Office Of The Secretary Of Defense (OSD)
Deputy Director Of Defense Research & Engineering
Deputy Under Secretary Of Defense (Science & Technology)
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)
Introduction
The Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Science & Technology) SBIR Program is sponsoring five technology themes in this solicitation; Cognitive Readiness Technology, Energy and Power Technology, Information Assurance Technology, Propulsion Technology, Unmanned Technology.
The Army, Navy, and Air Force are participating in the OSD program this year. The service laboratories act as our OSD Agent in the management and execution of the contracts with small businesses. The service laboratories, often referred to as a DoD Component acting on behalf of the OSD, invite small business firms to submit proposals under this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program solicitation. In order to participate in the OSD SBIR Program this year, all potential proposers should register on the DoD SBIR website as soon as you can, and should follow the instruction for electronic submittal of proposals. It is required that all bidders submit their proposal cover sheet, company commercialization report and their firm’s technical and cost proposal form electronically through the DoD SBIR/STTR Proposal Submission Website at http://www.dodsbir.net/submission. If you experience problems submitting your proposal, call the help desk (toll free) at 1-866-724-7457. You must include a Company Commercialization Report as part of each proposal you submit; however, it does not count against the proposal page limit. Please note that improper handling of this form may result in the proposal being substantially delayed. Information provided may have a direct impact on the review of the proposal. The DoD SBIR Proposal Submission Website allows your company to come in any time (prior to the proposal submission deadline) to edit your Cover Sheets, Technical and Cost Proposal and Company Commercialization Report.
We WILL NOT accept any proposals that are not submitted through the on-line submission site. The submission site does not limit the overall file size for each electronic proposal, there is only a page limit. However, file uploads may take a great deal of time depending on your file size and your internet server connection speed. If you wish to upload a very large file, it is highly recommended that you submit prior to the deadline submittal date, as the last day is heavily trafficked. You are responsible for performing a virus check on each technical proposal file to be uploaded electronically. The detection of a virus on any submission may be cause for the rejection of the proposal. We will not accept e-mail submissions.
Firms with strong research and development capabilities in science or engineering in any of the topic areas described in this section and with the ability to commercialize the results are encouraged to participate. Subject to availability of funds, the DUSD(S&T) SBIR Program will support high quality research and development proposals of innovative concepts to solve the listed defense-related scientific or engineering problems, especially those concepts that also have high potential for commercialization in the private sector. Objectives of the DUSD(S&T) SBIR Program include stimulating technological innovation, strengthening the role of small business in meeting DoD research and development needs, fostering and encouraging participation by minority and disadvantaged persons in technological innovation, and increasing the commercial application of DoD-supported research and development results. The guidelines presented in the solicitation incorporate and exploit the flexibility of the SBA Policy Directive to encourage proposals based on scientific and technical approaches most likely to yield results important to DoD and the private sector.
Phase I is to determine, insofar as possible, the scientific or technical merit and feasibility of ideas submitted under the SBIR Program and will typically be one half-person year effort over a period not to exceed six months, with a dollar value up to $100,000. We plan to fund 3 Phase I contracts, on average, and downselect to one Phase II contract per topic. This is assuming that the proposals are sufficient in quality to fund this many. Proposals should concentrate on that research and development which will significantly contribute to proving the scientific and technical feasibility of the proposed effort, the successful completion of which is a prerequisite for further DoD support in Phase II. The measure of Phase I success includes technical performance toward the topic objectives and evaluations of the extent to which Phase II results would have the potential to yield a product or process of continuing importance to DoD and the private sector, in accordance with Section 4.3.
Subsequent Phase II awards will be made to firms on the basis of results from the Phase I effort and the scientific and technical merit of the Phase II proposal in addressing the goals and objectives described in the topic. Phase II awards will typically cover 2 to 5 person-years of effort over a period generally not to exceed 24 months (subject to negotiation). Phase II is the principal research and development effort and is expected to produce a well defined deliverable prototype or process. A more comprehensive proposal will be required for Phase II.
Under Phase III, the DoD may award non-SBIR funded follow-on contracts for products or processes, which meet the component mission needs. This solicitation is designed, in part, to encourage the conversion of federally sponsored research and development innovation into private sector applications. The small business is expected to use non-federal capital to pursue private sector applications of the research and development.
This solicitation is for Phase I proposals only. Any proposal submitted under prior SBIR solicitations will not be considered under this solicitation; however, offerors who were not awarded a contract in response to a particular topic under prior SBIR solicitations are free to update or modify and submit the same or modified proposal if it is responsive to any of the topics listed in this section.
For Phase II, no separate solicitation will be issued and no unsolicited proposals will be accepted. Only those firms that were awarded Phase I contracts, and have successfully completed their Phase I efforts, will be invited to submit a Phase II proposal. Invitations to submit Phase II proposals will be released at approximately the end of the Phase I period of performance. The decision to invite a Phase II proposal will be made based upon the success of the Phase I contract to meet the technical goals of the topic, as well as the overall merit based upon the criteria in section 4.3. DoD is not obligated to make any awards under Phase I, II, or III. DoD is not responsible for any money expended by the proposer before award of any contract. For specifics regarding the evaluation and award of Phase I or II contracts, please read the front section of this solicitation very carefully. Every Phase II proposal will be reviewed for overall merit based upon the criteria in section 4.3 of this solicitation, repeated below:
a. The soundness, technical merit, and innovation of the proposed approach and its incremental progress toward topic or subtopic solution.
b. The qualifications of the proposed principal/key investigators, supporting staff, and consultants. Qualifications include not only the ability to perform the research and development but also the ability to commercialize the results.
c. The potential for commercial (defense and private sector) application and the benefits expected to accrue from this commercialization.
In addition, the OSD SBIR Program has a Phase II Plus Program, which provides matching SBIR funds to expand an existing Phase II contract that attracts investment funds from a DoD acquisition program, a non-SBIR/non-STTR government program or Private sector investments. Phase II Plus allows for an existing Phase II OSD SBIR contract to be extended for up to one year per Phase II Plus application, to perform additional research and development. Phase II Plus matching funds will be provided on a one-for-one basis up to a maximum $500,000 of SBIR funds. All Phase II Plus awards are subject to acceptance, review, and selection of candidate projects, are subject to availability of funding, and successful negotiation and award of a Phase II Plus contract modification. However, selection and award of a Phase II Plus proposal is not mandated and DoD retains the discretion not to select or fund any Phase II Plus proposal. The funds provided by the DoD acquisition program or a non-SBIR/non-STTR government program must be obligated on the OSD Phase II contract as a modification prior to or concurrent with the OSD SBIR funds. Private sector funds must be deemed an “outside investor” which may include such entities as another company, an unaffiliated investor, or funds derived from an Initial Public Offering of the SBIR Company’s stock on the US Stock Exchange. It does not include the owners or family members, or affiliates of the small business (13 CFR 121.103).
The Fast Track provisions in section 4.0 of this solicitation apply as follows. Under the Fast Track policy, SBIR projects that attract matching cash from an outside investor for their Phase II effort have an opportunity to receive interim funding between Phases I and II, to be evaluated for Phase II under an expedited process, and to be selected for Phase II award provided they meet or exceed the technical thresholds and have met their Phase I technical goals, as discussed Section 4.5. Under the Fast Track Program, a company submits a Fast Track application, including statement of work and cost estimate, within 120 to 180 days of the award of a Phase I contract (see the Fast Track Application Form on www.dodsbir.net/submission). Also submitted at this time is a commitment of third party funding for Phase II. Subsequently, the company must submit its Phase I Final Report and its Phase II proposal no later than 210 days after the effective date of Phase I, and must certify, within 45 days of being selected for Phase II award, that all matching funds have been transferred to the company. For projects that qualify for the Fast Track (as discussed in Section 4.5), DoD will evaluate the Phase II proposals in an expedited manner in accordance with the above criteria, and may select these proposals for Phase II award provided: (1) they meet or exceed selection criteria (a) and (b) above and (2) the project has substantially met its Phase I technical goals (and assuming budgetary and other programmatic factors are met, as discussed in Section 4.1). Fast Track proposals, having attracted matching cash from an outside investor, presumptively meet criterion (c). However, selection and award of a Fast Track proposal is not mandated and DoD retains the discretion not to select or fund any Fast Track proposal.
Follow-On Funding
In addition to supporting scientific and engineering research and development, another important goal of the program is conversion of DoD-supported research and development into commercial (both Defense and Private Sector) products. Proposers are encouraged to obtain a contingent commitment for follow-on funding prior to Phase II where it is felt that the research and development has commercialization potential in either a Defense system or the private sector. Proposers who feel that their research and development have the potential to meet Defense system objectives or private sector market needs are encouraged to obtain either non-SBIR DoD follow-on funding or non-federal follow-on funding, for Phase III to pursue commercialization development. The commitment should be obtained during the course of Phase I performance, or early in the Phase II performance. This commitment may be contingent upon the DoD supported development meeting some specific technical objectives in Phase II which if met, would justify funding to pursue further development for commercial (either Defense related or private sector) purposes in Phase III. The recipient will be permitted to obtain commercial rights to any invention made in either Phase I or Phase II, subject to the patent policies stated elsewhere in this solicitation.
Contact with DoD
General informational questions pertaining to proposal instructions contained in this solicitation should be directed to the topic authors and point of contact identified in the topic description section. Proposals should be electronically submitted. Oral communications with DoD personnel regarding the technical content of this solicitation during the pre-solicitation phase are allowed, however, proposal evaluation is conducted only on the written submittal. Oral communications during the pre-solicitation period should be considered informal, and will not be factored into the selection for award of contracts. Oral communications subsequent to the pre-solicitation period, during the Phase I proposal preparation periods are prohibited for reasons of competitive fairness. Refer to the front section of the solicitation for the exact dates.
Proposal Submission
Proposals shall be submitted in response to a specific topic identified in the following topic description sections. The topics listed are the only topics for which proposals will be accepted. Scientific and technical information assistance may be requested by using the SBIR/STTR Interactive Technical Information System (SITIS).
It is required that all bidders submit their proposal cover sheet, company commercialization report and their firm’s technical and cost proposal form electronically through the DoD SBIR/STTR Proposal Submission Website at http://www.dodsbir.net/submission. If you experience problems submitting your proposal, call the help desk (toll free) at 866-724-7457. You must include a Company Commercialization Report as part of each proposal you submit; however, it does not count against the proposal page limit. Please note that improper handling of this form may result in the proposal being substantially delayed. Information provided may have a direct impact on the review of the proposal. The proposal submission website allows your company to come in any time (prior to the proposal submission deadline) to edit your Cover Sheets, Technical and Cost Proposal and Company Commercialization Report. We WILL NOT accept any proposals which are not submitted through the on-line submission site. The submission site does not limit the overall file size for each electronic proposal, only the number of pages is limited. However, file uploads may take a great deal of time depending on your file size and your internet server connection speed. You are responsible for performing a virus check on each technical proposal file to be uploaded electronically. The detection of a virus on any submission may be cause for the rejection of the proposal. We will not accept e-mail submissions.
The following pages contain a summary of the technology focus areas, which are followed by the topics.
Cognitive Readiness Technology Focus Area: Social, Cultural, and Language Tools for Analysis, Decision and Training Systems
Our national security depends upon our ability to operate militarily with socio-cultural agility and effects in these regions. Our forces must be able to not only project military power, but also provide for stability, security, transition, and reconstruction efforts globally. To do this requires, at all levels of our force structure, an appreciation of the intricacies of societies and tribal cultures and the complexity of human-to-human interactions. We need targeted and tailored technology products that are applicable to the troops working at the tactical level, and analysts and leaders at the operational and strategic level.
This theme supports research that utilizes innovative technologies, such as serious game environments, that can be used to develop relevant models and to push the envelope on providing new analysis, decision support, and training capabilities in social, cultural and language domains for the deployed warfighter in organizational echelons from combat teams to Joint Task Force Headquarters. The focus of these topics is developing unique and operationally relevant models and content. Topics seek validated socio-cultural models and content with demonstrated use-case effectiveness. They seek to provide the interactive, dynamic environments that would support better cultural awareness. The technologies should be extensible beyond current operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to other regions and military kinetic and non-kinetic scenarios. Networkable, remote-capable products are desirable with emphasis on insertion into systems of record and Just In Time training environments. Training related topics require SCORM compliance and the adoption of existing /emerging standards for training of language and cultural skills.
The Cognitive Readiness Technology topics are:
OSD08-CR1 Human Social, and Culture Behavioral Modeling Game-Based Simulation (Navy)
OSD08-CR2 Second Language Training (Navy)
OSD08-CR3 Rapid Ethnographic Assessment Program (Navy)
OSD08-CR4 Dynamic Modeling of Safe Routes (Navy)
Energy and Power Technology Focus Area
Improvements in electric power will enable transformational new military capabilities. Power can be freed on ships, aircraft, and other platforms for use in advanced weapon and survivability systems, as well as significant enhancements in system flexibility. Potential life cycle and acquisition savings can be had by reduced fuel requirements, maintenance, personnel, logistics, and inventory. The Army’s transformation challenge in the Future Combat System is to develop a smaller, lighter, and faster force, utilizing hybrid electric drive, electric armament and protection, and a reduced logistical footprint. The Navy is considering future ship concepts that will count on electric power to enable directed energy weapons, electromagnetic launchers and recovery, and new sensors, as well as supporting significant fuel, maintenance, and manning reductions. The Air Force needs electric power to replace complex mechanical, hydraulic and pneumatic subsystems, and also enable advanced electric armament systems. Improved batteries will support the individual soldier by permitting longer mission durations and reduced weight borne by the soldier. Space based operational capabilities improvements include a more electric architecture for responsive and affordable delivery of mission assets, and powering space based radar systems. Advanced electric power and a family of power components will be an essential enabler for the success of the Departments new “spiral development/evolutionary development” acquisition strategy, as spelled out in the latest acquisition documents, with an emphasis on planned upgrades, “plug and play”.
Advances in batteries, chemical double layer capacitors, automotive power conditioning, electrolytics, and fuel cells are providing a technological foundation leading to major advances in electric power. Nevertheless, there exist major technical challenges to achieving the advances required in power and energy density. Among these are novel power generation concepts, batteries with a 2-3 X increase in power density and reduced weight/volume, maturation of high energy density dielectrics for capacitors, high power wide band gap devices for high temperature, high voltage operation, and advanced thermal management.
