Design, Analysis and Modeling of a Modular Navy Integrated Power and Energy Corridor Cooling System

Abstract

In response to the escalating demand for electricity onboard future naval vessels, the Design Laboratory of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sea Grant Program, as part of a U.S. Navy research consortium for next-generation all-electric warships, is pioneering the development of the Navy Integrated Power and Energy Corridor (NiPEC). This innovative system is designed to enhance the power distribution capabilities of warships like the forthcoming DDG(X), which is expected to require significant electrical power to support advanced offensive and defensive systems. NiPEC features a network of modular compartments that independently or collectively perform energy storage, conversion, protection, control, isolation, and transfer functions. Central to this system is the integrated Power Electronics Building Block (iPEBB), a self-contained, power-dense converter tailored to manage the ships' stochastic and dynamic loads efficiently. However, realizing the full potential of iPEBB's advanced semiconductor technology presents significant challenges, particularly in thermal management. This aspect is further complicated by the constraints imposed by indirect liquid cooling methods and the necessity for sailor-friendly design considerations. Preliminary analyses by Padilla et al. on heat dissipation strategies, as well as Reyes' and Chaterjee’s subsequent design proposal for a NiPEC liquid cooling system highlight the operational and maintenance challenges in cooling the system's numerous components.

This thesis presents a comprehensive approach to designing a modular, compact, and indirect liquid cooling system for the NiPEC to be deployed across future all-electric Navy destroyer warships. Leveraging a combination of first-principles thermodynamic analysis, multi-physics-based modeling, and numerical analysis, the study builds upon Reyes' and Chaterjee’s preliminary design to propose enhanced cooling system architectures that meet stringent military standards while ensuring robust thermal management. Further, the design and detailed analysis of this compact heat exchanger significantly contribute to enabling the modular construction of the NiPEC cooling system alongside the concurrent assembly of the NiPEC electrical system. This investigation also delves into the extraction and application of response surface models that elucidate the dynamic interdependencies among various response variables—such as the overall heat transfer coefficient and heat transfer rates—arising from changes in explanatory variables like inlet velocities, temperatures, and the specific geometry of the heat exchanger. This multifaceted analysis not only refines the cooling system's efficiency but also aligns it with the modular integration requirements of military naval applications.