The United States Air Force (USAF) is seeking proposals for the development of an Affordable Electrical Accumulator Unit (EAU) under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program, specifically targeting Phase II. The objective is to demonstrate a low Technology Readiness Level (TRL) EAU that can effectively stabilize an aircraft's electrical power system by utilizing stored energy to manage electrical fluctuations, while also meeting emergency energy needs and supporting various electrical loads. This technology is crucial for enhancing the mission capabilities of Advanced Combat Platforms (ACP) without significantly increasing cost, weight, or volume. Interested applicants must submit their proposals by November 6, 2024, and can find more information on the solicitation through the provided link: [DOD SBIR/STTR](https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/topics-app/).

## Description

An Electrical Accumulator Unit (EAU) is an electrical power system device that works in parallel with an aircraft's primary electrical power source to stabilize an aircraft&rsquo;s electrical bus using stored energy to quickly sink and source power. This device is bi-directional, so that it can both sink and source power to the bus, damping electrical fluctuations. EAUs have historically been sized to rely on larger batteries and have been tailored for more exquisite vehicles. Recovery requirements for ACP vehicles already tend to specify the inclusion of a backup battery (or batteries) floating unmanaged on the electrical bus, to power flight-critical systems (often at 28 VDC). There is an opportunity to leverage this storage with an EAU converter and control technology that can meet both emergency / recovery energy needs and electrical transient requirements from EMAs, motor drives, and mission systems, both for 28Vdc and potentially 270Vdc loads. Such an EAU would not only help stabilize the EPS, but could also provide peak power to supplement the PTO-limited primary source which could expand the mission capabilities of ACP, without adding additional mass and cost. This approach could be done affordably and targeted towards cost-optimized vehicles that are currently being considered for ACP.

## Objective

Demonstrate a low TRL Affordable EAU coupled in an experiment utilizing relevant ACP energy storage that showcases the benefits of an EAU with minimal additional cost, weight, and volume.

## Phase I

As this is a Direct-to-Phase-II (D2P2) topic, no Phase I awards will be made as a result of this topic. To qualify for this D2P2 topic, the Air Force expects the applicant(s) to demonstrate feasibility by means of a prior &ldquo;Phase I-type&rdquo; effort that does not constitute work undertaken as part of a prior or ongoing SBIR/STTR funding agreement. To demonstrate that the technology is ready for a D2P2: the applicant(s) should substantiate that they have a technically feasible approach and the capability to precede to a detailed design, the majority of the key capabilities and fundamental features of an Affordable EAU, and that they have clearly identified potential technical limitations and areas that require additional development.

## Phase II

At the end of the POP an ideal result would be a low TRL demonstration of an affordable EAU coupled in an experiment utilizing relevant ACP energy storage that showcases the benefits of an EAU with minimal additional cost, weight, and volume.

## Phase III: Dual Use Applications

This technology has relevant applications in other aerospace applications with partners sharing similar needs being: Army, NASA, and NAVAIR. Depending on the level of success, future efforts utilizing core project/program funding (non-SBIR) will be considered to: expand the proposed solution to additional application areas, enhance the capabilities and feature set, and/or further refinement and development into a commercial product leveraging input from transition partners. Being an affordable technology, a solution with strong alignment to CCA will create additional avenues for work and funding.

Affordable Electrical Accumulator Unit

SBIR Opportunity Analysis

SBIR Documents

Related SBIR/STTR Opportunities

Opportunity Snapshot

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