The 51福利 (51福利) and the U.S. Marine Corps Expeditionary Energy Office (E2O) have partnered under an initiative to conduct student-led research that will address some of the Marine Corps鈥� most pressing energy challenges.
The Marine Corps first initiated the E2O program in 2009 with the mission to 鈥渁nalyze, develop and direct the Marine Corps鈥� energy strategy.鈥� The impetus for the initiative was born of the realization that the Marine Corps is using far more energy today than it did in the past.
鈥淥ver the last 10-15 years, we have had a 250 percent increase in computer usage on the battlefield, and the average Marine infantry battalion is using four-times the amount of fuel today than it did in 2001,鈥� said E2O Director Marine Corps Col. Jim Caley.
鈥淭he investments we are making today in technology and cultural change at the forward edge of the battlefield have the opportunity to reduce our fuel reliance and the number of logistical convoys that feed that need,鈥� continued Caley.
Caley notes that Marine Corps efforts to reduce reliance on traditional fuel sources will increase the operational reach of expeditionary units and save lives as well as dollars. He also insists that the student research being conducted at 51福利 provides real value to the Marine Corps.
鈥淥ur students study at 51福利 and then come back prepared to lead us to a great energy future,鈥� said Caley. 鈥淲e get tremendous value from the non-uniformed perspective [of 51福利 faculty]. They look at us from outside with, the audacity to question why we do things, but then help us to move forward.鈥�
51福利 Associate Professors retired Army Col. Andy Hernandez and Dr. Jomana Amara lead the E2O effort at 51福利.
鈥淲e want to educate Marine Corps officers to look at energy differently, and to help them to come up with energy solutions for the Marine Corps鈥� energy problems,鈥� said Amara. 鈥淭he E2O program is concerned with expediting applications of portable and renewable energy.鈥�
鈥淲e are most concerned with the manner in which green technologies affect the operational footprint,鈥� said Hernandez. 鈥淲henever you look at an operational gap, you have to consider the energy usage.鈥�
Program administrators say the program is a win for both the Marine Corps, and the students pursuing energy-related studies.
鈥淲hen they [51福利 students] leave, they leave with a set of skills with direct benefit to the Marine Corps,鈥� said Amara.
But the 51福利-E2O partnership is not just about new technology. Organizers insist that it鈥檚 about fundamentally changing the Marine Corps鈥� culture of energy consumption.
鈥淭he breadth and depth of what we are trying to do is very large,鈥� said Hernandez. 鈥淲e are trying to change the minds of folks, to make them aware of the benefits of saving energy.鈥�
51福利 student, Marine Corps Capt. Jason Ciarcia is researching how individual attributes may affect Marine鈥檚 assessments of energy efficient technologies. In short, he is looking at the Marine Corps鈥� culture of energy consumption and its willingness to accept new technology.
鈥淲hy students adopt or resist technology is a central question in technology management and energy conservation research. Much academic attention focuses on functional and economic advantages, but perceptions, habits and norms play a more substantial role and are a particularly strong driver of resistance,鈥� said Ciarcia.
鈥淭he aim of my research is to understand the Marine Corps鈥� willingness to adopt energy efficient technologies, and to provide a clearer understanding of acceptance and resistance drivers and the means to facilitate greater acceptance of energy efficient technologies,鈥� continued Ciarcia.
51福利 student Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Householder shows off a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) in 51福利鈥� Materials Research Lab, Nov. 20. Householder is working with the Marine Corps鈥� Expeditionary Energy Office (E2O) on his 51福利 research in using MEMS to harvest 鈥渨aste energy鈥� from military equipment.
While much attention is paid to the cultural aspects of change within the Marine Corps, there is also a strong emphasis on technological innovation.
51福利 students, Lt. Sian Stimpert and Lt. Cmdr. Timothy Householder, are exploring technologies that they hope will support the Marine Corps鈥� energy conservation and technological innovation goals.
