NPES TDR 2024 Industry RFI_Final.pdf

Naval Power and Energy Systems Technology Development Roadmap Request for Information (RFI)

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

NAVSEA RFI Announcement # N00024-24-I-4144

Naval Power & Energy Systems Technology Development Roadmap (NPES TDR) Update

DESCRIPTION:

The TDR will be updated to align with the latest strategic guidance, including the DoD National Defense Strategy (NDS), the Navy’s Navigation Plan (NAVPLAN), and NAVSEA’s Strategic Framework. The 2022 NDS emphasizes the need to revise the Department’s force development, design, and business practices, advocating for the rapid integration of innovative solutions from both commercial and military sectors. The CNO’s NAVPLAN 2022 aligns the Navy's vision with the 2022 NDS and the Secretary of the Navy’s Strategic Guidance, outlining plans to build a hybrid fleet of manned and unmanned platforms, while also prioritizing investment in smaller, lethal platforms to enhance the Navy’s advantage. NAVSEA’s Strategic Framework, flowing directly from the Navy’s NAVPLAN, focuses on delivering combat power through the on-time delivery of combat-ready ships, submarines, and systems; transforming digital capabilities; and building competitive teams. Ensuring TDR alignment is critical to keep future power and energy (P&E) system investments closely aligned with broader strategic objectives.

PURPOSE:

A ship’s P&E systems enable advanced capability by providing necessary interfaces for sensors, weapons, the combat system, and other loads. In general, the goal of the NPES TDR is to meet the needs of emerging loads by fostering innovation and capability development. To achieve this goal, this RFI asks for projected NPES advancements that will make NPES more agile to accommodate future loads, and improve our ability to operate, maintain and provide logistics support. Applications for these advancements include new construction ship designs and back fit opportunities in existing ships.

The Navy is interested in identifying and understanding current and future industry trends.

Benchmarking emerging (five to ten years) and/or breakthrough technologies in the research and development (R&D) pipeline that could benefit P&E systems and align our investment strategies to prepare the introduction of these enhancements to the fleet. By updating the NPES TDR, the U.S. Navy seeks to align expectations with evolving and developing power systems technologies to provide guidance to the military, industrial, and research communities.

The Navy depends on industry participation through this RFI and continued unsolicited communication on emerging technologies to enrich our internal technology benchmarks to inform development and fielding strategies. This RFI serves as an opportunity for industry partners to shape the trajectory of NPES. The more insights NAVSEA gains into current technological trends and the industry's perspective on feasible technologies, the more effectively we can guide and define our next strategic steps. The Navy’s goal and a strategic imperative is to remain aligned with industry advancements. Across all technologies, the following universal requirements are of keen interest and apply: enhancement of personnel and ship safety, reduction in operational and sustainment costs, decreased acquisition expenses, manpower optimization, improved survivability and reliability, maintainability, and availability (RMA), minimized environmental footprint, performance enhancements, and the promotion of commonality, modularity, and open architecture.

DISCLAIMER

This RFI is for informational planning purposes and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government for any actual procurement of materials, machinery, or services. This notice does not constitute a solicitation or a promise of a solicitation in the future. This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service. Respondents are advised that the Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI are solely at the responding parties’ expense. It is desirable that data be received with unlimited rights to the Government.

Nevertheless, we recognize that proprietary data may be included with the information provided.

If so, clearly mark such proprietary information and clearly separate it from the unrestricted information as an addendum.

Respondents are solely responsible for properly marking and clearly identifying any proprietary information or trade secrets contained within their response. The Government will not be liable for or suffer any consequential damages for any proprietary information not properly marked and clearly identified. Proprietary information received in response to this RFI will be safeguarded and handled in accordance with applicable Government regulations. Responses to this notice are not offers and will not be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract or agreement.

