ANTARES – DYNAWATT PARTNERSHIP – AC POWER ON THE MOVE
By Graham Young, Managing Director, Antares Ltd.
Never enough auxiliary power
There never seems to be enough AC power on-board vehicles for mission equipment, specialised tools, and increasingly, communications and IT – however Antares might just have the answer. Antares have been appointed the UK and Ireland distribution partner for Dynawatt, the international, Swiss based, mobile AC power systems company.
Dynawatt, like Antares, is an engineering company with a long history in this field, offering a full range of AC power, DC power and vehicle control systems
Power generation from your Allison gearbox
The Dynagen is a new and highly original method of producing power from the Allison gearbox PTO drive.
The first installations were developed for the Swiss and German fire authorities in an application where the fire appliance requires variable engine speed to operate the water pump. In addition 15kW AC power can be created to provide a temporary emergency feed into homes, schools and hospitals to run critical equipment.
The problem: how do you create a stable 50Hz supply when the engine speed is constantly changing? Dynawatt already have the well proven 5kW belt driven generator systems which can be attached to the PTO but this was not sufficiently powerful.
The system uses a standard PTO (power take off) driving a constant flow hydraulic pump which in turn drives a hydraulic motor close coupled to a standard IP rated generator. This would give us up to 30kVA. One particularly smart feature is that the standard gearbox lubrication system is shared with the Dynagen. This dispenses with the need for a separate oil system: saving weight, space and cost and massively simplifying the installation. Even the generator can be tucked away in a convenient location fed only by the hydraulic hoses.
Light and compact 15kW direct from the gearbox
Compact powerpack system with no additional EMC signature
The Dynagen system opens up some interesting opportunities in the military field. It can provide very high output at tick over when the vehicle is stationary but can also provide this power whilst the vehicle is being driven. Being a fully hydraulic system there is no additional EMC signature to contend with and the light weight and compactness compare favourably with diesel generator powerpacks.
Belt driven inverters ideal for field support vehicles
The Dynawatt generators provide up to 5kW of pure sine output at 110V or 230V, belt driven from either the vehicle crankshaft or gearbox. The electronic control box supplies a crystal-accurate frequency output, whatever the engine or gearbox speed, enabling power to be supplied, whilst the vehicle is stationary or on the move.
12V to 24V Jump-Start new for DVD
Antares will be showing the jump start addition to the ASC+ Power Management platform. This allows a 12V service vehicle to start a 24V chassis with flat batteries. This flexible platform can provide a wide range of functions including split charging, battery isolation, deep discharge protection and has been designed for rugged automotive applications, however it can be packaged to meet the most stringent military applications.
ASC+ 12/24V jumpstart contactor box (COTS version)
Further information on Antares can be found on the website www.antares.co.uk, by calling +44 (0) 1753 890888 or emailing info@antares.co.uk. Antares is exhibiting at the Defence Vehicle Dynamics Show at Millbrook on June 25-26 and at the Fire & Rescue Show in Liverpool on August 27-29.
On the occasion of Eurosatory 2008, Nexter Systems shows two new systems :
ARAVIS®, the most protected multi-mission vehicle of its category and ARX®20, land remote controlled weapon station.
On the occasion of Eurosatory 2008, Nexter Systems shows two new systems :
ARAVIS®, the most protected multi-mission vehicle of its category. Protection is one of the