North Haven, CT (February 7th, 2017) – Precision Combustion, Inc. (PCI) announced it has been awarded a Department of Defense (DOD) Phase I Small Business Innovation Research funding to develop a soldier portable, flameless, thermal to electric battery charger, capable of being fueled by a variety of fuels. This will provide the ability to charge batteries in the field, thus reducing the number of batteries typically required for an extended mission and reducing the pack weight for the soldier.
PCI’s innovative device could produce the same power levels as currently carried soldier batteries at 1/6th the weight. This weight reduction presents significant performance and operational efficiency gains to the military.
By being fuel flexible, PCI’s high efficiency battery charger can utilize the logistics fuel available to the military in a wide variety of circumstances and regions.
According to Subir Roychoudhury, PCI’s Vice President of Research and Engineering, “PCI’s burner design is fuel flexible (including for JP-8 and propane) and has demonstrated stable operation at very high surface temperatures required for efficient TPV operation. Developing a light weight thermophotovoltaic device to provide power at the tactical edge is challenging, but by advancing our expertise in catalytic reactors we are able to design and test solutions to produce a valuable tool to the Army. The burner can be readily applied to TPV’s from various OEM’s, with a range of operating temperatures and form factors. This makes the burner and system TPV or TEG agnostic. Our Microlith® solution can be used for many diverse applications, and by working with component providers we are able to produce systems with previously unattainable efficiency.”
Kevin Burns, President of PCI, adds “Having a successful track record for developing lightweight, durable, and efficient JP-8 burners allows PCI to readily adapt our knowledge to the Army’s needs for a portable power alternative to heavy battery packs.”
The deliverable at the end of Phase I will be a comprehensive 25 W generator design, supported with experimental and analytical data that will allow quantitative comparison with the solicitation metrics. It will include battery charging electronics and all balance of plant component selection.
Precision Combustion, Inc. is a clean energy technology development company directed to energy sector applications. To learn more, visit www.Precision-Combustion.com
For more information, please contact:
Tony Anderson
Director, Marketing and Business Development
203-287-3700 ext. 290
