High overload inertial generator for electric combat vehicle
Mr. Martinez, J.-Y. Midy
THALES AES Company - 41 bd of the Republic 78400 CHATOU FRANCE
Summary
THALES AES has studied, under DGA contract and in collaboration with other companies, an electrical generation system capable of delivering a significant overload for ten seconds. This source of electrical energy is intended to equip an electric propulsion combat vehicle.
Overloading corresponds to crossing an obstacle. The generator drive motor is only supposed to deliver permanent power while the ten second overload is taken from the kinetic energy of the rotating parts of the group.
In order to store significant kinetic energy without greatly increasing the mass, the speed of rotation of the generator is chosen as high as possible while being compatible with the mechanical stresses of the rotating parts. The rotating inertia which delivers this transient kinetic energy must be sufficient so that the speed of rotation of the assembly does not drop during the transient below a speed equal to half of the nominal speed.
This generator is also a high speed alternator demonstrator for aeronautical applications. This article describes the complete system selected, the rotating inertia, the generator, the Generator Control Unit (GCU) and the tests carried out on a generator mock-up.