Soldiers in Afghanistan will soon receive new power generators that cut fuel consumption as part of the Army’s efforts to create more efficient ways of bringing power to soldiers in the field and protect them from dangerous fuel-retrieval missions.
The generators, called Advanced Medium Mobile Power Systems (AMMPS), range in size from 5kW to 60kW. As well as being up to 21 percent more fuel efficient, they also weigh 10 percent less than generators currently used in the field.
The Army said the AMMPS, which are replacing Tactical Quiet Generators (TQGs), are about 50 percent more dependable than predecessors, and will help reduce 346,000 hours of maintenance manpower per year in Afghanistan once they are deployed.
The Army is sending approximately 1,600 AMMPS to Afghanistan over the next year. The new generators are designed to be more fuel-efficient and offer greater reliability than those being used now. (Source: Army)
While on average TQGs use about 1.51 gallons per fuel an hour, AMMPS use 1.23 gallons, a 15 percent improvement, though they are capable of up to a 21 percent improvement. They also can operate in temperatures between –50°F to 135°F, whereas TQGs operate generally only up to 120°F. The new generators also offer reliability of 750 hours versus the 500 to 600 hours of TQGs, and they are compliant with EPA regulations, whereas TQGs are not, according to the Army.
The Army initially will deliver 81 AMMPS to Afghanistan, which will act as a test model for future deployments. Over the next year, the military plans to deliver about 1,600 more of the fuel-efficient generators to the field.
The Department of Defense (DoD) is engaged in a number of efforts to cut back on fuel consumption, as well as use alternative fuels over traditional fossil fuels to find more cost-effective and efficient ways to get power to soldiers.
In addition to developing AMMPS, the Army also has designed another prototype for a more fuel-efficient generator that also weighs 1.5 tons less than those currently being used by the military. The 100kW generator, which the Army has no plans yet to mass produce, is light enough to be towed by a Humvee but sturdy enough to go off-road.
The Army is also experimenting with integrating power generation directly within a Humvee-like vehicle itself. Earlier this year, the military publicly demonstrated a concept combat vehicle -- the Fuel Efficient ground vehicle Demonstrator (Bravo version), or FED Bravo -- that’s been designed not only for fuel efficiency, but that also can act as a generator in remote locations.
The army now has one generator that is very light weight, and another that is very fuel efficient.
One can envision the army asking one company to give their intellectual rights to the other so as to have a single lightweight, fuel-efficient generator design.
It's good to see the military putting an emphasis on developing power sources that are lightweight and efficient for those in the field. This development dovetails with the work to bring lighter, more efficient power sources to individual troops.
Thanks for your comment, Rob. I applaud any efforts by our military to find ways to be more fuel efficient and/or reduce dependance on oil. From a strategic view it just makes sense and we all ultimately benefit from the developments.
I know from past experience that the rights belong to the individual developer but that the Government gets royalty free use of the technology if the project was Government funded. Consequently, even if another entity does the production for the Government, no royalties can legally be paid. It is still a pretty good deal for the developing entity because they get paid for the development and then still reap the rewards for sales to anyone other than the Government.
I am curious as to how to make these generators quieter, not to hide from the enemy but to improve sleeping conditions at a base. Is anyone familiar with that sort of technology? The first thing that comes to mind is an exhaust baffle system, but these can rob an engine driven generator of power. I'd like to know how Navy SEALs make their outboard motors silent.
Fuel efficiency is awesome, by the way. As someone who has run a generator for home through 5 Florida hurricanes, I can appreciate it!
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