SatCon gets contract to develop predictive controller

Diagnostics? No—think "prognostics." 

SatCon Technology (Nasdaq CM: SATC) today announced that it has been awarded a contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to develop a “Predictive Controller for Power Supply Prognostication.”

The total value of the contract is $750,000 with the work being accomplished over the next 18 months.

“With the ever-increasing expansion of electrical solutions, there has been increased interest in being able to predict failure of electrical components and systems,” said Dr. Leo Casey, SatCon’s Chief Technology Officer.

SatCon says performing prognostics within the system as it operates will help to predict the remaining useful life of its components and avoid system failures. This should improve the safety of the system, and also reduce operational costs by eliminating what may be unnecessary scheduled maintenance and downtime, according to the company.

It can also be used to turn on redundant components to prevent catastrophic failure in live critical systems.

Prognostics ability has significant benefits for such systems in aerospace applications, prompting AFRL’s decision to fund this work.

It is also important for environments such as electric and hybrid-electric automobiles and large power generation plants such as solar and wind power farms where down time can have significant implications to the grid or the end users of the generated power, the company said.

SatCon says the development and incorporation of this technology into its line of commercial grade inverters, used for fuel cell and photovoltaic applications, could provide it with an additional competitive advantage.

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