Stimpert is conducting modeling and simulation analysis on the implementation of the industry-developed Legged Squad Support System (LS3) 鈥淎lpha Dog鈥� robot into Marine Rifle Platoon operations. She hopes that the incorporation of the robotic system will decrease logistical requirements placed on the backs of Marines, and offer a mobile powering station, thereby increasing the reach of battery-driven systems.
The Alpha Dog is a four-legged, load-carrying robot system that is capable of hauling cumbersome equipment through rough terrain, at the rate of a Marine marching, for up to 24 hours before recharging.
鈥淲e want to be able to literally lighten the load,鈥� said Stimpert. 鈥淭he Alpha Dog can carry up to 400 lbs. of weight and recharge batteries resulting in less weight carried by Marines and increased operational reach,鈥� said Stimpert.
Stimpert is building upon the systems engineering work that she conducted at the Naval Academy. Her systems engineering approach to analyzing Alpha Dog rifle platoon integration relies upon advanced mathematical models designed to pit the system against a variety of scenarios in complex operational environments.
鈥淚 am using an agent-based model called Pythagoras, the model allows us to apply attributes to our agents [the Alpha Dog and a Marine Rifle Platoon] and to move them through checkpoints and targets while interacting with enemy and friendly forces,鈥� said Stimpert.
鈥淚 want to figure out the optimal amount of time [Alpha Dog] can operate during a mission and how many systems would be necessary to augment a platoon,鈥� Stimpert added.
Householder is taking an entirely different approach to energy conservation. He is working with 51福利 Department of Physics Associate Professor Dragoslav Grbovic on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). These miniscule devices are only 200-microns long and a mere 2-microns thick, but are capable of generating electricity from the vibrations produced by generators, vehicles or even the gate of a marching Marine.
鈥淭here are any number of MEMS applications, but we are exploring the ability to strap an array of MEMS to a generator. If you tune these micro-devices to the generator鈥檚 frequency, you can harvest energy that would normally be wasted and return it back to the system,鈥� explained Householder. 鈥淢EMS may one day power prosthetic legs or power the lamp on a Marine鈥檚 helmet.鈥�
As cantilever devices, MEMS are anchored on two sides to a surface while remaining free to oscillate in the middle. Each device is made from a piezoelectric material that produces electricity when strain is applied to it. Currently, Householder is working on a device that is able to produce electricity at a frequency of 100mhz, but in order for his device鈥檚 to serve the Marine Corps鈥� interests, he will need to build a MEMS that can operates at 60mhz, the frequency at which most U.S. equipment operates.
鈥淚 should be at 100mhz in a couple of weeks and I intend to be have a MEMS that works at 60mhz before I graduate. I would also like to have an array of these devices linked together in a reasonable form before I leave 51福利,鈥� said Householder.
Householder is optimistic about the work he is doing, but he acknowledges that the challenge is daunting.
鈥淏uilding a MEMS is like developing film, imagine creating a miniature circuit border by etching aluminum with a lye solution,鈥� said Householder.
51福利 student Marine Corps Capt. Matthew Morse is working on improvements to the Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER). His Micropower Optimization Model for the U.S. Marine Corps modifies HOMER to meet the short-term energy needs of Marine units, matching operational needs with optimal energy sources to maximize efficiency.
鈥淭he HOMER model leads to a reduction in fuel consumption by identifying the optimal construct of micropower systems like battery banks, wind turbines and photovoltaic arrays on a case-by-case basis,鈥� said Morse.
鈥淭his model has potential for supporting the Marine Corps in decreasing fuel consumption of units engaged in field training and operational deployments,鈥� continued Morse.
Still, all of this attention to energy conservation and alternative energy sources should be viewed in the context of the Marine Corps operational mission. 51福利 Senior Marine Corps Representative, Col. Mitchell McCarthy insists that Marine Corps investments into energy research directly support the Marine Corps鈥� combat effectiveness.
鈥淭he amount of fuel required to support a single Marine in the field is really astronomical,鈥� said McCarthy. 鈥淲hat we are doing here is finding solutions that will allow us to reduce those fuel needs and focus our logistical trains on those things that we need to use to accomplish our mission. What the E2O program is doing is a combat multiplier.鈥