The goal of the Nonlinear Power System Control Program Navy ONR project was to develop and demonstrate an intelligent shipboard power system that is self-reconfigurable in response to power system damage, changing loads, or changing power system priorities. Currently, any system reconfiguration in the event of damage or perturbations must be done manually.

A working model was constructed consisting of a multi-tiered multiprocessor control system together with a small (5,000W) power supply system and loads totaling roughly 6,000W with different turn-on transient power requirements. A variety of loads were incorporated to represent the different types of shipboard load, providing actual nonlinear, real-time conditions for testing, rather than relying on simulated facsimiles with inherent inaccuracies.

The multi-tiered multiprocessor control system incorporates techniques such as inter-processor communications, hierarchical control strategies, and protocols for control by lower tiered processors in the advent of lost communication. Loads are directly controlled by smart circuit breakers that monitor and respond to multiple current and voltage faults and conditions. The system was successfully demonstrated using practical, real-time algorithms. These algorithms reach acceptable solutions and maintain high priority loads whenever sufficient power is available.

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