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Micron's PowerPak in motorboat applications

Micron introduces to the boat owner a new way to supply the boat with electricity. We call it "The PowerPak System".

The PowerPak system consists of three parts: the PowerPak, a (long life, deep discharge) trolling motor battery and electronic power control module (PCM) with smart software.

Figure 1. The PowerPak and PCM Utilize Empty Space in a Typical Battery Compartment

Figure 1 shows the PowerPak and Power Control Module (PCM) alongside a standard long life, deep discharge battery and a gas tank. The system’s compact size makes configuration easy.

1. Power Control Module
2. PowerPak
3. Deep Discharge Battery
4. Gas Tank (Not part of Micron system. Shown to illustrate compact configuration)

The combination of these elements represents a new technology which virtually guarantees motor startup at all times if the motor is in running condition, even after months in storage. It also allows many more cranking cycles and to run accessories much longer than with standard systems. It thus takes electric power in a motor boat to a higher technological level.

Because it provides much more useable energy for accessories from the associated standard battery it offers significant cost savings. Fewer batteries and less maintenance are needed and the PowerPak will probably outlive the boat motor.

A significant factor for the use of the PowerPak is the increase in user convenience and peace of mind provided by the security of not getting stuck on the lake because running lights have exhausted the battery while fishing at night or otherwise running down the battery too much.

But the main advantage is that over the life time of the boat significant cost savings are realized, through less maintenance, less parts replacement and less hidden costs associated with system failure.

This is accomplished by pairing a PowerPak with robust, industrial type batteries on board the vehicle and applying novel electronic control technology to direct the current between PowerPak, battery, generator and starter motor.

Chances are you never will need a starter battery again.

SCIENTIFIC BACKGROUND

The PowerPak concept stands on solid scientific ground. The technology was origianlly developed for the Department of Defense.

A vehicle with combustion motor requires two types of energy: high power energy for a brief time during motor cranking (typically a few hundred amperes) and low power energy for the accessories (typically a few amperes) which may be used for several hours.

Figure 2. Current demand during cranking of a starter battery during discharge at different currents

Figure 3. Discharge time and voltage drop

A battery is good at delivering low power energy for long periods of time but is marginal at delivering the high power peaks needed for motor startup. A PowerPak is very good at delivering a lot of power but only for a short time. It has much less energy. During motor start, more than 600A may be required to turn the starter motor, as shown in Figure 2. To deliver that much current, the battery voltage at the battery terminals must be above 12V as shown in Figure 3. That severely limits the discharge time that is available for running lights and other accessories.

But the cranking takes only a few seconds and the motor start uses progressively lower current after an extremely high power peak as the graph shows. This makes the startup an ideal application for a PowerPak if proper electronic control is applied.

By pairing a PowerPak with the battery, the high power, short duration work is shifted to the PowerPak and the low power long duration work is shifted to the battery using Micron's control algorithm.

The algorithm makes sure that the PowerPak remains charged if the motor is turned off. Unlike a battery the PowerPak can hold its voltage for many months. However if more than 1 cranking cycle is required per motor start, then the deep discharge battery repeatedly charges the PowerPak until the battery is practically discharged. This provides many more cranking cycles than a starter battery could supply.

The battery only supplies power for accessories which need relatively small amounts of power, if compared to cranking. With a discharge current of a few amperes the battery can be deep discharged for a long time without endangering the cranking power.

Once the motor is running, the controller charges the PowerPak in less than 30 seconds. In addition, the battery is charged much faster than by standard systems. The charge algorithm is gentler on the battery, thereby significantly extending battery life.

Instead of using starter batteries that do not permit deep discharge, high energy, long life batteries, such as marine batteries for trolling motors or electric car batteries, can be used that live a lot longer and deliver much more energy at 10-30A currents. As starter batteries, however, they would be useless because of the high voltage drop at high current.

The result of matching the PowerPak with an auxiliary battery is:

• Lower life cycle cost of the power system because fewer batteries will be needed to be replaced over time, with corresponding savings.
  
