Power Factor Correction Navy SBIR FY2018.1 Sol No.: Navy SBIR FY2018.1 Topic No.: N181-005 Topic Title: Power Factor Correction Proposal No.: N181-005-1240 Firm: PC Krause and Associates, Inc. 3000 Kent Avenue, Suite C1-100 West Lafayette, Indiana 47906 Contact: Nick Benavides Phone: (765) 464-8997 Web Site: http://www.pcka.com Abstract: The primary objective of this Phase I proposal is to design, develop, and demonstrate the feasibility of a power factor compensation device for a 65 kVA, 115V, 400-Hz aircraft power system. Based on identified power factor conditions in the F-18 Super Hornet platform, the compensation system must correct an existing leading 0.98 power factor to a target lagging 0.93 (minimum objective lagging 0.97) with a weight of under 20 Lbs. This activity will include a trade-study developing both passive and active power factor compensation solutions to a sufficient level that PCKA and Navy personnel can select the preferred solution from a system perspective. In addition to the trade-study, the Phase I activity intends to demonstrate the feasibility that the selected approach can meet the weight and performance targets of the Navy, as well as the electrical and mechanical specifications of MIL-STD-461, MIL-STD-704, MIL-STD-810/MDC3376. A combination of advanced modeling, simulation, and analysis (MS&A) along with hardware demonstration where appropriate will be utilized to demonstrate that the proposed design is capable of meeting the identified requirements. Benefits: Based upon research performed by the US Navy, the F-18 Super Hornet platform GCU reliability can be greatly improved by bringing the aircraft bus power factor to within the acceptable range of the existing GCU design. A solution that can be retrofit into existing aircraft designs provides a significant savings when compared to the potential cost and integration challenges of a replacement GCU design. The proposed active and passive solutions both take advantage of cutting-edge materials, with wide-bandgap power stage and high power density filtering that could be utilized in other weight and volume sensitive commercial and military applications, especially where space and weight restrictions will not permit conventional solutions. Return