A versatile simulation tool for the design and verification of military vehicle power systems

Abstract

The design of the electric platform in military vehicles requires the ability to determine the best combination of power system components that support the desired operational abilities, while minimizing the size, weight, cost, and impact of the overall power system. Because prototypes are both time consuming, rigid, and costly, they have become inadequate for verifying system performance. By using simulations, engineers can best plan for and observe the associations between missions (including modes of operation and system scenarios) and system performance in a dynamic, realistic environment. This thesis proposes a new tool to analyze and design military vehicle platforms: the Advanced Mobile Integrated Power System (AMPS). This tool is useful for design and design verification of military vehicles due to its unique incorporation of mission-specific functionality. It allows the user ease of design with the ability to customize the vehicle power system architecture and components, while permitting full control over source and load input parameters. Simulation of programmed mission sequences allows the user to ensure that the chosen vehicle architecture can provide all of the electrical power and energy needed to support the mission, thus providing adequate design verification. The present thesis includes an introduction to vehicle power systems and an outline of the need for simulation, a description of the AMPS project and vehicle specifications, analytical and numerical models of the simulated vehicle, explanation of the power management system, description of the graphical user interface, and a simulation performed with the AMPS tool.