  
• Very high motor start probability and starter system reliability over a wide range of temperatures, including very low temperature extremes.
  
  
• More energy from the remaining batteries on board the boat, because they can repeatedly be deep discharged without regard to the effect of low battery voltage on motor start.
  
  
• Fast battery recharge because of a fast charge algorithm that is part of the control algorithm of Micron's power controller
  
  
• Longer life of the batteries, because they are more gently treated during charging and discharging and deep discharge batteries can be used that have a much longer cycle life but poor power delivery.
  
  

INSTALLATION

The PowerPak is much smaller than the battery and weighs only 11lbs.

It is permanently sealed. There are no electrolyte spills or corrosion. It can be mounted in any position including upside down and requires no maintenance.

Therefore it can be placed in locations that are hard to get to and not useable for anything else. This makes it easy to install the PowerPak.

The installation of Micron's system as retrofit is simple and inexpensive. Figure 4 indicates the connections.

Figure 4. PowerPak System Connections

The blue blocks are the components added to the standard system. The red wires are the only additional wires needed. The set-up uses largely the already available wiring harness. The battery is either a standard battery, that is already on board or a new deep discharge battery.

OPERATING INSTRUCTIONS

The system is operated like a standard system. When the key is turned the PowerPak cranks the motor. As soon as the motor runs, it charges both the PowerPak and the battery. But while the PowerPak accepts as much charge as it can get, the mode of charge to the battery is controlled by the power controller which applies a special charge method.

While standard method charges the battery fully in about 8 hours, the special charge accomplishes this much faster. Chances are, by the time the boat reaches the dock, the battery is already charged. This adds significantly to the convenience for the boat operator.

If the boat is used at night, a considerable amount of power is used for the running lights or other electric lights. If the battery is not new, it will easily discharge too much to start the motor.

Since the PowerPak is disconnected from the battery and any load if the motor is not running, it is always ready to start the motor. Therefore the operator is not burdened to watch the battery voltage to be sure not to get stuck on the lake.

If the battery voltage is below 7 Volts (completely discharged battery), the reset switch (see Figure 4) is pressed after the motor is started. This will provide power to running lights and other accessories and attempt to recharge the battery on the way home. Therefore, even a practically dead battery will allow continued operation of the boat.

If the PowerPak voltage is for any reason below battery voltage, the battery charges the PowerPak. Since the PowerPak has an extremely low electrical resistance, it can start the motor at voltages at which a battery produces barely a click of the starter solenoid.

Figure 5. Cycle loss of a battery with the depth of discharge

OTHER ADVANTAGES

• The PowerPak holds its voltage for many months. It is typically charged at 14-15 Volts. If the motor does not run, the PowerPak voltage drops gradually to 12.76 Volts and stays about there for many months.
  
  
• The PowerPak can be completely discharged without harm to its performance and can stay discharged indefinitely. A battery would be ruined.
  
  
• The PowerPak voltage recovers from a discharge very quickly while the battery takes almost an hour to reach its final voltage. This allows repeat cranks in short sequence with maximum power.
  
  
• Micron's PowerPak can be fully charged and discharged more than 500000 times. If one would start the motor 10 times every day it would take 136 years to reach the limit. The battery must never be completely discharged and loses cycle life fast the deeper the discharge is.
  
  
• The PowerPak keeps its charge even at very low temperatures. The battery loses its capacity fast as the temperature decreases.
  
  

Figure 6. PowerPak Degeneration as a Function of Temperature

If it comes to power, a battery is no match for the PowerPak. It can produce 3 to 4 times the power (about 1500-2000A) of a battery. A battery typically delivers 600A max.

The PowerPak can be formed in various shapes and footprints. This makes it easy to find space on the boat. Even inaccessible spaces can be used because the PowerPak requires no maintenance like the battery.

Figure 7. The PowerPak can be manufactured in different form factors to maximize available space