Aerojet Rocketdyne, a subsidiary of Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:AJRD), has successfully completed field testing of a compact Hybrid Renewable Multi-fuel Power Generator (HR-MPG) that uses surplus materiel to generate electricity for warfighters deployed to forward locations.
The HR-MPG is a self-contained 4′ x 8′ towable trailer that includes everything needed to easily convert common surplus materiel such as cardboard, wood, plastic bottles and food waste into electricity. The system works by burning the material and using the heat generated by the combustion to power a Stirling engine that, in turn, produces electricity. The recent testing demonstrated that the system was capable of generating enough electricity to power an average size home.
“The HR-MPG will be an invaluable asset to our men and women who are deployed to remote and sometimes hostile locations,” said Tyler Evans, Aerojet Rocketdyne vice president, Rocket Shop? Defense Advanced Programs. “Not only does it provide them with easily generated electricity from surplus materiel, it reduces the volume of surplus materiel by a ratio of 30:1, so 300 pounds of materiel turns into just 10 pounds of ash. This keeps our warfighters out of harm’s way by reducing the need to have convoys driving surplus materiel back from forward operating bases where they could be vulnerable to attack.”
The HR-MPG was developed within Aerojet Rocketdyne’s innovation arm known as the “Rocket Shop?” Defense Advanced Programs. Rocket Shop? was specifically designed and staffed to identify unique defense customer solutions and rapidly mature those products from concept to demonstration. The group utilizes a highly-specialized workforce and state-of-the-art processes such as rapid prototyping and additive manufacturing to quickly and affordably develop new products focused on increasing national security.
The work, which was funded by the Office of Naval Research, is being done for the Navy Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center; a command of more than 1,300 dedicated men and women who provide specialized facilities engineering, technology solutions and life-cycle management of expeditionary equipment to the Navy, Marine Corps, federal agencies and other Department of Defense supported commands.
Aerojet Rocketdyne is an innovative company delivering solutions that create value for its customers in the aerospace and defense markets. The company is a world-recognized aerospace and defense leader that provides propulsion and energetics to the space, missile defense and strategic systems, tactical systems and armaments areas, in support of domestic and international markets. Additional information about Aerojet Rocketdyne can be obtained by visiting our websites at www.Rocket.com and www.AerojetRocketdyne.com.
