Physical Optics Corporation — Department of Defense SBIR Phase II: DTRA152-006

Description

To address the DTRA need for enhanced island-mode operation and strategies for defense critical infrastructure (DCI) in the event of commercial power grid loss or disruption due to an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) or high-power microwaves (HPMs), Physical Optics Corporation (POC) has developed an Optimizing power Availability and Sustainability in Islanded Sites (OASIS) methodology. This solution is based on islanded power management, and planning techniques. The OASIS system provides a rapidly adaptable (in seconds) and reliable DCI electrical network that recovers from EMP and transient disturbances by detecting, isolating, grouping, and controlling sinks and sources using its support subsystems. This is performed through intelligent interconnection of sinks and sources with predefined boundaries and through the OASIS hardware and software support systems, based on a source-sink taxonomy to increase the islanded survivability. During the Phase I research, POC developed and demonstrated the concept through a simulated microgrid model consisting of linear and nonlinear sinks and sources. In Phase II development, POC plans to implement the OASIS methodology on a customer-defined microgrid system and to simulate the survivability of the system against disturbances and transient effects utilizing a control algorithm and hardware emulation system.