Integrated Power System for Marine Applications

The U.S. Navy has shifted priority from designing systems that offer increased capability, to systems which are more affordable, but enable improved performance. To address the emphasis on affordability, the Advanced Surface Machinery (ASM) Programs and the Affordability Through Commonality (ATC) program are proposing ship systems composed of common modules employing standardized parts. This paper describes the Integrated Power System (IPS) which provides electrical power for both propulsion and ship service loads for a wide range of ship applications including submarines, surface combatants, aircraft carriers, amphibious ships, auxiliary ships, sealift and high value commercial ships. IPS consists of an architecture and a family of modules from which affordable and high performance configurations can be developed for the full range of ship applications. In most configurations, IPS reduces the number of prime movers and divides ships into electrical zones controlled in a modular fashion. Cost reductions are realized in acquisition, training, manning, maintenance and other logistic support areas.