The Energy and Power Technology topics are:
OSD08-EP1 High-Capacity, High-Rate Thermal Energy Storage (TES) Technologies and Systems (AF)
OSD08-EP2 Advanced Materials and Chemistries for Electrochemical Energy Storage Devices (AF)
OSD08-EP3 High-Temperature Blower Development for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Applications (AF)
OSD08-EP4 Advanced Hybrid Thermoelectric-Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Energy Conversion for High Efficiency Portable Power (Navy)
OSD08-EP5 Conformal Coating Insulation for Circuit Boards in Switched Mode Power Conversion Equipment for High Temperature Environments (Army)
OSD08-EP6 Scalable Solid-State Circuit Breaker (SSCB) (Army)
OSD08-EP7 Compact Condensers for Electronics Cooling (Navy)
OSD08-EP8 High Reliability Low Maintenance Cryocooler for HTS Motor/Generator (Navy)
Information Assurance Technology Focus Area
As envisioned, the Global Information Grid (GIG) will connect the roughly 3 million computers, 100,000 LANs, 100 long distance networks, and a multitude of wireless networks and devices in support of all DoD, national security, and related intelligence community missions and functions. It will provide the joint warfighter with a single, end-to-end information system capability, built on a secure, robust network-centric environment, allowing users to post and access shared data and applications regardless of their location – while inhibiting or denying an adversary’s ability to do the same. The future vision is a converged heterogeneous enterprise capable of protecting content of different sensitivities. However, the GIG construct, while highly desirable from a functionality viewpoint, presents serious challenges from a security perspective. DoD’s unprecedented enterprise vision for future information operations must simultaneously address protecting and defending its critical information and information technology systems by ensuring availability, integrity, authentication, confidentiality and non-repudiation; and by providing security management and operations that incorporate the requisite protection, detection, and quick reaction capabilities.
The converged, decentralized vision of the future network requires a parallel adoption of a decentralized trust paradigm. Degrees of trust and robustness hitherto provided by enclave isolation and separation must be distributed across the networks down to the tactical edge devices. With increasing joint, allied and coalition operations, dynamic and secure collaboration and data sharing across security domains are critical capabilities.
DoD is making significant IA investments in ensuring the security of net-centric operations of the GIG. However, the scope of the challenges and the dynamics of the information technology industry provide multiple opportunities for new and innovative security solutions. In particular new technology solutions are needed for supporting the edge users who must operate across multiple domains and communications paths, on less hardened networks, to reach other tactical mission players, and to access protected core information systems and data warehouses.
The Information Assurance Technology topics are:
OSD08-IA1 Software Partitioning to Migrate Critical Software Components to Trusted Hardware (AF)
OSD08-IA2 Covert Loading and Execution of Software Protections to Reduce Adversarial Detection (AF)
OSD08-IA3 Trusted Querying (AF)
OSD08-IA4 Assuring Trust between the Edges (AF)
OSD08-IA5 Trusted Data Distribution with Privacy Protection and QoS through Auditable Anonymity (Navy)
OSD08-IA6 Information Assurance and Anti-Tamper System Level Protection (Army)
High Energy Flexible Propulsion Technology Focus Area
The technical challenges to address high energy flexible propulsion systems are somewhat propulsion system unique. Liquid and gel propulsion systems would benefit from increasing specific impulse (Isp) however, maintaining current Isp while simultaneously reducing toxicity, hazards and inert mass, compared to state-of-the-art, would be an important advancement. Solid propulsion systems that include a high degree of energy management, need improved delivered performance (density * Isp) with minimal additional inert weight to achieve increased military utility. Combining the benefits of both solid and liquid propulsion could be realized in a hybrid propulsion system design and especially valuable in volumetrically small systems. The limitations of hybrid propulsion have been fuel volumetric efficiency (burn rate), system complexity, associated with the addition of liquid propellant management devices, and the associated delivered Isp, thrust and ignition response with acceptable toxicity and hazards.
The Propulsion Technology topics are:
OSD08-PR1 Variable Thrust Liquid or Gel Propulsion for Mission Flexibility (AF)
OSD08-PR2 Rocket Propulsion Supporting Technology (AF)
OSD08-PR3 Variable Thrust Hybrid Propulsion for Mission Flexibility (AF)
OSD08-PR4 Variable Thrust Solid Propulsion for Mission Flexibility (AF)
Unmanned Technology Focus Area
The DoD needs to provide reliable and efficient propulsion and power systems for small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS), Unmanned Ground Systems (UGS) and Unmanned Maritime Systems (UMS). These unmanned systems need efficient engines that are lightweight, high horsepower, and will run on heavy fuel. These engines range in horsepower from below 5 to around 200 in several different configurations and also need to operate across a wide range of environmental conditions, including high altitudes for UAS, high temperatures for UGS, and possibly underwater for UMS. Ultra efficient and reliable propulsion systems enable these unmanned systems to be able to operate for long periods of time. Reducing the weight of the engines allows more of the vehicle payload to be used for mission systems. Heavy fuel engines are required to eliminate the costly and often dangerous need for additional fuels.
There is a need for technologies at the very small scales, as there are not commercially available systems featuring small size and light weight and having the performance levels required, and current state-of-the-art technologies/systems cannot be scaled down to the needed sizes. These small IC engine technologies address DoD-wide issues in autonomous systems and other applications.
The Unmanned Technology topics are:
OSD08-UM1 Micro Fuel Injection (FI) for Small, Heavy Fuel Engines (AF)
OSD08-UM2 Microsupercharger and/or Turbocharger for Small, Heavy Fuel Engines (AF)
OSD08-UM3 Micro-ignition Components for Heavy Fuel Engines (AF)
OSD08-UM4 Micro Fuel Pumps for Small, Heavy Fuel Engines (AF)
OSD SBIR 08.1 Topic Index
OSD08-CR1 Human Social, and Culture Behavioral Modeling Game-Based Simulation
OSD08-CR2 Second Language Training
OSD08-CR3 Rapid Ethnographic Assessment Program
OSD08-CR4 Dynamic Modeling of Safe Routes
OSD08-EP1 High-Capacity, High-Rate Thermal Energy Storage (TES) Technologies and Systems
OSD08-EP2 Advanced Materials and Chemistries for Electrochemical Energy Storage Devices
OSD08-EP3 High-Temperature Blower Development for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Applications
OSD08-EP4 Advanced Hybrid Thermoelectric-Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Energy Conversion for High Efficiency Portable Power
OSD08-EP5 Conformal Coating Insulation for Circuit Boards in Switched Mode Power Conversion Equipment for High Temperature Environments
OSD08-EP6 Scalable Solid-State Circuit Breaker (SSCB)
OSD08-EP7 Compact Condensers for Electronics Cooling
OSD08-EP8 High Reliability Low Maintenance Cryocooler for HTS Motor/Generator
OSD08-IA1 Software Partitioning to Migrate Critical Software Components to Trusted Hardware
OSD08-IA2 Covert Loading and Execution of Software Protections to Reduce Adversarial Detection
OSD08-IA3 Trusted Querying
OSD08-IA4 Assuring Trust between the Edges
OSD08-IA5 Trusted Data Distribution with Privacy Protection and QoS through Auditable Anonymity
OSD08-IA6 Information Assurance and Anti-Tamper System Level Protection
OSD08-PR1 Variable Thrust Liquid or Gel Propulsion for Mission Flexibility
OSD08-PR2 Rocket Propulsion Supporting Technology
OSD08-PR3 Variable Thrust Hybrid Propulsion for Mission Flexibility
OSD08-PR4 Variable Thrust Solid Propulsion for Mission Flexibility
OSD08-UM1 Micro Fuel Injection (FI) for Small, Heavy Fuel Engines
OSD08-UM2 Microsupercharger and/or Turbocharger for Small, Heavy Fuel Engines
OSD08-UM3 Micro-ignition Components for Heavy Fuel Engines
OSD08-UM4 Micro Fuel Pumps for Small, Heavy Fuel Engines
OSD08-UM5 Integrated Power Generation for Small Unmanned Vehicles
OSD08-UM6 Modeling & Simulation for Optimization of Heavy-Fuel Micro Rotary Engines
OSD SBIR 08.1 Topic Descriptions
OSD08-CR1 TITLE: Human Social, and Culture Behavioral Modeling Game-Based Simulation
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Human Systems
OBJECTIVE: To develop a highly interactive, PC-based Human, Social and Culture Behavioral Modeling (HSCB) simulation tool to support training for military planners for handling insurgencies, small wars, and/or emergent conflicts. Application should be game-based and flexible enough to allow the user to develop their own plug-in modules to experiment and train with their own unique HSCB models without contractor support. Application should also include a flexible, validated, and powerful scenario editor for creating unique situations, maps, and scenarios. Scenarios developed with this platform should be militarily relevant but also include scenario options to use non-military instruments of national power from the Political, Military, Economic, Social, Infrastructure, and Information (PMESII) portfolio.
DESCRIPTION: We are looking for innovative ideas that explore and harness the power of “advanced” interactive multimedia computer game technologies (e.g. "sim games”), that offer single or multi-player interaction via single computer, network or internet. The system should incorporate the best-practices of the videogame industry, including intuitive controls, story-telling, user-feedback (for performance assessment), scenario editing, and high-quality graphics & sound. At the same time, the current solicitation is not aiming to build entertainment, but a highly accurate and advanced simulation platform. Although, high-quality 3-D graphics and 3-D interaction are desirable, we will not be considering games based on first-person shooter (or equivalent) technology for this solicitation. The goal is to create a simulation for examining group interactions, not the individual warfighter. Development software must be based on mature simulation-technology with proven functionality and performance. In addition to a training platform, this software needs to be used as a testing platform for new HSCB models. The underlying AI must be entirely exposed and available to the user. Thus, the government user needs to be able to develop and implement unique models without modifying the underlying software. Software flexibility needs to be achieved though a scenario editor whenever possible. Software should also maximize the use of scripting languages accessible by the end-user to modify basic aspects of the simulation dealing with socio-cultural modeling and general aspects of the overall simulation; however, it must be emphasized that implementation of new models should be “plug and play” whenever possible and readily modifiable by the end-user. Although, open-source is preferred, significant flexibility for the government user to create new scenarios and use experimental models is the highest criterion. In addition to the visual representations on the computer screen, the system should also provide user feedback including, but not limited to, an after-action report. Proven track record for creating similar types of applications for the government is desired. Scenarios developed with this platform should be militarily relevant but also include scenario options to use non-military instruments of national power from the Political, Military, Economic, Social, Infrastructure, and Information (PMESII) portfolio.
PHASE I: Development of a complete concept plan, concept design for the overall system and a simple working prototype. In this concept plan, address the following items with respect to the Phase II requirements:
1. Describe, illustrate, and storyboard tool(s) under consideration.
2. Outline technology limitations and risks.
3. Clearly delineate the portions of the software that will be open to the end-user for modification
4. Identify which types of software modifications will require hard-coding of software and which can be handled by the end-user through the editor and scripting language.
PHASE II:
1. Build and demonstrate the prototype system.
2. Embed metrics for performance assessment.
3. Start to validate system performance with subject matter experts (SMEs).
DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZTION: A game-based, plug and play modeling tool that can use social, cultural, economic, etc.. data and models in realistic PMESII scenarios would be applicable for widespread use within DoD, the Department of State, International Aid organizations and many of the non-profit agencies/Non-Governmental Organizations that work in complex socio-cultural and economic areas.
KEYWORDS: Game-based training, Socio-cultural modeling, PMESII
OSD08-CR2 TITLE: Second Language Training
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Human Systems
OBJECTIVE: Provide US military with new capabilities to support secondary language retention in non-Western languages, reducing the need for extensive retraining and expanding the number of personnel with high quality language skills in both productive abilities (speech, writing) and receptive abilities (listening comprehension, reading).
DESCRIPTION: Second language training is an expensive process. It is timeintensive and manpower intensive. However, language skills are invaluable in many military missions. Individuals rotate in and out of these missions, with assignments in which their language skills are not used intensively. The problem is that once second language skills are acquired, they begin to fade without continual opportunities for interaction in that language. In military contexts, secondary language attrition means that the military must
retrain individuals who were previously fluent when the need arises for a translator, negotiator or other role where language knowledge is critical. Current language training programs concentrate on language acquisition; there are no training modalities that are geared to the problem of maintaining fluency. There is a need for new training modalities that are geared to the neurolinguistic problems of preventing language loss. Since the 1980s, linguistics has developed a subfield on language attrition, with considerable work on the particular problems of secondary language attrition (rather than loss of primary or birth language). Some of this work has been ethnographic, other work has been psychological and neurological in scope. Several hypotheses have been posited as to how secondary language skills are lost. Russell (1999) and Hayashi (1999) posited that attrition occurred in reverse, so that last learned was first lost. Yoshitomi (1992) found that neuroplasticity, the ability of the mind to change and adapt, was critical (among other factors). A successful candidate proposal would develop new training modalities of second language retention, based on current theory. It would extend current theory in novel ways, relevant to the military problem set, with research that would improve scientific understanding of secondary language attrition.
PHASE I: Execute a research program to demonstrate the feasibility and utility of a linguistic hypothesis to secondary language attrition / retention. Two language domains are posited: Arabic or sub-Saharan French,
with a profiency of Level 1/1+ on the ILR scale. This phase will develop the training module concept that will demonstrate the principles of the research effort. Complete a technical demonstration of the mockup, presenting research and its findings. Development of a negotiation scenario that involves the problems of nation-building. Example: gain cooperation for tasks needed to be accomplished to restore electricity and water.
PHASE II: Develop the training module and demonstrate its utility in an expansion of the negotiation scenario.
DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: Has USG-wide and possibly Multinational and International application (United Nations, NATO).
REFERENCES:
1. Hayashi, Brenda (1999). Testing the regression hypothesis: The remains of the Japanese negation system in Micronesia. In Lynne Hansen (Ed.). "Second Language Attrition: Evidence from Japanese Contexts" (p. 154 - p. 168). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
2. Russell, Robert (1999). Lexical maintenance and attrition in Japanese as a second language. In Lynne Hansen (Ed.). "Second Language Attrition: Evidence from Japanese Contexts" (p. 114 - p. 141). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
3. Yoshitomi, A. (1992). Towards a Model of Language Attrition: Neurological and Psychological Contributions. "Issues in Applied Linguistics Vol 3, No 2:" 293-318.
KEYWORDS: Language, Language Attrition, French, Arabic, Negotiation Skills
OSD08-CR3 TITLE: Rapid Ethnographic Assessment Program
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Human Systems
OBJECTIVE: Provide US military planners/analysts and their USG Interagency partners with an improved, rapid ethnography capacity, so that military planners can quickly discover critical aspects of the society with respect to their particular mission, be it humanitarian, security, reconstruction or stabilization.
