generatorunit designed to propel and provide auxiliary powerto all FCS ground vehicles, showcased the Hot Buck.(Photo courtesy of TARDEC.)

A_ALT_Oct-Dec 2007_V10_CC.qxp 9/25/2007 11:54 PM Page 43