The Government will not be obligated to pursue any particular acquisition alternative because of this RFI. Responses to the RFI will not be returned. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future solicitation if one is issued. Specific responses to the approaches will not disqualify or have an impact on participation and evaluation on future solicitations.

SPECIFIC INFORMATION OF INTEREST:

This Request for Information is divided into three sections. Section 1 contains general questions to provide the Department of Navy (DON) a broad understanding of current P&E systems and enabling technologies. Section 2 contains questions based on future technology and market trends. Section 3 contains specific questions to allow the DON to benchmark technologies.

RESPONSE GUIDELINES:

Responses to this RFI should be submitted by 16:00 EST 19 AUG 2024 via e-mail to William Carter, PEO Ships, PMS 460P Power and Energy Assistant Project Manager, at William.R.Carter.civ@us.navy.mil, with a courtesy copy to the Contracting Officer and Contract Specialist noted as points of contact. The subject line of the email should read as follows: “RFI Response NPES TDR Update – N00024-24-I-4144.”

Responses must be provided as pdf attachments to an email. It is recommended that attachments with file sizes exceeding 25MB be submitted via DOD Safe to ensure message delivery.

Respondents wishing to submit information in response to this notification shall notify the Contracting Officer and Contract Specialist noted as points of contact on this RFI no later than three business days prior to the deadline and no earlier than 14 calendar days prior to the deadline. The respondent shall provide their name and e-mail as contact information so the Government can generate a pick-up request from the DoD SAFE application to be sent to the mailto:William.R.Carter.civ@us.navy.mil respondent for submission of unclassified material. The pick-up request link is valid for 14 calendar days.

SECTION I: GENERAL INFORMATION

The following general questions are designed to provide an understanding of the technologies and products in which organizations specialize and their applications. The information will provide background for Sections II and III.

1. How is technology area benchmarked? What is considered the existing state of the art for the technical area?

2. What are the current technology trends in the industry?

3. What are the external influencers (e.g., regulations, emerging markets, new or existing technical standards) driving changes in product lines?

4. What improvements in commercial product lines will be brought to market in the next five to ten years?

5. What work is being done that advances the state of the art that would be of interest to the

Navy?

6. What are the challenges faced in performing militarization and hardening of systems including commercial variants?

SECTION II: TECHNOLOGY TRENDS

NAVSEA seeks to benchmark technology and understand industry trends in the following component areas: prime movers, generation, propulsion motors, distribution, power conversion, electric plant controls, energy storage systems, and thermal management. NAVSEA also seeks to benchmark technology and understand industry trends related to integration and systems engineering to address the following areas: digital engineering; modeling & simulation; digital twins; RMA; obsolescence management; upgradeability for flexible ship and back fit applications (manned and unmanned); open systems architecture considerations; efficiency;

testing & evaluation; and climate and environmental impacts. This is not an all-inclusive list.

Industry thoughts and insights are welcome. Note that industry responses will inform the TDR, but will not appear or be attributed in the final TDR product.

1. What additional functionality is seen in products providing over 10, 20, and 30 years?

2. What improvements in power density, cost, reliability, or other key areas expected?

3. What key technology developments will enable or drive these improvements? For example, improvements due to new switching devices, higher device ratings, new types of devices etc.

4. What are the expected electrical power interfaces for technologies? How will these evolve with time?

5. What related scientific innovations or capabilities are believed to most influence the development of technology or products?

6. Are there any key enabling innovations necessary to catalyze a breakthrough in technology/product area(s)?

7. Is any peak implementation point anticipated for future technology (size, application, voltage, etc.) that optimizes the benefit of the technical approach?

8. What markets and applications will drive the technology improvements? For example, oil/gas exploration, military systems, renewable energy systems, etc.

9. How does additive manufacturing provide new opportunities to enhance the product or component technologies?

10. Are any emerging markets foreseen for the product or technology? Please describe potential emerging market applications in 10-year, 20-year, and 30-year horizons.