DESCRIPTION: DoD Directive 3000.05 requires that the military collect social and cultural data in support of the military’s new mission, describes as SSTR: Security, Stabilization, Transition and Reconstruction. The aim is to better understand the socio-cultural context in which these military missions operate. What is needed is a Rapid Ethnographic Assessment program: New models and methodologies to improve and augment the data collection efforts being undertaken in these missions. This capability will ensure that military analysts will not just collect data, but also be able to know what data matters, in order to make sense of tribal, ethnic and social class relationships, understand environmental factors (for example, the control of water in arid climates), land rights, disputes, the role of religion in everyday life, and the structure of the elites, to name but a few examples relevant to military operations. Candidate methodologies include: cognitive anthropology, social network analysis, other methodologies with a structuralist focus, linguistics, applied anthropology, development anthropology, and computational approaches. This effort will provide analysts with new capabilities for analyzing ethnographic data in ways that are informed by ethnological theory and modern anthropological approaches. A rich, scientifically sound, description of society and the relationships of the various parts of society, will be the result of rapid ethnographic assessment.
The Rapid Ethnographic Assessment program complements on-going efforts to improve data collection on culture and society. This program will provide a more comprehensive, scientifically sound framework for understanding the individual social facts that are being collected. Because all of culture is too large a concept for the limited time and funding of this effort, it is expected that the proposal writer concentrate on one, significant scenario in one, actual culture. Example: Power structure in Afghanistan, Tribal structure and political affiliation in Sudan, Humanitarian relief in Pakistan, Reconstruction in Iraq.
PHASE I: Develop a methodology and framework for the collection of data in a particular domain in a given culture. Collect test data and detail the framework or model. Demonstrate feasibility of approach.
PHASE II: Develop model or approach for testing and show proof of concept. Examples: test methods in Alaskan fishing village.
DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: Has USG-wide and possibly Multinational and International application (United Nations, NATO).
REFERENCES:
1. USG Draft Planning Framework for Reconstruction, Stabilization and Conflict Transformation, USJFCOM J7 Pamphlet, version 1.0, 1 December 2005, http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/other_pubs/jwfcpam_draft.pdf
OSD08-CR4 TITLE: Dynamic Modeling of Safe Routes
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Human Systems
OBJECTIVE: Develop technology to adaptively suggest the safest convoy path through a town, taking into account local social and cultural mores.
DESCRIPTION: Choosing safer paths through hostile territory is a critical need for post-conflict operations. However, identifying safe routes through an unfriendly locale requires much more than knowledge of local roads and obstacles. For example, awareness of native customs, knowledge of patterns of pedestrian and vehicular traffic, and expected reaction to foreigners’ presence are all factors in deciding on the safest path. To achieve such an understanding of local social and cultural mores requires prior study of the country or long-term experience with local conditions. Often, there are few individuals available with the required knowledge, and the result is that the selected routes have greater than necessary risk associated with them. A route-planning tool that is sensitive to social and cultural factors will likely make use of historical patterns of dismount and motorized traffic to predict trouble spots and identify quicker paths. Additionally, it is possible to take into account the locals’ dislike of foreign presence in certain areas (e.g., religious worship locations, schools), although the extent of the local reaction (e.g., from very strong to mild) will probably require an adaptive learning mechanism. The reaction of the local population to a military convoy will vary over time, and will range from mild to overtly offensive (i.e., the frequency of IED incidents will increase). This effort would develop trafficability models and tools that take into account social and cultural factors, as well as current “man on the street” feelings, to provide paths through a town that are as safe as possible. The tools may derive model content from various sources, including statistical compilations (e.g., census data), local reporting (e.g., newspapers), geospatial products (e.g., road network and building height data) and subject matter experts, but they should do so as efficiently and automatically as possible.
PHASE I: Phase I end products shall be: documentation of concept and initial prototype for proof of concept showing the feasibility of meaningful, social and cultural-aware, vehicle path planning mechanisms; a technical report documenting the concept and design; and, a development plan for the Phase II effort.
PHASE II: The end product for Phase II shall be a fully functional path planning application demonstrated in a relevant environment and a technical report documenting the design and development. Technical and human performance measures in a dynamic environment will be documented.
DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: Military application: The capabilities developed under this effort could be used by any system which depends upon the availability of safe convoy routes. Commercial application: Improve truck fleet route planning by adapting routes to changing local conditions.
REFERENCES:
1. MAGTF Intelligence Production and Analysis; US Marine Corps manual MCWP 2-12; http://fas.org/irp/doddir/usmc/mcwp2-12.pdf.
2. Richmond, et al.; “Standard for the Mobility Common Operational Picture (M-COP): Elements of Ground Vehicle Maneuver”, US Army Corps of Engineers, Engineer Research and Development Center; technical report ERDC TR-07-4; July 2007;
http://www.crrel.usace.army.mil/library/technicalreports/ERDC-TR-07-4.pdf.
3. Slocum, et al.; “Trafficability Analysis Engine”, CrossTalk; June 2003; http://www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/2003/06/slocum.html.
4. Peters; “The Human Terrain of Urban Operations”, Parameters; Spring 2000; pp 4-12; http://www.carlisle.army.mil/usawc/Parameters/00spring/peters.htm.
5. Basir; “Traffic Violations Hit Record in Ramadan”, Arab News; Nov. 9, 2004; http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1§ion=0&article=54196&d=9&m=11&y=2004.
KEYWORDS: behavior modeling and simulation, decision-making, business process modeling
OSD08-EP1 TITLE: High-Capacity, High-Rate Thermal Energy Storage (TES) Technologies and Systems
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Ground/Sea Vehicles, Materials/Processes
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: Develop integrated, high-capacity thermal energy storage (TES) technologies with goals of 1000 kJ/kg at 20 to 70 °C that can store peak or transient heat loads, at a high rate (10 kW/s).
DESCRIPTION: Cyclically and intermittently powered thermal systems are candidates for TES and transport technologies where the average thermal dissipation requirement is substantially lower than the peak requirement. Thermal management (TM) systems can then be reduced in size as a result of being able to rapidly store peak waste heat and dissipate it more slowly. Depending on the specific application, cycle times may be relatively short, with rates of 10 kW/s. A variety of phase change material (PCM) systems may be envisioned for such thermal storage, and depending on heat load to be stored and working temperature, include paraffin-based systems, molten salts, eutectic metals, and reversible chemical reactions. The TES system must be tailored toward specific requirements as the various platforms require quite different performance. For example, reversible chemical reactions hold promise for the high energy densities applicable to directed energy weapons (DEW) if they can be controlled and suitably large heats of reaction can be married with a low or nonvolatilizing reaction for use on military aircraft. PCMs with heats of reaction approaching the high latent heats associated with vaporization (water, 2200 kJ/kg; ammonia, 1100 kJ/kg), without substantial increase in volume, are also desirable for DEW systems. High-rate, high-capacity, novel TES technologies for managing transient heat loads representative of future weapon requirements, 1000 kJ/kg at 20 °C for laser applications and 1000 kJ/kg at 70 °C for high-power microwave applications, with rates of 10 kW/s are being sought.
PHASE I: Determine the technical feasibility of the proposed innovation to include analysis, design, and experimental approach for TES concept demonstration. Address a specific weapon’s TM need, including operating temperatures, energy magnitudes, interfaces, and weight requirements.
PHASE II: Design one or more of the systems identified in Phase I and build at a breadboard level of technical readiness to demonstrate proof of concept. Strong relationships with suitable aerospace original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are encouraged for an effective Phase III transition plan.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Mililtary applications include the integration and packaging of the high-capacity, high-rate TES systems into high-power, solid-state laser or high-power, microwave TM systems. Commercial application: Commercial applications for improved TM, both in the aerospace and nonaerospace markets, include actuator cooling and hybrid automotive applications.
REFERENCES:
1. Du, J., Chow, L.C., and Leland, Q., ""Optimization of High Heat Flux Thermal Energy Storage with Phases Change Materials,"" ASME IMECE, 5-11 Nov 2005.
2. Wierschke, K.W., Franke, M.E., Watts, R., and Ponnappan, R., ""Heat Dissipation With Pitch Based Carbon Foams and Phase Change Materials,"" 38th AIAA Thermophysics Conf., Toronto, Ontario, 6-9 June 2005.
3. Baxi, C.B. and Knowles, T., “Thermal Energy Storage for Solid-State Laser Weapon Systems,” Journal of Directed Energy, Vol. 1, pp. 293-308, Winter 2006.
4. Park, C., Kim, K.J., Gottschlich, J., and Leland, Q., “High Performance Heat Storage and Dissipation Technology,” ASME International Mechanical Engineering Conference & Exposition, Orlando, FL, 2005.
KEYWORDS: integrated thermal management, phase change materials, PCM, thermal energy storage, TES, high-capacity TES, high-rate TES, thermal management, TM
OSD08-EP2 TITLE: Advanced Materials and Chemistries for Electrochemical Energy Storage Devices
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Ground/Sea Vehicles
OBJECTIVE: Identify, investigate, characterize, and apply new materials and chemistries for advanced battery applications.
DESCRIPTION: Rechargeable lithium ion (Li-ion) technology has demonstrated specific energies exceeding 200 Wh/kg for a wide variety of applications in cell sizes ranging from 0.2 to 200 ampere-hours. Recent advances have emphasized the use of nano materials in anodes and cathodes to improve energy storage, charge/discharge rates, low temperature performance, and safety of operation (specifically fire/explosion hazard). These improvements, however, are evolutionary and have not generated a 5 to 10 times improvement in performance. This topic seeks advanced battery chemistries to provide batteries that operate safely at significantly higher specific energies (SE) much greater than 100 Wh/kg, energy densities (ED) from 600 to 800 Wh/l, or specific powers exceeding 5 to 10 kW/kg. Chemistries that can be applied over the range of small systems (i.e., sensors and soldier power) to large applications (i.e., aircraft and directed energy weapons) are of interest.
Materials for anodes, cathodes, electrolytes and separators that can be combined in safe electrochemical systems to demonstrate open circuit voltages > 4.8 volts or enhanced specific capacity electrodes, cells and batteries beyond state-of-the-art Li-ion chemistries are of particular interest. Electrochemical system designs, cells, and batteries should emphasize the ability to float and operate on unregulated system electrical buss architectures. For this effort, a cycle life of 1,000 deep discharges is desired. Component materials that improve SE, ED, and specific power with some outstanding characteristic will be considered. Offerors should propose and incorporate materials and advanced chemistries into experimental breadboard cells of at least 2 ampere-hours in size to demonstrate performance and safety. Initial experiments may be performed on cells of less capacity, but contract deliverables shall be at least 2 ampere-hours in size. Projections of SE, ED, and specific power for cells of 20 to 50 ampere-hours in size shall be presented considering all cell components and hardware such as case, terminals, electronic circuitry, etc. to demonstrate the potential improved performance. The proposed innovation should be compared with current state-of-the-art materials, cells, and batteries.
PHASE I: Identify components/materials that result in superior energy storage devices. Support feasibility of the new chemistry with proposed mechanisms and thermodynamics. Detail the expected result for the component and the scaling law for its performance. Cells must be built and tested to prove concept.
PHASE II: Provide a detailed plan for battery development that targets military sensor and communication applications, ground and airborne applications. specific batteries utilizing new chemistries resulting from the first phase. The new chemistry should be incorporated into prototype batteries with all compatibilities and engineering problems with neighboring components addressed, evaluated and resolved.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Military applications include radio, silent watch vehicles, aircraft and UAVs, on-board power for missiles and space platforms with long mission times, high pulse power for directed energy weapons. Commercial application: Commercial applications include portable power for tools and electronics, clinical/medical applications, and hybrid vehicles.
REFERENCES:
1. Linden, D. and Reddy, T.B., Handbook Of Batteries, 3rd edition, McGraw-Hill, New York, 2002.
2. Surampudi, S., Marsh, R., Ogumi, Z., and Prakash, J., Lithium Batteries, Proceedings Volume 99-25, The Electrochemical Society, Inc., Pennington, NJ, 2000.
3. Advances In Lithium-Ion Batteries, edited by W. Schalkwijk and Bruno Scrosati, Kluwer Academic/Plenum Publishers, New York, 2002.
KEYWORDS: chemistry, electrochemistry, battery, electrolyte, anode, cathode
OSD08-EP3 TITLE: High-Temperature Blower Development for Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) Applications
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Ground/Sea Vehicles
OBJECTIVE: Develop a lightweight, efficient, high-temperature blower which enables power-dense SOFC power units for long-endurance unmanned vehicle (UV) and munition applications.
DESCRIPTION: In recent years, UVs and weapon system capabilities have required significant adaptation in order to combat an increasingly mobile and elusive adversary. In one particular application, battlefield persistence will be achieved through the use of small (2 to 4 kW), long-endurance unmanned air vehicle (UAV) munitions which are required to stay aloft for 50 hours or more. To achieve these unprecedented endurances, compact SOFC power units are under development wherein system efficiency and power density are balanced such that far greater mission durations are possible compared to conventional reciprocating engines. These systems are currently being designed to operate on military logistic fuels which could include JP-8, JP-10, and desulfurized jet fuels. High-performance fuel processing and power generation subsystems are being developed to meet these requirements. However, these stringent mission requirements also place considerable constraints upon the cathode air blower, including high desired operation temperatures, low power consumption, high throughput air requirements, low weight and volume, and low acoustic operation. This research topic seeks advanced, lightweight, low-volume designs for SOFC cathode air blower/compressors which assist in enabling these long-endurance, high-power dense applications. The blower unit must be able to operate reliably for a minimum 1000 hours while supplying enough air for 2-kW fuel cell operation. Current technology is designed with the following specifications: speed 36,310 rpm, flow and pressure ~400 slpm@15kPa, power 215 W, noise 78dBa. Developments should be focused on significant improvements to the parasitic power consumption and/or efficiency. Vibration and acoustic footprint are also primary concerns. System requirements shall be thoroughly analyzed and potential design approaches shall be presented in Phase I.
PHASE I: Conduct a basic trade analysis to down-select competing approaches, and present a detailed design of the approach. Prototype component(s) shall be assembled and tested to demonstrate progression toward meeting performance objectives.
PHASE II: Multiple prototypes of the enhanced design will be assembled and tested to military specifications to verify that they meet weight and performance objectives. Demonstrate that the device is readily manufacturable and project costs of the unit based upon limited (<1000 units) production. Deliverables will include five units which can be integrated into prototype 2-kW SOFC systems.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: Compact cathode air blowers are essential for achieving high energy and power density, aggressive weight requirements for long-endurance UAV and munition applications. Commercial application: Potential commercial applications could include homeland security and related commercial aerospace applications.
REFERENCES:
1. Fontell, E., Kivisarri, T., Christiansen, N., Hansen, J.-B., and Palsson, J., <i>J. Power Sources</i>, Vol. 131, pp. 49-56, 2004.
2. Fuel Cell Handbook, 7th ed., U.S. Department of Energy, NETL, Prepared under contract DE-AM26-99FT40575, 2004.
3. http://www.netl.doe.gov/seca/.
