AFRL Earns Patent for Airframe Integrated Energy Storage Technology Concept Published Dec. 13, 2006 By Plans and Programs Directorate AFRL/XP WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Future air vehicles with onboard systems for powering directed energy weapons will require capacitors that, if manufactured using today's technology, would weigh thousands of pounds. Consequently, AFRL researchers have begun exploring ways to integrate load-bearing capacitor fibers into air vehicle structure to reduce airframe weight, free up valuable space, and offer fuel cost savings. Three AFRL scientists, Mr. William Baron, Dr. Maxwell Blair, and Ms. Sandra Fries-Carr recently earned a US patent entitled "Airframe Structure-Integrated Capacitor." The patent is for integrating high-performance capacitors with load-bearing, composite structures. The team proved the preliminary feasibility of this concept with analysis, fabrication, and test of a composite material. The resulting "compacitor" technology is part composite structure and part charge-carrying capacitor. Currently, AFRL is improving the concept's overall energy storage and structural performance capability. Laboratory scientists are also researching improved structural dielectrics and composite electrodes that offer even greater weight reductions. The weight of conventional capacitors is a major factor in sizing future air vehicles for directed energy applications. The availability of compacitor technology will aid engineers in designing smaller air vehicles that can deliver short pulses of electrical energy to energize directed energy weapons or provide the power necessary for air vehicle subsystems. Compacitor technology has many potential benefits for commercial industry as well. For example, compacitor technology could support the development of future electric automobiles by providing surge current to complement emerging battery and fuel cell technology.