11. Please discuss industry trends, emerging technologies, or products that might benefit naval electric power systems and generally when they might be available to the Navy.

12. Please discuss any anticipated industry trends with respect to reduced maintenance, condition-based maintenance, predictive maintenance strategies, and applications to maximize up-time and reduce down-time.

SECTION III: PRODUCT-SPECIFIC

This section aims to establish the current baseline for marine power systems to enhance the accuracy of assumptions regarding system and technology availability and maturity. Respond only to questions aligned with product-specific expertise.

Prime Movers:

The Navy is interested in advancements in gas turbines, diesel engines, steam turbines, and alternative technologies.

1. What are the challenges in meeting existing environmental regulations [e.g., International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL)]?

2. What design improvements are required to meet or exceed regulatory requirements?

3. What is the pulsed-load performance of engines and how has this been evaluated?

4. What efforts are pursued to decrease maintenance (periodicity, complexity, etc.) on engines?

5. How does decarbonization and the emphasis on low/no carbon fuels affect technology pipeline on new developments?

6. What modeling tools and level of fidelity exist to characterize dynamic and transient performance? Where do these tools lack validation (e.g., edge cases, scenarios beyond a specific design constraint)?

Propulsion Motors:

The Navy anticipates increased use of electric propulsion motors in hybrid and full electric applications for future platforms.

1. Can in-situ partial discharge monitoring be incorporated into motor designs and what are the impacts in terms of performance, size, weight?

2. In what ways is innovation in propulsion motor design being implemented to enhance efficiency and power density?

3. Can insights be shared into the integration of propulsion motors with electric drive systems and the resulting impact on overall ship performance?

4. How are the challenges of reducing the size, weight, and noise of propulsion motors while maintaining or improving performance approached?

5. How can the Navy optimize its specifications for propulsion motors to accommodate emerging technologies and ensure flexibility for future upgrades?

6. Considering the shift towards electric propulsion, what strategies are recommended for enhancing the reliability and survivability of propulsion motors in diverse operational environments?

7. Are there specific considerations or challenges related to propulsion motor technologies that the Navy should be aware of for both new construction designs and back fit opportunities in existing ships?

8. Given the scale and complex nature of these motors, what insights into the commercial market in terms of anticipated product ranges (power and torque ratings), and demand across those ranges can be shared?

Power Generation:

In the near term, increased demand for power adds a layer of complexity to power requirements.

Stochastic loads, characterized by unpredictability and variability, pose challenges that must be considered in the design and optimization of power generation systems.

1. What materials advancements are pursued to cope with higher loads?

2. How is dynamic modeling used, and how can the Navy incorporate these models into system models to assess overall electric plant performance?

3. How should the Navy specify pulsed-load performance on generators; what changes should be made to ramp rate requirements and step load change requirements for gas turbine generators and diesel generators?

4. How does the move towards variable speed generation affect the sizing and the fuel consumption characteristics of generators?

Power Distribution:

The Navy is interested in advancements in shipboard electric grid technology to ensure the efficient and reliable delivery of electrical power to various ship systems and subsystems. These systems involve components like switchboards, transformers, and distribution panels.

1. What innovations or technologies enhance the efficiency and resilience of power distribution systems aboard naval vessels?

2. How are challenges addressed related to fault detection, isolation, and recovery in power distribution networks, particularly in the context of distributed and decentralized architectures?

3. With the increasing integration of advanced energy storage systems, how are power distribution systems envisioned adapting to accommodate these changes and ensure optimal energy flow throughout the ship? Additionally, what voltage levels are being built into energy storage systems?

4. Is there an expectation to directly interface products with medium voltage systems (e.g., 13.8kVAC), or higher frequency systems? Will galvanic isolation be required to interface with these voltages? Is galvanic isolation anticipated to be provided by line frequency or converter-based high frequency transformers? Please include any relevant technical factors in the response.