KEYWORDS: auxiliary power units, APUs, fuel cell powered generators, solid oxide fuel cells, SOFCs, cathode, air blower
OSD08-EP4 TITLE: Advanced Hybrid Thermoelectric-Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Energy Conversion for High Efficiency Portable Power
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Ground/Sea Vehicles
OBJECTIVE: Develop a high conversion efficiency 250W, 14 VDC hybrid thermoelectric-solid oxide fuel cell portable power generator that exploits recent advances in high performance thermoelectric and solid oxide fuel cell materials and heat transfer technologies in state-of-the-art generators. Develop and execute concepts for optimized efficiency hybrid generators with low parasitic thermal and electrical integration. Analyze potential for increased hybrid system conversion efficiency and develop models for design optimization. This technology development is directed at portable and scaleable DoD warfighter and platform applications, providing enhanced fuel efficiencies through cogeneration of electricity via waste heat recuperation as well as auxiliary applications of the thermoelectric module for personal cooling and heating.
DESCRIPTION: Significant improvements in thermoelectric performance of semiconductor systems have recently been realized in thin film and bulk materials through the incorporation of nanometer scale structures that significantly increase phonon scattering, leading to record low thermal conductivities. Advanced designed materials also feature in state-of-the-art solid oxide fuel cells.
This topic seeks new concepts that leverage these technological advances to achieve higher overall conversion efficiencies for portable power (250W – 1 kW at 14 VDC) through integration of advanced thermoelectric (TE) conversion devices recuperating waste heat from Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFCs). SOFCs are expected to operate at 700 to 900°C, and with thermal energy discharged at relatively high temperatures (Thot ~400°C) are amenable to cogeneration of electricity with advanced high ZT thermoelectric power generating devices. The resulting temperature differential, depending on ambient conditions, will be approximately 350°C, with advanced heat transfer concepts required to achieve this temperature drop across the TE module for the highest efficiencies. Minimizing parasitic losses and maximizing the temperature differential will be required for higher overall fuel-to-electrical energy conversion efficiencies.
Analyses and system designs should consider the most advanced, validated, state-of-the-art thermoelectric, fuel cell, and heat transfer technologies, thermal and electrical systems integration, and power conditioning, as well as the technical and cost trade offs associated with integrating the thermoelectric and SOFC devices. The analysis should explore a range of TE devices and SOFCs using JP-8 or alternative hydrocarbon fuels and define the technical performance and cost targets required of the component technologies that must be met to produce integrated TE-SOFC generators. Alternative hydrocarbon fuels (e.g., propane, butane) may be used for proof of the hybrid concept, with consideration given to transitions to JP-8 fuel in the field. To maximize system-level conversion efficiency, modules must be designed and materials selected that minimize parasitic losses and maintain mechanical robustness at operating temperature and through repeated temperature cycling. Power quality should be similar to current tactical generators (specifications for current Marine Corps generators are available at http://www.marcorsyscom.usmc.mil/sites/pmeps/default.asp). Warfighter portability should be factored into the design of the generator, with a weight of no more than 30 lb. at the proof-of-concept stage and an ultimate target of 15 lb.
PHASE I: Develop detailed plans and comparative analyses for an integrated hybrid TE-SOFC -generator incorporating state-of-the-art TE and SOFC materials/modules, advanced heat transfer and low parasitic interfaces, and appropriate power conditioning for 250W – 1 kW power at 14 or 28 VDC. Demonstrate initial system proof-of-concept for overall efficiency gain by addition of TE generator to SOFC.
PHASE II: Optimize design for an integrated hybrid TE-SOFC generator incorporating state-of-the-art components for TE, SOFC, heat transfer, and power conditioning to deliver 250W – 1kW power at 14 or 28 VDC, with <10 minute startup, using JP-8 or alternative hydrocarbon fuel (e.g., propane, butane). Fabricate and test a fully integrated 250W – 1 kW prototype to demonstrate the potential for overall system efficiency gains of the hybrid design. Overall weight should not exceed 30 lb. and portability should be factored into the design. Analyze manufacturability, reliability, scalability, and cost issues for producing commercially viable power generation system.
PHASE III: Design and fabricate a performance- and portability-optimized hybrid thermoelectric-SOFC generator using the highest performance materials available that provides maximum total fuel-to-electricity conversion efficiency, using JP-8 fuel, for 250W – 1 kW power at 14VDC, <10 min. startup time, and a total weight of 15-25 lb. that will enable the development of commercially viable portable power generators for renewable warfighter power.
PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: The integration of thermoelectric generators using the highest performance materials available with state-of-the-art solid oxide fuel cells with thermal and electrical systems engineering that minimizes parasitic losses and provides maximum total conversion efficiency will enable the development of commercially viable portable power generators for renewable power with the potential auxiliary applications of cooling and heating, unattended remote power, and camping and recreational sporting power.
KEYWORDS: Thermoelectric, fuel cells, waste heat, hybrid, nanostructure, heat transfer, energy conversion, power generation, generator
OSD08-EP5 TITLE: Conformal Coating Insulation for Circuit Boards in Switched Mode Power Conversion Equipment for High Temperature Environments
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Ground/Sea Vehicles
OBJECTIVE: To provide high-temperature, electrically-insulating materials and processes to conformally coat wire used in electro-mechanical and power conversion components.
DESCRIPTION: As electronic systems become more compact and consume more power, the processes by which waste heat is removed become less effective and, therefore, constituent components are required to operate at higher temperatures. Magnetic components such as transformers, inductors, motors and generators all use insulated magnet wire and depend on the integrity of the wire’s electrical insulation to be maintained at elevated temperatures. In addition, the use of high-frequency, pulse-width-modulation control schemes in modern electronic systems places additional electrical stresses on wire insulation systems. The affects of high temperature operation combined with electrical stress seriously degrade the coating’s lifetime and therefore, system reliability. Contemporary organic magnet wire insulations have a maximum temperature rating of approximately 240 C and will be a limiting factor in future component development. This effort will stimulate the development of a new class of wire insulation materials that has a sustained operating temperature of at least 300 C while maintaining the electrical and mechanical properties demonstrated by conventional, organic insulation systems. The materials demonstrated under this effort shall meet all applicable requirements of the NEMA MW 1000-2003 (Rev 2) standard for magnet wire. Specific properties will be scaled for consistency with this standard at 300 C operation.
PHASE I: This effort will include laboratory demonstrations of potential insulation materials and processes. Candidate coatings should demonstrate higher operating temperatures than current state-of-the-art (SOA) while the electrical insulating and mechanical toughness properties of the new materials should not be significantly less than the current SOA. Characterization and analyses of material properties shall conform to the NEMA MW 1000-2003 (Rev 2) standard. Additional, high-frequency dielectric degradation evaluations, not covered by the NEMA standard, will be required.
PHASE II: This effort will focus on the optimization of the coating material with development of processes for production of insulated magnet wire. Phase II shall include demonstration of coating lifetime by both industry-accepted materials evaluation techniques and implementation on representative power electronic components on prototype, high-temperature systems. Characterization and analyses of material properties shall conform to the NEMA MW 1000-2003 (Rev 2) standard. Performance verification, testing, and demonstration will be expected during Phase II. Additional, high-frequency dielectric degradation evaluations, not covered by the NEMA standard, will be required.
PHASE III: During this effort, the subject technology may be applied to both commercial and military systems. Collaboration with military system developers and/or DoD personnel with systems requirements is highly encouraged.
REFERENCES:
1. ANSI/NEMA MW 1000-2003, Rev. 2, 2006, Magnet Wire, National Electrical Manufacturers Association, Rosslyn, VA
2. Demura, T., Development of electro-deposition insulation for high heat-resistant magnet wire, Proc. 2005 International Symp. On Electrical Insulating Materials, Vol. 3, 628-632
3. Brockschmidt, A., Corona in switching power supplies, APEC '97 Conference Proceedings, 1997, pp. 31-34
4. Brockschmidt, A., Electrical environments in aerospace application, Electric Machines and Drives, International Conference IEMD '99, May 1999, pp. 719-721
5. Tissier, G. Gressus, C. Bouygues, J., Surface Phenomena in Electronics Interconnection Technology-A Review, IEEE Transactions on [see also IEEE Trans. on Components, Packaging, and Manufacturing Technology, Jun 1982, Volume : 5, Issue: 2, pp. 217- 224
KEYWORDS: Keywords: Insulating coatings, High temperature, Power electronics, Power conditioning
OSD08-EP6 TITLE: Scalable Solid-State Circuit Breaker (SSCB)
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Ground/Sea Vehicles
OBJECTIVE: Develop scalable high-current (50 - 500 Amps), high voltage (270-700 Volts) DC solid-state power controllers (‘solid state circuit breakers”) for power management and fault protection for applications in both commercial and military electrical power systems.
DESCRIPTION:
High levels of electrical power are increasingly used on military platforms for more-electric, hybrid electric, and exportable power applications. Electrical power systems on vehicle platforms must be safe and reliable and as such they require SSCB’s for fault protection and power management
This need is presently addressed using electromechanical contactors. Electromechanical contractors are available at high power levels, but have long trip response times, 15 – 110 milliseconds. State-of-the-art solid state circuit breakers have fast response times, 5 - 15 microseconds, but are only available up to approximately 25 Amp. The faster switching times possible with SSCBs provide superior fault isolation capability. SSCBs are typically smaller and lighter than electromechanical contactors.
On a More Electric Aircraft (MEA) with a 270-volt DC primary electrical power system, electrical loads typically range from 5 to 200 Amps. In a hybrid electric ground vehicle with 700 Volt DC primary electrical power system, continuous electrical loads can range from 50 Amps to 500 Amps. Proposed solution must be scalable in voltage and current to address these systems. In a fault condition, high transient voltages may occur, and current levels exceed continuous levels. Proposed solution must provide transient over-voltage and over-current capability. A particular need exists in hybrid electric systems to isolate high-power, high energy battery packs in the event of a fault condition.
An innovative solution is sought to provide a fast-response time solid-state circuit breaker
capable of scaling to operate over the voltage and current ranges required in military vehicles.
Solution must seek to minimize SSCB size and weight. Proposals will be judged on the basis of the proposed technology’s capability to operate reliably at required voltages and currents, provide superior fault isolation capability, and minimize size and weight.
PHASE I: Clearly identify the problem or opportunity to be addressed by the proposed research. Define the conceptual design and predict the performance of the proposed design through analysis, preliminary modeling and simulation. Explore the feasibility of new concepts through analysis and/or small-scale testing. All concepts should be scaleable or flexible designs that can support various mission applications.
PHASE II: Provide detailed design and prototypical device or hardware demonstrations. Initial designs should be of a scale applicable to a military ground vehicle or small aircraft/ UAVs and must consider cooling requirements on such platforms. Models and/or simulations, validated by demonstrations and which fully capture the relevant physics, are typically expected. A clear definition of failure modes would be expected as well as the ability to meet required operational lifetimes
PHASE III / DUAL USE: This technology may have application in future commercial aircraft, truck, and automotive vehicles.
REFERENCES:
1. Air Force Research Laboratory, Propulsion Directorate, Power Division web-site: http://www.pr.afrl.af.mil/divisions/prp
KEYWORDS: solid state power controller, solid state relay, fault isolation, high current solid state switching, power switches, power conditioning
OSD08-EP7 TITLE: Compact Condensers for Electronics Cooling
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Ground/Sea Vehicles
OBJECTIVE: Develop an efficient, compact condenser with refrigerant to water heat transfer coefficient in excess of 50,000 W/m2K.
DESCRIPTION: Removal of waste heat via evaporative cooling technologies presents the best opportunity to enable the integration of high power electronic systems into future military platforms where size, weight, and efficiency are a premium. Recent advances attained from work in Army, Navy, and Air Force laboratories, and validated by the DDR&E Energy & Power Technology Senior Steering Group, have led to demonstration of compact microchannel evaporators with heat transfer coefficients in excess of 105 W/m2K and low pumping powers. In order to fully realize system level benefits, similar advances in condenser technology are required. Microchannel condensers have recently been commercialized in the air-conditioning industry. These devices typically have refrigerant-side heat transfer coefficients less than 5000 W/m2K and air-side heat transfer coefficients of a few hundred W/m2K. Military systems are expected to make use of a secondary coolant loop to transport heat from condensers. For example, naval platforms use a fresh water electronics cooling system, while air platforms have a PAO coolant loop. This topic seeks innovative condenser designs optimized for efficient cooling of electronics.
PHASE I: Design a compact condenser with a heat transfer coefficient in excess of 50,000 W/m2K. The design should focus on systems with saturation temperatures below 70 °C using non-aqueous thermofluids (refrigerants and fluorocarbons). Pressure drop on both the refrigerant and water side should be minimized to optimize efficiency. Verify feasibility using modeling and/or component demonstration.
PHASE II: Demonstrate a prototype system using the concept developed in Phase I. The prototype should be able to reject 5 kW heat to a fresh water system at 25 °C. Evaluate the efficiency of the prototype under various electrical and cooling loads and temperatures. Performance data including heat transfer and pressure drop shall be collected at a variety of flow rates (both refrigerant and water), temperatures, and entrance qualities. Validate analytic models developed in Phase I and evaluate scalability of design.
PHASE III: Design and develop the next series of compact, high efficiency condensers using the knowledge gained during Phases I and II. This series of cooling coils must meet military unique requirements, e.g. shock and vibration.
PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL: Advanced condensers developed here would be suitable for use in commercial and home HVAC systems.
REFERENCES
1. M. Kuszewski and M. Zerby, “Next Generation Navy Thermal Management Program,” NSWCCD Technical Report TR-82-2002/12 (2002).
2. B. Donovan, M. L. Ramalingam, T. Mahefkey, and K. L. Yerkes, “Thermal Management Challenges for Future Military Aircraft Power Systems, SAE-2004-01-3204 (2004).
3. C. Park, J. Zuo, P. Rogers, and J. Perez, “Two-Phase Flow Cooling for Vehicle Thermal Management,” SAE-2005-01-1769 (2005).
KEYWORDS: thermal management, two-phase cooling, condensation
OSD08-EP8 TITLE: High Reliability Low Maintenance Cryocooler for HTS Motor/Generator
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Ground/Sea Vehicles
OBJECTIVE: Develop a pulse tube cryocooler system capable of rotating as part of the rotor for naval superconducting motors and generators.
DESCRIPTION: As the services, in particular the Air Force and the Navy, moves toward using superconducting motors and generators it becomes beneficial to incorporate cryogenic cooling directly on the rotating body. This incorporation will result in lower system weight and increased feasibility of smaller scale superconducting machines. Typically superconducting motors and generators utilize a cryogenic skid to cool a fluid, typically helium, which is circulated between the skid and the superconducting portion of the machine. Removal of the cryogenic skid enables the size, weight, and power density benefits of superconductivity while eliminating the typical cryogenic skid footprint.
