Harvesting Energy with Hand-Crank Generators to Support Dismounted Soldier Missions

Abstract

Dismounted soldier power needs have changed significantly since fielding of the G-67B/G, a portable direct current hand-crank generator. A developmental hand-crank system with the potential for both military and commercial application is under development to meet existing and emerging dismounted soldier power needs. In June 2000, High Tide Associates of Palo Alto, CA submitted a proposal entitled "Manually Cranked Battery Charger" in response to Dual Use Science and Technology (DUS&T) Topic CECOM 01-12. This proposal led to the development of the Palm Power energy harvesting system in a cooperative effort between High Tide Associates and the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Research, Development, and Engineering Center (CERDEC) at Fort Belvoir, VA. Initial DUS&T program funding facilitated the design, fabrication, and delivery of a Palm Power laboratory model to the CERDEC Power Generation Branch. Additional funding provided by U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) led to the development and delivery of 12 Palm Power HTE-425 model prototypes. Four of these units were the focus of system characterization tests at Fort Belvoir during the past year. A comparison of this developmental system with the currently fielded hand-crank generator is presented to gain an understanding of the feasibility and advantages of such a device. This paper discusses test results for the two generators, offers an objective comparison of the respective technologies, and addresses current efforts and future direction for the Palm Power energy-harvesting program.