Power Conversion:

The Navy is interested in advances in device technology (e.g., SiC, GaN) to allow higher frequency switching operation in power electronic converters.

1. If implemented, what other digital or mechanical subcomponents (embedded computing and control, sensors, high frequency transformers, etc.) require advances to realize their advantages?

2. How is laminated bus being applied within power converters, and how is it being qualified to ensure long-term performance?

3. What advancements in power conversion technologies are being focused on to enhance energy efficiency and reduce losses in the conversion process?

4. What cooling approaches and interfaces are being implemented to support density and increase reliability?

5. What power conversion system integration approaches and strategies are being employed to minimize electromagnetic interference and ensure system compatibility?

Electric Plant Controls:

NAVSEA is transitioning to an electric plant control philosophy with an Electric Plant Control (EPC) system providing power system monitoring and management with decision-making authority.

1. How is the development of advanced electric plant control systems approached to enhance the overall efficiency and reliability of naval power systems?

2. In what ways do electric plant control solutions contribute to the adaptability and flexibility of the power systems, particularly in response to varying operational conditions and mission profiles?

3. What innovation and technology exist that employs machine learning and/or artificial intelligence to improve decision-making capabilities?

Energy Storage Systems:

Energy storage is broadly used in uninterruptible power supplies to ensure power continuity and resilience. Advancements in weapons and sensors will soon present loads with unique interface requirements (e.g., step, stochastic, and pulsed loads).

1. What types of energy storage technologies are actively being developed or implemented for naval applications, considering factors such as energy density, weight, and safety?

2. How can energy storage systems contribute to enhancing the resilience and survivability of naval power systems, particularly in scenarios involving power disruptions or damage to primary power sources?

3. Are there specific challenges or considerations related to integrating energy storage systems into naval vessels, and what solutions or innovations are being pursued to address these challenges?

4. What advancements are being made for uninterruptible power supplies to improve density, efficiency, and advanced batteries?

5. What supply chain issues are anticipated, and what mitigations are being implemented to preclude these issues? At a high level, please define the level of reliance on overseas manufacture for materials, components (e.g., chips, battery management system (BMS) boards, harnesses, cooling components, etc.), etc., even if final cell and component manufacture is completed domestically.

Thermal Management:

Efficient thermal management is crucial for maintaining the optimal operating temperatures of various components within a ship's power and energy system. This includes cooling systems for power electronics, propulsion systems, and energy storage. Thermal management may also leverage HVAC systems.

1. What advancements or strategies are being employed in thermal management technologies to improve the overall efficiency and performance of naval power systems?

2. How are challenges related to thermal dissipation in high-power applications, such as advanced sensors, directed energy weapons, or electric propulsion systems, addressed?

3. In what ways can thermal management systems contribute to the reduction of maintenance requirements and operational costs associated with NPES?

4. How are advancements in thermal energy storage being applied?

5. How are international regulations related to refrigerants affecting your product designs and lifecycle?

Integration and Systems Engineering:

Integration and systems engineering are critical aspects of designing, developing, and maintaining complex NPES. This involves ensuring seamless interaction and functionality among various components to achieve optimal system performance.

1. What experience exists with Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) to support system requirements, design, analysis, verification, and validation activities?

2. What specific MBSE tools/software are used? Provide feedback or lessons learned on the use of MBSE.

3. What are the thoughts on utilizing MBSE techniques as part of an interface management strategy and to generate interface control documentation?

4. What experience exists with modeling and simulation (M&S) techniques to develop data trends and analysis utilized for managerial or technical decision making?

5. What experience exists with implementing digital threads between M&S models to MBSE artifacts for traceability and verification/validation activities?

6. What opportunities exist to streamline integration in the following areas:

• Generators and prime movers

• Motors (e.g., mechanical motor/gear integration, magnetic gear/motor integration)

• Propulsors (e.g., pods, contra-rotating motors or gears)

• Motors and/or generators with power conversion

Modeling, Simulation, and Digital Twins:

Modeling, simulation, and digital twins play a crucial role in the design, analysis, and optimization of NPES.