The concept of utilizing a rotating cryocooler directly attached to the rotor of a superconducting machine provides the challenge of developing a two stage cooler which will be able to provide required cooling closer to the load thereby reducing overall system losses. The benefits of this will require successful navigation through challenges of maintained reliability and performance. Innovation is required in the development of the pressure oscillator to maintain performance without significant wear. Attention to the overall size and weight of the cryocooler should be considered as a smaller, lighter system will be favorable to the application.
The target application for this cryocooler will require two-stage cooling with 100w to 200w at 77K and 30w to 60w at 30K. The cryocooler assembly will see operational rotation speeds between 1800 to 3600 RPM. Considerations will need to be given to reject heat removal from the cryocooler, performance degradation during rotation, maintenance and replacement, scalability, wear resulting from rotation, and possible methods to increase refrigeration density.
It is desirable to have available a cryocooler that is compact, requires little to no maintenance, performs reliability, and is cost effective. While efficiency is not a primary concern for this application, advanced designs which help eliminate losses would receive positive favor and enhance the overall benefit of this concept. The cryocooler performance and efficiency should not be orientation dependant, or if they are identify rotational orientations which are less favorable.
PHASE I: Identify issues related pulse tube cryocoolers when rotated at high speed in various orientations of rotation. Pursue experimentation to evaluate concerns and investigate designs to overcome these issues. Create prototype components as required. Develop an initial cryocooler design with supporting analysis for a full scale rotating cryocooler.
PHASE II: Develop and demonstrate a full-scale prototype of the cryocooler in a rotating environment. Using knowledge gained from the demonstration prototype, create a conceptual design with cost estimates for a cryocooler that will be integrated into the rotating body of a HTS motor or generator.
PHASE III: Transition this technology to commercial and military market for using in superconducting products.
PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL:
Industrial superconducting motors are generally not feasibly from a cost standpoint for motors less than 5000hp. However, the increase in motor efficiency gained through the use of superconductor can offset the cryogenic cooling requirement when the cryocooler is incorporated directly in the rotating body. This incorporation of the cryocooler will enable more applications of HTS motors in industry.
REFERENCES:
1. Snitchler G., Gamble B., Kalsi S.S., “The performance of a 5 MW high temperature superconductor ship propulsion motor” Applied Superconductivity, IEEE Transactions on Volume 15, Issue 2, Part 2, June 2005 Page(s):2206 – 2209
2. Radebaugh, R. “Refrigeration for Superconductors” Proceedings of the IEEE Volume 92, Issue 10, Oct. 2004 Page(s):1719 – 1734.
3. Curcic, T.; Wolf, S.A. “Superconducting hybrid power electronics for military systems” Applied Superconductivity, IEEE Transactions on Volume 15, Issue 2, Part 2, June 2005 Page(s):2364 – 2369.
4. S. Vanapalli, M. Lewis, Z. Gan, and R. Radebaugh. “120 Hz pulse tube cryocooler for fast cooldown to 50 K” Applied Physics Letters. 90, 072504 (2007)
KEYWORDS: cryogenic, superconductor, HTS, cryocooler, refrigeration, pulse tube, GM, motor, generator
OSD08-IA1 TITLE: Software Partitioning to Migrate Critical Software Components to Trusted Hardware
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems
OBJECTIVE: Develop technology that can automatically identify and partition (separate) critical algorithms, threads, or slices, contained in a software application in order to execute those components on trusted hardware. The primary focus of this effort is for single host systems, but the design should allow for protecting distributed applications [1].
DESCRIPTION: Hardware solutions using coprocessors have the potential to provide out-of-band execution of critical algorithms or instruction sequences, and significantly reduce the risk to piracy and reverse engineering. There are several challenges, however, in migrating critical algorithms to a secure coprocessor or to systems of secure coprocessors. These challenges include overcoming the manual identification of critical algorithms contained within binary executables, difficulty in recompiling source code for the coprocessor architecture or performing binary translation to a hardware description language, and the inability to run the needed critical algorithms on the coprocessor(s) due to performance and memory constraints. Furthermore, distributed and parallel computing applications further add to the complexity and difficulty of the problem [2] [3].
Despite the challenges associated with coprocessor-based software protection, these solutions have the potential to pose a significant deterrent to piracy and reverse engineering that many other solutions currently cannot provide. The focus of this topic is to address the following areas of interest: (1) identification of user-specified critical technology, algorithms, or data within either the source code or the natively compiled binary executable; (2) analysis of the identified critical technology and its potential for migration to a coprocessor, based upon performance, memory, and operating system requirements; and (3) techniques that allow the migration of necessary or critical software components to other hardware elements on the host or network [4]. A secondary focus (to be performed in Phase II) should include extending the design to allow protection of tactical nodal architectures [5] for applications distributed across several nodes of a network. The researcher should develop static or dynamic techniques that can operate on natively compiled binary executables or at the source code level (with minimal participation from code developers), that allows the automatic protection and migration of critical intellectual property (algorithms and/or data) to trusted hardware, such as a secure coprocessor. A successful outcome (at the end of Phase II) would be a demonstration of the ability to automatically migrate a user-selected critical algorithm contained within the application to run on coprocessor hardware located on a single host, and the ability to assist the end-user in selecting such an algorithm based on the constraints of the hardware system. The approach should address performance and scalability concerns, memory issues, operating system compatibility, and other obstacles to adoptability.
PHASE I:
1) Research and develop a concept for software partitioning that will allow the automatic migration of critical IP to run on a single secure coprocessor. Operating systems of interest (on the host CPU) include Linux or Windows.
2) Provide design and architecture documents of a prototype tool that demonstrates the feasibility of the concept.
3) Provide a minimal prototype that demonstrates the feasibility of the concept (emulation or simulation of the trusted hardware component in software is acceptable for Phase I).
PHASE II:
1) Based on the results from Phase I, refine and extend the design of the software partitioning system prototype to a fully functioning solution. The solution should include the ability to automatically migrate a user-selected critical algorithm(s) to coprocessor hardware.
2) Provide test and evaluation results demonstrating the ability to automate the migration of critical software IP to trusted hardware. The results should include the performance and memory impact of the protection system.
3) Extend the design of the Phase I architecture to consider distributed and parallel computing applications, as well as scenarios where multiple protected applications need to run on the same host (implementation of that design is not required).
PHASE III DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Tools and technologies for the protection of high-value distributed software against piracy and reverse engineering and the protection of intellectual property would be marketable in both the DoD and commercial sectors.
REFERENCES:
1. [USAF, 2000] Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, “Joint Vision 2020”, June, 2000.
2. Smith, Edward A., “Effects-Based Approaches to Operations,” July 2006, DoD Command and Control Research Program. Available online at http://www.dodccrp.org.
3. Satterthwaite, C., “Insertion of Embedded Information Support Technology (IEIST) Force Templates,” October 2004, Digital Avionics Systems Conference.
4. Zhang, X., Gupta, R., “Hiding Program Slices for Software Security,” http://citeseer.ist.psu.edu/cache/papers/cs/27387/http:zSzzSzwww.cs.arizona.eduzSzpeoplezSzguptazSzresearchzSzPublicationszSzCompzSzCGO03.pdf/zhang03hiding.pdf
5. Alberts, D., Garstka, J., Stein, F., “Network Centric Warfare,” February 2000, DoD Command and Control Research Program. Available online at http://www.dodccrp.org.
KEYWORDS: Software Protection, Coprocessor, Static Analysis, Dynamic Analysis, Software-Hardware Partitioning, System-of-System, Distributed Systems, Tactical Nodal Architectures
OSD08-IA2 TITLE: Covert Loading and Execution of Software Protections to Reduce Adversarial Detection
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems
OBJECTIVE: Develop innovative software protection technology containing the ability to covertly load or execute critical software applications and their associated protections.
DESCRIPTION: Trusted computing architectures, such as Intel’s Trusted Execution Technology [1] and AMD’s Secure Virtual Machine (SVM) technology provide extensions to their respective CPU instruction sets that allow for enhanced security capabilities, including protected execution within a virtual machine monitored (VMM) operating system environment. While such technology represents a significant advance in end-node security, one concern is that attackers will focus on design flaws that will allow the compromise of such systems [2]. An alternative and complementary security paradigm is to use kernel-mode protections to prevent the piracy and reverse engineering of software applications. Such protections could be used to protect both legacy systems and software running on top of the above mentioned VMM operating system. Recent debate in the security community over whether (malicious) stealth software will be more effective (undetectable) running in a hypervisor or in the operating system kernel [3] [4] could have a direct impact on the exploitability of software protection technology that also uses these paradigms. The purpose of this topic is to perform research in covert loading and execution to fully explore and determine the effectiveness of stealth software, specifically, in the presence of legitimate virtualized operating systems. Such research will lead to improved application security as well as a better understanding of the capabilities and limitations of stealth malware, including specifically virtualization-based rootkits.
The focus of this research is to develop innovative protection concepts and capabilities that covertly load and execute software, and software protection. In order to proactively improve those defenses, a secondary focus of this effort is to investigate countermeasures to such technology. The following are the desired outcomes of this research: (1) determine the optimal location for covert software execution (i.e., in a hypervisor, operating system kernel, or elsewhere); (2) develop innovative extensions to current stealth software technology that can be used to improve the security of software applications by making the protections less known and hence less vulnerable to the adversary; (3) develop countermeasures to such covert software technology, both to proactively improve software protections and to develop capabilities that can be used to detect malicious software that attempts to use the above mentioned hypervisor technology for malicious purposes (e.g., hypervisor-based rootkits). Research areas of interest include, but are not limited to, BIOS exploitation [5] to covertly launch applications or their associated protections; hidden execution concepts [6] that could be applied to the load/unload processes, hypervisor-based rootkit technology [4]; and remote direct memory injection techniques that do not require additional hardware.
PHASE I:
1) Research and develop a concept for covert loading and executing software protection. Operating systems of interest include Linux or Windows.
2) Provide design and architecture documents of a prototype tool that demonstrates the feasibility of the concept.
3) Provide a minimal software prototype demonstrating one or more of the capabilities listed above.
PHASE II:
1) Based on the results from Phase I, refine and extend the design of the covert software defensive system prototype to a fully functioning solution.
2) Provide test and evaluation results demonstrating the ability to covertly load and execute software protection.
3) Research countermeasures to covert software protection technology and proactively develop software protection defenses.
PHASE III DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Covert loading and execution will enhance the protection of software applications and their associated protections, and as a result, the technology developed under this effort can be applied in both government and commercial sectors. This research will also provide a foundation for the development of advanced stealth malware detection tools. Enterprise software, device drivers, kernel protections that are readily accessible and susceptible to over-the-wire attacks will benefit from the products produced as a result of this research.
REFERENCES:
1. David Grawrock, “The Intel Safer Computing Initiative,” Intel Press, 2005, http://www.intel.com/intelpress/sum_secc.htm
2. Ahmed Sallam, “The truths and myths about Blue Pill and virtualized malware,” Posted August 13, 2007, http://www.avertlabs.com/research/blog/index.php/2007/08/13/the-truths-and-myths-about-blue-pill-and-virtualized-malware
3. Thomas Ptacek and Nate Lawson, “Don’t Tell Joanna, The Virtualized Rootkit Is Dead,” http://www.blackhat.com/html/bh-media-archives/bh-archives-2007.html
4. Joanna Rutkowska and Alexander Tereshkin, “IsGameOver(), anyone?” http://www.blackhat.com/html/bh-media-archives/bh-archives-2007.html
5. Darmawan Salihun, BIOS Disassembly Ninjutsu Uncovered, A-List Publishing, 2006.
6. Dan Tsafrir, Yoav Etsion, and Dror G. Feitelson, “Secretly Monopolizing the CPU Without Superuser Privileges,” http://www.cs.huji.ac.il/~dants/papers/Cheat07Security.pdf.
KEYWORDS: Software Protection, hypervisor rootkits, stealth software, BIOS, Hidden Execution, Covert Channels, Covert Processing, Trusted Execution
OSD08-IA3 TITLE: Trusted Querying
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems
OBJECTIVE: Create a trusted querying framework that returns the highest-fidelity response possible to the user while monitoring the health of the network by flagging suspected compromised nodes.
DESCRIPTION: Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) [1] present a myriad of security concerns [2]. There have been multiple efforts to harden these networks by incorporating anti-tamper technology into the sensor nodes and encrypting the communications among the nodes. However, many potential weaknesses still remain, including but not limited to: nodes being damaged or destroyed, spoofed, subjected to a distributed denial of service attack[3], or nodes that are uncompromised and yet provide erroneous data. This SBIR takes the view that solutions to some of these issues may be several years off. Rather than concentrating all of our efforts on solving them, it is also important to research how to provide the most-trusted answer available with the imperfect WSNs of today in response to user queries. Current research in this area tends to focus on detection and mitigation of a single class of attacks (e.g. distributed DoS or spoofing, but not both). Innovative techniques will need to be explored to create a system capable of recognizing when a node has become unreliable for whatever reason and compensate for this in a generic manner in order to provide the most trustworthy responses possible to user queries.
There are two primary goals related to this SBIR effort: (1) develop a way to gauge the trustworthiness of individual nodes, which may involve detecting rogue nodes or different types of attacks and (2) filter the responses to user queries in such a way that the most-trusted aggregate response is returned. The proposed solution should be scalable and applicable across as broad a range of sensor networks as possible.
PHASE I:
1. Research and develop a concept for determining the trust level of nodes in a WSN and a strategy for mitigating the effects of untrustworthy nodes when responding to user queries.
2. Provide design and architecture documents of a prototype system that demonstrates the feasibility of the concept.
3. Provide a minimal software prototype demonstrating the capabilities listed above. The WSN may be of limited size and simulated if necessary.
PHASE II:
1. Based on the results from Phase I, refine and extend the design of the trusted querying prototype to a fully functioning solution.
2. Provide test and evaluation results based on an actual WSN and demonstrate the scalability of the system (proof of scalability may be based on simulated results).
PHASE III / DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS:
In addition to military and homeland defense, the areas of transportation, shipping, e-commerce, and robotics are increasingly making use of wireless sensor networks, making dealing with security failures in these systems in a manner that allows them to continue to provide useful information a matter of increasing importance.
REFERENCES:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensor_node#List_of_Commercial_Sensor_Nodes.2FMotes
2. Al-Sakib Khan Pathan et al. “Security in Wireless Sensor Networks: Issues and Challenges,” ICACT 2006.
3. Wood, Anthony and Stankovic, John A. “A Taxonomy for Denial-of-Service Attacks in Wireless Sensor Networks,” IEEE Computer, 35(10): 54-62, October 2002.
KEYWORDS: sensor network querying, trusted sensor networks, wireless sensor
network security
OSD08-IA4 TITLE: Assuring Trust between the Edges
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems
OBJECTIVE: Assuring trust between network resources, i.e. the “edge”, by advancing software protection techniques and technologies that employ a hardware element.
DESCRIPTION: For purposes of this research, “The Edge” refers to specific network resources, e.g., any computer attached to the GIG. Additionally, “Trust” is the assessment of whether or not a resource has been compromised, as indicated by information exchanged through (a to be developed) coordination process. Ideally, DoD users of distributed, interconnected resources require trust between the edges.
Current research and development activities into software-only and hardware-assisted software protection methodologies focus on protection of application software on the edge resources and not how end nodes should interact. However, to guarantee a protected network, some level of coordination is required between the various resources. By assessing the trust of a given resource, another resource can autonomically decide if a given resource can be used, needs to be repaired, or needs to be isolated.
Each edge resource must be protected and needs to be able to assess and convey its security confidence level, i.e., “trustedness”, to other network resources [1,2]. As an example, consider the DoD user who checks official e-mail on a computer while conducting internet searches at the same time. Obviously the trust in this user isn’t the same as the trust in a user accessing protected DoD computers only that have controlled internet access.
The purpose of this topic is to develop out-of-band, autonomic techniques and technologies implementing heterogeneous, trusted sensors with the end goal of assuring the trust level of the end-node [1], the information being conveyed [2], and network response to an end-node compromise [2]. Specifically, AFRL/SNT (ATSPI) [3] is interested in investigating (1) the measures of trust for an end-node, (2) how to implement sensors for those measures, (3) how to respond (intelligent, autonomic [4]) and, perhaps, counter a degradation in trust-level and (4) how to convey the trust level to the receiver of the information being conveyed.
For example, a successful technique might include a hardware add-on that monitors the operating system, i.e., an out-of-band processor, and accesses a central location independent of the installed system. The independent information exchanged could both indicate the level of trust in the system being monitored as well as retrieving the state of other edge resources.
Note that this topic is different than state attestation methodologies. State attestation methodologies typically involve star topologies where users interact with servers. This effort extends state attestation concepts to mesh topologies as well as advancing autonomic behavior.
A successful proposal under this topic should address all of the above needs.
PHASE I: Investigate and propose an architecture to determine/measure and convey the trust level of the various elements in a distributed or federated network. Provide architectural and design documents of a system concept that demonstrates the feasibility of the concept.
PHASE II: Based on the results from Phase I, refine and extend the design of the prototype system to a fully functioning protection solution. Provide an analysis demonstrating the robustness of the product to information attacks and appropriate response to such attacks. This should include link-denial and link-replacement techniques.
PHASE III -- DUAL-USE COMMERCIALIZATION: Tools and technologies for the protection of high-value end-nodes as well as the protection of the information being conveyed would be marketable in both the DoD and commercial sectors.
REFERENCES:
1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:TRUST
2. Barrus, Joseph, and Rowe, Neil C. “A Distributed Autonomous-Agent Network-Intrusion Detection and Response System”, Naval Postgraduate School: http://www.cs.nps.navy.mil/people/faculty/rowe/barruspap.html,
3. http://www.at.dod.mil/index.htm
4. http://www.research.ibm.com/autonomic/research/challenges.html
KEYWORDS: software protection, trusted sensor, autonomic, anti-tamper, trusted system,
trusted distributed computing
OSD08-IA5 TITLE: Trusted Data Distribution with Privacy Protection and QoS through Auditable Anonymity
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems
OBJECTIVE: Develop innovative tools and techniques that will guarantee the authenticity, integrity and delivery of distributed data sources while maintaining the privacy (anonymity) of users and audit information (pseudonymity) per the Common Criteria within the GIG-NCES (Global Information Grid - Net-Centric Enterprise Services) framework.
RESEARCH CHALLENGE: The research challenge spans multiple levels and faces several paradoxes:
• First, develop and assess the feasibility of a deployable service model for providing “anonymity” as a GIG-wide SOA Service (to transport “trusted data” that has already been authenticated & validated), while simultaneously making the use of that service “anonymous” to external parties (i.e. “cloaked”).
• Second, follow the Common Criteria specifications including privacy, anonymity, pseudonymity (secure auditing), unlinkability, unobservability, etc. to enable Certification & Accreditation. Also enable common DoD-type QoS, CoS, SoM, etc. functionality across the GIG.
• Third, the “anonymity” service must empower & protect the Warfighter by assessing the offensive/defensive effectiveness of that service (which is analogous to “Laundering money” and “Following the money trail”----in other words, preventing counterintelligence).
• Finally, insure that an audit trail is securely maintained (with appropriate authorized access) per the Common Criteria for pseudonymity.
DESCRIPTION: The authenticity of data, the reliability of the transport, and the privacy/anonymity of users are critical to mission success in the network centric warfare paradigm. The NCES framework currently lacks sufficient definition in these areas and further research is warranted. Any uncertainties about sources providing key battle management data, its dependability, or the possibility of compromising the identity of the user, are critical shortcomings for the Warfighter. As we all follow the GIG IA architecture intent, and provide more automated systems to the warfighters (where “non-person-entities - NPE” such as servers, PEP/PDP, etc are “users” as well and have identities), all aspects of “distributed trust” must be accounted for, including anonymity and pseudonymity.
Addtionally, this proposal supports all five major IA gaps identided in the QDR - some directly, others in a supportive role: Trusting the Edge (Distributed Trust Model); Security Management Infrastructure (both Automated and adaptable dynamic policy applications and Risk adaptive access control); Secure mobility for future GIG warfighter networks (supports Authenticated User/Devices); Assured Information Sharing (Cross Domain Solutions); and Situational Awareness and Response/Enterprise Health (supports Automated network reconfiguration, recovery, and reconstitution)
Naval Research Labs has conducted considerable research (see references) into anonymous routing methods for privacy protection. One of the major research efforts has been called the "Onion Routing" program in which a series of routers convey a special, multiply encrypted object called the "onion" that acts to conceal the identity of source/destination by preventing traffic analysis. However, the same methods of concealment must also enable prioritization of traffic based on QoS and CoS metrics. The challenge is to solve the paradox of maintaining privacy/anonymity while enabling prioritization of selected message streams. In addition, applications should be able to negotiate "prioritization" of transport with the network layer for QoS, CoS and SoM (Strength of Method). (This effort is in-line with NSA’s “Quality of Protection” vision)
The complexity of managing these factors is multiplied in the event of operations involving coalition forces across diverse networks that support dynamic communities of interest. The ability to dynamically deliver the right information to the warfighter in the field in a trusted and reliable manner needs to be built on the negotiation and exchange of data between the supplying & consuming systems. Systematically planning and verifying these exchanges, through Modeling & Simulation of the GIG based on the direct needs of the warfighters, insures that all such systems released into the field will be readily accepted and used by their recipients. All of these driving factors are critical to achieving the operational system vision of the net-centric Warfighter of the future. The vision, however, must also be balanced with the realization that these highly valued services are key targets for the enemy. As such, it is also necessary to provide facilities to insure that all of these resources can be actively monitored in a highly secured and controlled manner so that any suspicions of their falling into enemy hands can be reacted to swiftly and appropriately.
PHASE I: Describe and develop creative methods, techniques and tools for establishing, guaranteeing and conveying the integrity, authenticity and privacy/anonymity of data in the GIG-NCES environment. The methodologies should in particular address the issue of how to ensure that both data and metadata remain trustworthy and private throughout their life-cycle from creation to archival. They should also address the ability to facilitate distribution across diverse distance and access boundaries without jeopardizing the integrity, divulging the content or revealing source/destination. Additionally, they should outline how audit trails will be captured and protected. The methods should be compatible with major standards and metadata technologies such as XML, so that they can be applied to the widest range of tools and data possible. Finally, the methodologies should address how they will validate reliable delivery to the field with specific facilities for adjusting to the diverse conditions inherent in the volatility of the environment in which the Warfighter operates.
PHASE II: Develop, implement and validate a prototype system that utilizes the tools and methods from Phase I. The prototypes should be sufficiently detailed to evaluate scalability, reliability, usability, and resistance to malicious attack. Efficiency is also an issue that should be explored, although it is less critical than overall scalability and IA.
PHASE III DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The increasing focus on network centric warfare means that the ability to ensure the source and the integrity of data while protecting the privacy and prioritization of the user will be key to military operations. Similarly, in the civilian domain, the rapid growth of electronic commerce is increasing the demand for trusted sources of financial exchanges in terms of security, reliability and privacy. Since these market trends show no signs of slowing, it is safe to assume that the need for trustworthy and reliable sources with private access to distributed commercial data will become more and more critical over time.
REFERENCES:
1. Dingledine, R., Mathewson, N., and Syverson, P. (2004). Tor: The Second-Generation Onion Router. Paul Syverson Naval Research Lab syverson@itd.nrl.navy.mil
2. O'Morain, Titov, V., and Verbugen, W. Onion Routing for Anonymous Communications.
http://ntrg.cs.tcd.ie/undergrad/4ba2.05/group10/index.html
KEYWORDS: Trusted Networks, data integrity, community of interest, reliability, privacy, anonymity, prioritization, modeling and simulation, trust binding
OSD08-IA6 TITLE: Information Assurance and Anti-Tamper System Level Protection
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Information Systems
OBJECTIVE: Develop innovative tools and techniques that will guarantee the integrity and authenticity of data in a GIG-NCES (Global Information Grid – Net-Centric Enterprise Services) framework. We would like to focus on information assurance and anti-tamper for GIG unattended sensors nodes, nodes on unmanned aerial vehicles, nodes on unmanned ground vehicles, embedded systems nodes, etc.
In the past, information assurance and anti-tamper have been considered two different technology areas. Information assurance has concentrated on data integrity, data availability, data authentication, and data storage. Anti-tamper has focused on protecting and securing the data processing environment. In practice anti-tamper is applied to a system as layers of protection. We would like to extend this approach to a system of information assurance layers and anti-tamper layers to strengthen the level of protection. The goal is to create a system of protection layers that leverage the strengths of information assurance and anti-tamper to make reverse engineering more difficult.
DESCRIPTION: The Global Information Grid consists of millions of fixed and mobile network nodes with multiple levels of security and trust. The decentralized nature of the Global Information Grid presents significant challenges for information assurance, authentication, and anti-tamper. Information assurance for the GIG will need to be able to process, protect, and authenticate the network data. Anti-tamper would protect the software and hardware for the infrastructure of the GIG.
Anti-tamper protection is typically provided in several layers consisting of hardware, operating system, and software layers. We would like to extend the ‘anti-tamper layer’ approach to a systems approach with information assurance layers and anti-tamper layers to strengthen the level of protection. The goal is to leverage the strengths of information assurance and anti-tamper to make reverse engineering more difficult.
As an example, consider an unattended sensor. In the past information assurance and anti-tamper were developed as separate ‘products’ by separate groups. We would like to leverage the expertise of both groups and create a system of information assurance layers and anti-tamper layers to better protect the system from reverse engineering.
In additional to information assurance and anti-tamper, technologies like built-in-test, correlation of data, etc. can be used to verify the integrity and operation of nodes.
PHASE I: Contractor shall propose a concept GIG node for an unattended sensor node, unmanned aerial vehicle node, unmanned ground vehicle node, embedded system node, etc. where information assurance layers and anti-tamper layers create a layered system protection approach. The contractor shall provide a design concept. The contractor may provide simulation results, models, hardware and/or software to demonstrate components of the system layered protection approach. The contractor shall provide a report describing the ‘system layered’ information assurance/anti-tamper approach.
PHASE II: During Phase II, the contractor shall develop the system level, layered information assurance/anti-tamper concept into a working prototype node for an unattended sensor, unmanned aerial vehicle, unmanned ground vehicle, embedded system, etc. The prototype node should be sufficiently detailed to evaluate scalability, usability, and resistance to malicious attack. Other design issues may be explored during phase II. For example, for an unattended, battery powered node, being energy efficient is critical. Contractor shall have an independent evaluation done to test the level of protection provided by the prototype. Contractor shall provide a report on the prototype.
PHASE III/DUAL USE APPLICATIONS: The increasing use of network centric operations is placing a strong emphasis on maintaining network assurance, information assurance, and data integrity, etc. in a hostile environment. The contractor shall further develop its innovative technologies into a military grade (MIL-STD-810F and MIL-STD-461E approved) GIG node. Contractor shall have an independent evaluation done to test the level of protection provided by the GIG node. Contractor shall provide a report on GIG node technology and recommendations for the future. Contractor shall consider commercializing the technology innovations for use in other Defense Department, and Homeland Security Systems. For the civilian markets, contractor shall investigate the potential of using a commercial grade version of their technology for electronic funds transfer, internet commerce, and FIPS 140-2 applications.
REFERENCES:
1. NIST: Draft Special Publication 800-80, Guide for Developing Performance Metrics for Information Security, http://csrc.nist.gov/publications/nistpubs/index.html.
2. C. Schou, et al.: Information Assurance for the Enterprise: A Roadmap to Information Security, McGraw-Hill, 2006, ISBN: 0072255242.
3. J. M. Fox: Information Assurance and The Defense In Depth, Master's Thesis, Army Com And Gen Staff College, Fort Leavenworth KS, 2003. http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA416561.
4. P. Liu: Measuring Quality Of Information Assurance (QoIA), Pennsylvania State Univ, 2003, http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA419205
5. K. Scott: An Analysis Of Factors That Have Influenced The Evolution Of Information Assurance From World War I Through Vietnam To The Present, Master's Thesis, Air Force Inst Of Tech, Mar 2004, http://handle.dtic.mil/100.2/ADA425253
6. M. J. Atallah, E. D. Bryant, and M. R. Stytz, “A Survey of Anti-Tamper Technologies,” Cross Talk, Nov. 2004, http://www.stsc.hill.af.mil/crosstalk/2004/11/0411atallah.html.
7. E. Eilam: “Secrets of Reverse Engineering,” Wiley, April 2005, ISBN: 0764574817.
8. MIL-STD-461E: Military Standard, 20 August 1999.
9. MIL-STD-810F: Military Standard, 1 January 2000.
KEYWORDS: Information assurance, authentication, anti-tamper, secure processor, system-on-a-chip, SoC, field programmable gate array, FPGA, anti-tamper, trusted processor, mobile code, virtual machine.