1. What modeling and simulation techniques are employed for the development and validation of NPES?

2. How can digital twin technology enhance the accuracy and reliability of predictive modeling, especially in assessing the performance of integrated systems?

3. Are there specific challenges or opportunities in utilizing digital twins for naval power systems, and how can these challenges be addressed or leveraged for better outcomes?

4. What advancements or trends are foreseen in M&S technologies that could significantly impact the design and operation of NPES?

Reliability, Maintainability, and Availability (RMA):

Reliability, maintainability, and availability are critical considerations for NPES to ensure consistent and efficient performance throughout their operational life.

1. What strategies or technologies exist to enhance the reliability, maintainability, and availability of naval power systems, particularly in demanding operational environments?

2. How can advancements in predictive maintenance and condition-based monitoring contribute to improving the RMA characteristics of naval power systems?

3. What role do digital twins play in predicting and managing the reliability and maintainability of naval power systems, and how can these technologies be integrated into RMA practices?

4. Are there specific challenges or bottlenecks in achieving optimal RMA characteristics, and what recommendations are there for addressing them?

Obsolescence Management:

The Navy is interested in proactively addressing the challenges associated with the aging of technology and ensuring the availability of replacement components and systems.

1. What obsolescence management approaches are being implemented for P&E systems, especially in scenarios where components may have a long operational life?

2. What strategies or best practices can mitigate the impact of obsolescence on P&E systems, considering rapid technological advancements?

3. Are there specific technologies or methodologies employed to extend the operational life of components or systems prone to obsolescence?

4. How does additive manufacturing fit in component lifecycle and obsolescence management plans, in terms of initial manufacturing and subsequent replacement part availability?

5. How can digital twin technology support obsolescence management by facilitating virtual testing and replacement planning?

Upgradeability for Flexible Ship and Back Fit Applications:

The ability to upgrade NPES is crucial for incorporating new technologies, addressing emerging threats, and ensuring compatibility with evolving mission requirements.

1. How are commercial P&E systems managed to facilitate future upgrades, especially in the context of flexible ship designs and back fit applications?

2. Are there specific challenges or considerations in ensuring upgradeability, and what recommendations are there for overcoming these challenges?

3. What advancements or innovations are being explored to enhance the modularity and adaptability of naval power systems, supporting easier and more cost-effective upgrades?

Open Systems Architecture Considerations:

Open systems architecture involves designing NPES with interoperability and modularity in mind, allowing for easier integration of components from different manufacturers.

1. How is technology area adopting open standards?

2. What challenges or opportunities exist in implementing open systems architecture for

P&E systems, and how can these be addressed for optimal outcomes?

3. What specific standards or best practices are being applied for open systems architecture in naval power systems?

4. How can the Navy encourage the design of open systems that can rapidly incorporate cutting-edge technologies?

Efficiency:

Efficiency is a key performance metric for NPES, impacting operational costs, environmental sustainability, and overall mission effectiveness.

1. What strategies or technologies are being employed to enhance the efficiency of naval power systems, considering factors such as fuel consumption, waste heat recovery, and overall system optimization?

2. How can advancements in materials, components, or control strategies contribute to improving the efficiency of NPES?

3. Are there specific challenges or trade-offs in achieving higher efficiency, and what recommendations are there for balancing efficiency with other performance metrics?

Climate and Environmental Impacts:

The Navy anticipates operating in a more diverse range of climate conditions. International standards with respect to environmental impact are evolving. Technologies that contribute to regulation compliance and operations in new environments are of interest.

1. How do core technologies remain operational and effective in the face of changing climate conditions and impacts?

2. What technology advancements are currently underway to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, draw down greenhouse gases, and contribute to international emissions targets?

3. How can technology facilitate climate-informed decision-making processes within the Navy?