OSD08-PR1 TITLE: Variable Thrust Liquid or Gel Propulsion for Mission Flexibility
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Space Platforms, Weapons
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: To develop innovative energy management approaches using liquid or gel propulsion for multiple mission applications with reduced toxicity
DESCRIPTION: Liquid and gel propulsion systems have the inherent ability for energy management. The impediments to realizing their energy management capabilities have been driven historically by their toxicity (e.g. hydrazine, IRFNA), storability, propellant mass fraction, ignition rise time and throttleability with stable combustion. This project is intended to investigate innovative bi-propellant, monopropellant and gel propulsion approaches providing high effective delivered energy with a high degree of thrust profile tailoring appropriate for tactical or missile defense applications. High propellant mass fraction propulsion with a high degree of energy management capability is desired using non-toxic propellants. The payoffs of these technologies could include replacing multiple missile systems with a single multi-role missile, increasing performance or mission effectiveness of a current system or reducing potential life cycle costs by reducing logistics costs (including toxicity considerations).
PHASE I: Develop a conceptual design of a propulsion system for one selected missile class or multi-role missile. Provide an analytical model and discussion of the key thermal, structural and propellant chemistry and combustion technical challenges of the proposed conceptual design. Included in the discussion should be a reasonable path for overcoming the technical challenges. Also describe the autopilot, guidance navigation and control technique that could be used to best implement the propulsion design.
PHASE II: Further develop the design to a critical design level. As part of this effort perform the prototype experiments necessary to demonstrate resolution paths of the key thermal, structural, propellant chemistry and combustion issues of the proposed approach.
DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: Highly efficient propulsion for tailorable mission application can be used in many ways including rendezvous for on-orbit resupply of spacecraft, on-orbit stations and space tourism. Commercial providers for future International Space Station resupply missions are desired. Efficient tailorable thrust propulsion is required for safe, reliable rendezvous or mating of on-orbit vehicles. As this propulsion is really payload until used, before and during rendezvous and/or docking, minimizing the mass of these systems is important to provide the maximum payload of interest.
REFERENCES:
1. G.P. Sutton & O. Biblarz, Rocket Propulsion Elements, 7th Ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 2001, ISBN 0-471-32642-9.
2. D.K. Huzel & D.H. Huang, Modern Engineering for Design of Liquid-Propellant Rocket Engines, Vol 147, Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics, Published by AIAA, Washington DC., 1992, ISBN 1-56347-013-6.
3. Oberkampf, W.L. & Trucano, T.G. “Verification and Validation in Computational Fluid Dynamics“, Vol. 38, Progress in Aerospace Sciences, 2002. Pp. 209-272.
4. D.K. Huzel & D.H. Huang, Modern Engineering for Design of Liquid-Propellant Rocket Engines, Vol 147, Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics, Published by AIAA, Washington DC., 1992, ISBN 1-56347-013-6.
KEYWORDS: Non-Toxic Propulsion, Gelled Propellants, Combustion Chemistry, Storable Propellants
OSD08-PR2 TITLE: Rocket Propulsion Supporting Technology
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Space Platforms, Weapons
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: To develop innovative approaches for critical supporting technologies applicable to solid rocket motor, liquid rocket engine, hybrid (solid fuel, liquid oxidizer) and gel propulsion.
DESCRIPTION: The following are a list of fundamental research areas needing attention to address manufacture, design, service life inspection, rocket operation and materials development for rocket propulsion. Innovative solutions are being sought for non-toxic liquid and gel propellants (and appropriate ignition methods), non-destructive evaluation (NDE) techniques to determining failure criteria for composite materials (including propellants, cases, etc), approaches to enhance x-ray resolution of interfaces in solid rocket motor (SRM) insulation/liner/propellant bondlines, processes for radiographic inspection of tactical size all-up rounds and criteria for HERO safety/damage, approaches to prevent moisture/contamination migration in composite cases, advanced materials for internal SRM insulation, materials and processes for filament wound metal matrix composite (MMC) cases, alternate cure systems for SRM propellants, development of a relationship between accelerated aging of SRM propellants and cumulative rocket motor damage, approaches to develop a 3D image of an as produced propellant grain from an ultrasound scan, measuring SRM propellant modulus and gradients externally, modeling combustion stability/instability in chemical rockets, high fidelity modeling of flow and heat transfer in liquid rocket engine combustion chambers, nozzles and cooling passages.
PHASE I: Select one of the topics listed above and develop an approach to solve the technical challenge. Use modeling and simulation to analyze and further develop your proposed solution identifying the required technologies and experiments that need to be conducted to validate the approach. Include a technical discussion of why the proposed approach is feasible. To the extent possible within the scope of the Phase I effort, conduct these experiments. Identify those experiments which are outside the scope of the phase I effort.
PHASE II: As appropriate to the problem at hand, conduct further experiments, refine the models, develop and demonstrate the approaches selected. The model verification and validation data collection, component tests, NDE and reconstruction experiments should be conducted at the highest level of fidelity possible within the scope of Phase II.
PHASE III / DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: Military, civil and commercial rocket propulsion and in some cases other than propulsive systems (including NDE and combustion stability technologies) will benefit greatly from these technologies.
REFERENCES:
1. G.P. Sutton & O. Biblarz, Rocket Propulsion Elements, 7th Ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 2001, ISBN 0-471-32642-9.
2. D.K. Huzel & D.H. Huang, Modern Engineering for Design of Liquid-Propellant Rocket Engines, Vol 147, Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics, Published by AIAA, Washington DC., 1992, ISBN 1-56347-013-6.
3. V. Yang, T. B. Brill, W.-Z. Ren, Solid Propellant Chemistry, Combustion, and Motor Interior Ballistics, Published by AIAA, Washington DC, 2000, ISBN 1-56347-442-5
4. F.-K. Chang, ed., Structural Health Monitoring 2005, DEStech Publications, 2005, ISBN 1-932078-51-7
KEYWORDS: Rocket Propulsion, Aerospace Materials, Non-Destructive Evaluation, Modeling, Non-Toxic Propellants, Insulators
OSD08-PR3 TITLE: Variable Thrust Hybrid Propulsion for Mission Flexibility
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Space Platforms, Weapons
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: To develop innovative energy management approaches using hybrid propulsion (solid fuel, liquid oxidizer) for multiple mission application with reduced toxicity
DESCRIPTION: Typical hybrid propulsion systems have inherent ability for a degree of energy management due to the ability to start and stop the liquid oxidizer. Hybrid propulsion has suffered from having poor volumetric fuel loading (low burn rate), high combustion temperatures, higher than desired unused residual fuel (sliver) and the added mass, cost and complexity of a liquid propellant management and delivery system. This project is intended to investigate innovative hybrid propulsion approaches providing highly efficient delivered energy with a high degree of thrust profile tailoring appropriate for increased capability tactical missile or missile defense applications. Volumetrically efficient fuel, non-toxic storable oxidizer selection with adequate combustion characteristics, cycle development for high effective delivered energy with a high degree of energy management, lightweight propellant management devices and delivery techniques are desired. The payoffs of these technologies could include replacing multiple missile systems with a single multi-role missile, increasing performance or mission effectiveness of a current system or reducing potential life cycle costs.
PHASE I: Develop a conceptual design of a propulsion system for one selected missile class or multi-role missile. Provide a detailed analytical model of the design and discussion of the key thermal, structural and propellant chemistry and combustion technical challenges of the proposed design. Included in the discussion should be a reasonable path for satisfying the technical challenges identified. Also describe the autopilot, guidance navigation and control technique that could be used to best implement the propulsion design.
PHASE II: Further develop the design to a critical design level. As part of this, perform prototype experiments necessary to demonstrate resolution paths of the key thermal, structural, propellant chemistry and combustion issues associated with the proposed approach.
PHASE III / DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: Highly efficient propulsion for tailorable mission application can be used in many ways including rendezvous for on-orbit resupply of spacecraft, on-orbit stations and space tourism. Commercial providers for future International Space Station resupply missions are desired. Efficient tailorable thrust propulsion is required for safe, reliable rendezvous and mating of on-orbit vehicles. As this type of propulsion is really payload until used, minimizing the mass of these systems is important to provide the maximum payload of interest. Cost is also an important consideration and hybrid propulsion systems can be less expensive than and all liquid propulsion systems for the same application.
REFERENCES:
1. G.P. Sutton & O. Biblarz, Rocket Propulsion Elements, 7th Ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 2001, ISBN 0-471-32642-9.
2. Chiaverini, M.J. and Kuo, K.K., “Fundamentals of Hybrid Rocket Combustion and Propulsion”, Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics Series, Vol. 218, AIAA Press, 2007, ISBN-10: 1-56347-703-3.
3. Oberkampf, W.L. & Trucano, T.G. “Verification and Validation in Computational Fluid Dynamics“, Vol. 38, Progress in Aerospace Sciences, 2002. Pp. 209-272.
KEYWORDS: Rocket Propulsion, Hybrid Propulsion, Energy Management, Non-Toxic Storable Oxidizer, Combustion Characteristics, Delivered Energy
OSD08-PR4 TITLE: Variable Thrust Solid Propulsion for Mission Flexibility
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Space Platforms, Weapons
The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.
OBJECTIVE: To develop innovative energy management approaches using solid propulsion for multiple mission application with reduced toxicity
DESCRIPTION: Typical solid propellant systems do not have inherent ability for large degrees of energy management. The reasons for this include the propellant ballistic characteristics of a given formulation (pressure burn rate sensitivity, temperature sensitivity, nominal burn rate, minimum pressure for sustained combustion and propellant particulate). Approaches to increase the energy management capability of solid propulsion systems have been developed in the past. These include separate propellant grains using rigid and elastic thermal barriers and separate igniters, continuously operating valve thrusters to provide preferential thrust in desired directions and others. This project is intended to investigate innovative solid propulsion approaches providing highly efficient (high Isp) delivered energy with a high degree of thrust profile tailoring appropriate for increased capability air launched, surface launched, ground launched missile or missile defense applications. The payoffs of these technologies could include replacing multiple missile systems with a single multi-role missile, increasing performance or mission effectiveness of a current system or reducing potential life cycle costs.
PHASE I: Develop a conceptual design of a propulsion system for one selected missile class or multi-role missile. Provide an analytical model and discussion of the key thermal, structural and propellant chemistry and combustion technical challenges of the proposed conceptual design. Included in the discussion should be a reasonable path for satisfying the technical challenges identified. Also describe the autopilot, guidance navigation and control technique that could be used to best implement the propulsion design.
PHASE II: Further develop the design to a critical design level. As part of this, perform prototype experiments necessary to demonstrate resolution paths of the key thermal, structural, propellant chemistry and combustion issues associated with the proposed approach.
PHASE III / DUAL USE COMMERCIALIZATION: Highly efficient propulsion for tailorable mission application can be used in many ways including rendezvous for on-orbit resupply of spacecraft, on-orbit stations and space tourism. Commercial providers for future International Space Station resupply missions are desired. Efficient tailorable thrust propulsion is required for safe, reliable rendezvous and mating of on-orbit vehicles. As this type of propulsion is really payload until used, minimizing the mass of these systems is important to provide the maximum payload of interest. Cost is also an important consideration and solid propulsion systems can be less expensive than liquid propulsion systems for the same application.
REFERENCES:
1. G.P. Sutton & O. Biblarz, Rocket Propulsion Elements , 7th Ed. John Wiley & Sons Inc., New York, 2001, ISBN 0-471-32642-9.
2. V. Yang, T.B. Brill, W.-Z. Ren, Solid Propellant Chemistry, Combustion, and Motor Interior Ballistics, Published by AIAA, Washington DC, 200, ISBN 1-56347-442-5
3. G. E. Jensen, David W. Netzer. Tactical Missile Propulsion, Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics Series, V-170, Published by AIAA, Washington DC, 1996, ISBN-10: 1-56347-118-3
KEYWORDS: rocket propulsion, energy management, multi-role missile, controllable solid propellant, missile defense, tactical missile
OSD08-UM1 TITLE: Micro Fuel Injection (FI) for Small, Heavy Fuel Engines
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Ground/Sea Vehicles, Weapons
OBJECTIVE: Develop a micro fuel injection (FI) system for unmanned aircraft, ground vehicles, and maritime systems that run on heavy fuel.
DESCRIPTION: The DoD needs to provide reliable and efficient propulsion and power systems for small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), unmanned ground systems (UGS), and unmanned maritime systems (UMS). Micro FI systems are needed for very small, heavy fuel internal combustion engines (ICE) to greatly increase performance over what is currently available. These unmanned systems need efficient engines that are lightweight, have high power density, and will run on heavy fuel. These engines range in horsepower (hp) from below 5 to around 200 in several different configurations and also need to operate across a wide range of environmental conditions, including high altitudes for UAS, high temperatures for UGS, and possibly underwater for UMS. Ultra-efficient and reliable propulsion systems enable these unmanned systems to operate for long periods of time. Reducing the weight of the engines allows more of the vehicle payload to be used for mission systems. Heavy fuel engines are required to eliminate the costly and often dangerous need for additional fuels. There is a need for technologies at very small scales. No commercially available systems feature small size, light weight, the performance levels required, and current state-of-the-art technologies/systems cannot be scaled down to the needed sizes. The Air Force, Navy, and Army are developing small heavy fuel engines in the 10 hp range. At this hp level, it is easier to scale the technology up than it is to take existing technology and scale down. The micro FI system starting development point is about the 10 hp level with the ability to scale the system up for engines up to about 200 hp. Coordination with small engine developers is encouraged. It is desired that a prototype FI system be delivered to the DoD for further testing and evaluation.
PHASE I: Demonstrate the feasibility of a micro fuel injection design for a small heavy fuel internal combustion engine. Development and bench testing are required. The target is a 10 hp development engine.
PHASE II: Design, fabricate, and test the prototype micro fuel injection system. Analyses should include the suitability of electrical systems, power required, mechanical components, materials, and nozzle designs that are compatible with JP5, JP8, and diesel fuels.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: This technology is applicable to Air Force, Navy, and Army small, heavy fuel engines currently under development. Commercial application: This technology has additional transition opportunities in the commercial sector for small engines, ground vehicles and equipment, and lightweight power generation.
REFERENCES:
1. Smith, Gary, Jerovsek, Jack, Boruta, Mike, and Meitner, Peter, Meyer Nutating Engine: a New Concept in Internal Combustion Engine Technology, 2007 Joint Propulsion Conference (AIAA), 9 - 11 July 2007, Cincinnati OH.
2. Meigner, Peter, Overcoming Present-Day Power Plant Limitations Via Unconventional Engine Design, 25th Army Science Conference, November 2006, Orlando FL.
KEYWORDS: internal combustion engine, heavy fuel, fuel injection, diesel, JP5, JP8, unmanned air vehicles (UAV), unmanned ground vehicles (UGV), unmanned maritime systems (UMS)
OSD08-UM2 TITLE: Microsupercharger and/or Turbocharger for Small, Heavy Fuel Engines
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Ground/Sea Vehicles, Weapons
OBJECTIVE: To develop microsuperchargers and/or turbochargers for unmanned aircraft, ground vehicles, and maritime systems that run on heavy fuel.
DESCRIPTION: The DoD needs to provide reliable and efficient propulsion and power systems for small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), unmanned ground systems (UGS), and unmanned maritime systems (UMS). To improve the performance of small, heavy fuel internal combustion engines, superchargers and/or turbochargers are needed to increase the air charge, to develop more horsepower (hp), and improve efficiency of these systems. These unmanned systems need efficient engines that are lightweight, have high power density, and will run on heavy fuel. These engines range from below 5 hp to around 200 hp in several different configurations and also need to operate across a wide range of environmental conditions, including high altitudes for UAS, high temperatures for UGS, and possibly underwater for UMS. Ultra-efficient and reliable propulsion systems enable these unmanned systems to operate for long periods of time. Reducing the weight of the engines allows more of the vehicle payload to be used for mission systems. Heavy fuel engines are required to eliminate the costly and often dangerous need for additional fuels. There is a need for technologies at very small scales. No commercially available systems feature small size, light weight, the performance levels required, and current state-of-the-art technologies/systems cannot be scaled down to the needed sizes. The Air Force, Navy, and Army are developing small, heavy fuel engines in the 10 hp range. At this hp level, it is easier to scale the technology up than it is to take existing technology and scale down. The development of microsuperchargers and/or turbochargers for small heavy fuel engines is needed to optimize performance of these engines. Additional air charge is needed to increase hp for takeoff, high altitude operation, and to optimize performance at all atmospheric and environmental conditions. Coordination with small engine developers is encouraged. It is desired that a super/turbocharger prototype be delivered to the DoD for futher testing and evaluation.
PHASE I: Demonstrate the feasibility of a conceptual design through development, bench testing, and simulation (if needed). The target is a 10 hp development engine.
PHASE II: Design, fabricate, and test the super/turbocharger into an operational small, heavy fuel engine. Analyses should include power requirements, necessary connections (plumbing, mechanical, materials, and electrical), and performance parameters. The system should be designed for reduced weight and size.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: This technology is applicable to Air Force, Navy, and Army small, heavy fuel engines currently under development. Commercial application: This technology has additional transition opportunities in the commercial sector for small engines, ground vehicles and equipment, and lightweight power generation.
REFERENCES:
1. Smith, Gary, Jerovsek, Jack, Boruta, Mike, and Meitner, Peter, Meyer Nutating Engine: a New Concept in Internal Combustion Engine Technology, 2007 Joint Propulsion Conference (AIAA), 9 - 11 July 2007, Cincinnati OH.
2. Meinger, Peter, Overcoming Present-Day Power Plant Limitations Via Unconventional Engine Design, 25th Army Science Conference, November 2006, Orlando FL.
KEYWORDS: internal combustion engine, supercharger, turbocharger, heavy fuel, diesel, JP5, JP8, unmanned air vehicles (UAV), unmanned ground vehicles (UGV), unmanned maritime systems (UMS)
OSD08-UM3 TITLE: Micro-ignition Components for Heavy Fuel Engines
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Ground/Sea Vehicles, Weapons
OBJECTIVE: To develop micro-ignition components for heavy fuel, internal combustion, and small turbine systems for unmanned aircraft, ground vehicles, and maritime systems.
DESCRIPTION: The DoD needs to provide reliable and efficient propulsion and power systems for small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), unmanned ground systems (UGS), and unmanned maritime systems (UMS). Micro-ignition components (spark plugs, glow plugs, igniters, and ignition control modules) are needed for very small, heavy fuel, internal combustion engines (ICE) and turbine systems in the 30 pound thrust class to greatly increase performance over what is currently available. These unmanned systems need efficient engines that are lightweight, have high power density, and will run on heavy fuel. These engines range in horsepower (hp) from below 5 to around 200 in several different configurations and also need to operate across a wide range of environmental conditions, including high altitudes for UAS, high temperatures for UGS, and possibly underwater for UMS. Ultra-efficient and reliable propulsion systems enable these unmanned systems to operate for long periods of time. Reducing the weight of the engines allows more of the vehicle payload to be used for mission systems. Heavy fuel engines are required to eliminate the costly and often dangerous need for additional fuels. There is a need for technologies at very small scales. No commercially available systems feature small size, light weight, the performance levels required, and current state-of-the-art technologies/systems cannot be scaled down to the needed sizes. The Air Force, Navy, and Army are developing small, heavy fuel engines in the 10 hp range. At this hp level, it is easier to scale the technology up than it is to take existing technology and scale down. The objective of this program is to develop micro-ignition components for both small ICEs and small turbine systems under development by the DoD. The technologies needed are lightweight and compact spark plugs, glow plugs, ignition control modules, unconventional ignition systems for engines in the 10 hp range, and igniters for very small turbines. Coordination with small engine developers is encouraged. It is desired that a prototype ignition system be delivered to the DoD for further testing and evaluation.
PHASE I: Demonstrate the feasibility of a conceptual design through development, bench testing, and simulation (if needed). The target is a 10 hp development engine.
PHASE II: Design, fabricate, and test the ignition systems into an operational small, heavy fuel engine. Analyses should include suitability of electrical systems, power required, mechanical components, materials, and ignition designs that are compatible with JP5, JP8, and diesel fuels.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: This technology is applicable to Air Force, Navy, and Army small, heavy fuel ICEs and turbine engines currently under development. Commercial application: This technology has additional transition opportunities in the commercial sector for small engines, ground vehicles and equipment, and lightweight power generation.
REFERENCES:
1. Smith, Gary, Jerovsek, Jack, Boruta, Mike, and Meitner, Peter, Meyer Nutating Engine: a New Concept in Internal Combustion Engine Technology, 2007 Joint Propulsion Conference (AIAA), 9 - 11 July 2007, Cincinnati OH.
2. Meigner, Peter, Overcoming Present-Day Power Plant Limitations Via Unconventional Engine Design, 25th Army Science Conference, November 2006, Orlando FL.
KEYWORDS: internal combustion engine, small turbine systems, heavy fuel, fuel injection, diesel, JP5, JP8, unmanned air vehicles (UAV), unmanned ground vehicles (UGV), unmanned maritime systems (UMS), ignition systems, igniters, ignition control modules
OSD08-UM4 TITLE: Micro Fuel Pumps for Small, Heavy Fuel Engines
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Ground/Sea Vehicles
OBJECTIVE: To develop very small, lightweight, fuel pumps for small internal combustion engines and small turbine systems for unmanned aircraft, ground vehicles, and maritime vehicles.
DESCRIPTION: The DoD needs to provide reliable and efficient propulsion and power systems for small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), unmanned ground systems (UGS), and unmanned maritime systems (UMS). The need to develop small, lightweight, high pressure fuel pumps for small internal combustion engines (ICEs) and small turbine systems, in the 30 pound thrust class, is needed to increase performance and decrease weight. These unmanned systems need efficient engines that are lightweight, have high power density, and will run on heavy fuel. These engines range in horsepower (hp) from below 5 to around 200 in several different configurations and also need to operate across a wide range of environmental conditions, including high altitudes for UAS, high temperatures for UGS, and possibly underwater for UMS. Ultra-efficient and reliable propulsion systems enable these unmanned systems to operate for long periods of time. Reducing the weight of the engines allows more of the vehicle payload to be used for mission systems. Heavy fuel engines are required to eliminate the costly and often dangerous need for additional fuels. There is a need for technologies at very small scales. No commercially available systems feature small size, light weight, the performance levels required, and current state-of-the-art technologies/systems cannot be scaled down to the needed sizes. The Air Force, Navy, and Army are developing small heavy fuel engines in the 10 hp range. At this hp level, it is easier to scale the technology up than it is to take existing technology and scale down. Very small, high pressure, lightweight fuel pumps are needed for both ICEs and small turbine systems for use in developing DoD engines. Coordination with small engine developers is encouraged. It is desired that a prototype pump be delivered to the DoD for further testing and evaluation.
PHASE I: Demonstrate the feasibility of a conceptual design through development, bench testing, and simulation (if needed). The target is 10 hp development ICEs and turbines in the 30 pound thrust class.
PHASE II: Design, fabricate, and test the pump system into an operation small heavy fuel engine. The program should evaluate suitable electrical systems, power required, mechanical components, materials and pump design that are compatible with JP5, JP8, and diesel fuels.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: This technology is applicable to Air Force, Navy, and Army small, heavy fuel engines currently under development. Commercial application: This technology has additional transition opportunities in the commercial sector for small engines, ground vehicles and equipment, and lightweight power generation.
REFERENCES:
1. Smith, Gary, Jerovsek, Jack, Boruta, Mike, and Meitner, Peter, Meyer Nutating Engine: a New Concept in Internal Combustion Engine Technology, 2007 Joint Propulsion Conference (AIAA), 9 - 11 July 2007, Cincinnati OH.
2. Meigner, Peter, Overcoming Present-Day Power Plant Limitations Via Unconventional Engine Design, 25th Army Science Conference, November 2006, Orlando FL.
KEYWORDS: internal combustion engine, heavy fuel, fuel injection, diesel, JP5, JP8, unmanned air vehicles (UAV), unmanned ground vehicles (UGV), unmanned maritime systems (UMS)
OSD08-UM5 TITLE: Integrated Power Generation for Small Unmanned Vehicles
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Ground/Sea Vehicles, Weapons
OBJECTIVE: To improve the size, weight, and efficiency of power generation by integral operation with the propulsion system (small internal combustion engines and/or turbines).
DESCRIPTION: The DoD needs to provide reliable and efficient propulsion and power systems for small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), unmanned ground systems (UGS), and unmanned maritime systems (UMS). These unmanned systems need efficient engines that are lightweight, have high power density, and will run on heavy fuel. These engines range in horsepower (hp) from below 5 to around 200 for internal combustion engines (ICEs) and turbines in 30 pound thrust class. These propulsion systems need to operate across a wide range of environmental conditions, including high altitudes for UAS, high temperatures for UGS, and possibly underwater for UMS. Size, weight, and efficiency of unmanned vehicles can be improved by close integration of power generation systems with propulsion. The desire is to maximize the power to weight ratio (kW/lb) for both the electric machine and controller. This would be optimized at the propulsion system expected ranges for speed and output power. Ancillary support systems such as cooling and lubrication should be minimized where possible. The recognizable challenge is that increased power to weight ratio will also probably mean increased thermal stress and cooling requirements for the machine and controller. Materials which enable higher operating temperatures for the machine and controller should be investigated where applicable. Coordination with small engine developers is encouraged. It is desired that a prototype generator/controller system be delivered to the DoD for further testing and evaluation.
PHASE I: Provide power generation concepts (machine and controls) integrated with a development engine for 10 hp ICE and/or turbines in the 30 pound class. Demonstrate the feasibility of an integrated starter/generator. Include software simulations of integrated power generation, if viable.
PHASE II: Design, build, and test the generator and control hardware. The hardware should be tested on a development engine, turbine engine system, or related internal combustion engine. Demonstrate and test the integrated starter/generator operation.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: This technology is applicable to Air Force, Navy, and Army small heavy fuel engines, currently under development. Commercial application: This technology has additional transition opportunities in the commercial sector for small engines, ground vehicles and equipment, and light weight power generation.
REFERENCES:
1. Smith, Gary, Jerovsek, Jack, Boruta, Mike, and Meitner, Peter, Meyer Nutating Engine: a New Concept in Internal Combustion Engine Technology, 2007 Joint Propulsion Conference (AIAA), 9 - 11 July 2007, Cincinnati OH.
2. Meigner, Peter, Overcoming Present-Day Power Plant Limitations Via Unconventional Engine Design, 25th Army Science Conference, November 2006, Orlando FL.
3. Pfahler, Capt D., “Air Force Power Requirements,” Tactical Power Sources Conference, January 24, 2006, Washington, D.C.
4. Ohashi, H., "Power electronics innovation with next generation advanced power devices," The 25th International Telecommunications Energy Conference (INTELEC '03), 19-23 October 2003, pp. 9-13, Yokohama, Japan.
KEYWORDS: power generation, small internal combustion engines, small turbine engines, integrated starter/generator, power density
OSD08-UM6 TITLE: Modeling & Simulation for Optimization of Heavy-Fuel Micro Rotary Engines
TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Ground/Sea Vehicles, Weapons
OBJECTIVE: Develop a simulation model to demonstrate improvements in performance and fuel efficiency for micro rotary engines operating on heavy-fuel.
DESCRIPTION: The rotary engine has the highest power-to-displacement ratio in its class. Further, its combustion process takes place in a circumferential direction which promotes fuel mixing/turbulence. Technologies in combustion/fuel injection are needed to make heavy-fuel application feasible. Presently, the rotary engine has good horsepower to weight characteristics but does not deliver good specific fuel consumption (SFC). It is desired to have the rotary engine run on JP5 or JP8 using the direct fuel injection process and a high-pressure diesel fuel pump. Coordination with small engine developers is encouraged.
PHASE I: Demonstrate feasibility of analysis modeling that incorporates direct fuel injection/ignition strategies for heavy fuel. Analysis should include computation fluid dynamic (CFD) analysis for combustion modeling to account for fuel spray pattern and mixing to promote efficient combustion in order to achieve specific SFC of .35 or below.
PHASE II: Tailor the combustion model, developed in Phase I, to USAF supplied rotary engine in order to demonstrate the combustion process and performance parameters. The engine will have to be modified for combustion chamber optimization, for the direct injection and ignition processes.
PHASE III / DUAL USE: Military application: This technology is applicable to Air Force, Navy, and Army vehicles that need small, lightweight, high-horsepower heavy-fuel engines. Commercial application: This technology has great potential to transition to the commercial sector for small engines in a variety of vehicles, and power generation.
REFERENCES:
1. Smith, Gary, Jerovsek, Jack, Boruta, Mike, and Meitner, Peter, Meyer Nutating Disk Engine: a New Concept in Internal Combustion Engine Technology, 2007 Joint Propulsion Conference (AIAA), 9 - 11 July 2007, Cincinnati OH.
2. Meitner, Peter, Overcoming Present-Day Power Plant Limitations Via Unconventional Engine Design, 25th Army Science Conference, November 2006, Orlando FL.
3. Bartrand, Timothy A. and Willis, Edward A., Rotary Engine Performance Limits Predicted by Zero Dimensional Model, NASA CR 189129, March 1992. Sverdrup Technology, Inc. Lewis Research Center Group, Brook Park, Ohio.
KEYWORDS: rotary engine, direct fuel injection, turbulence, heavy fuel, combustion modeling, high-pressure diesel fuel pump, stratified charge