GA-ESI SCIENTIST RECEIVES NAVY RESEARCH GRANT

GA-ESI SCIENTIST RECEIVES NAVY RESEARCH GRANT
Dr. Geoff Staines, a senior scientist in General Atomics Electronic Systems (GA-ESI) Power Systems Group, has received the Office's of Navy Research 2008 CNR Challenge award. The CNR Award, or Chief of Naval Research award, is granted to Science & Technology leaders to support the continued development of cutting edge research that is projected to improve US Navy and Marine Corps war fighting capabilities. Dr. Staines' award includes a grant for continued development of his linear generator concept for directed energy weapons.
Staines, a pulsed power systems expert, has been a senior scientist at GA-ESI for 3 years, and is currently assigned to support GA’s Electromagnetic Systems Division EM Launcher projects. He has over 16 years of experience with high power circuits and most recently led the design and development of high voltage systems for applications including electromagnetic launchers and High Power Microwave (HPM) devices. He received his Ph.D. in physics from Flinders University in Australia in 1991. Staines’ high voltage pulse forming network (PFN) expertise lent itself to developing this linear generator concept, which would convert chemical energy directly to high power electrical pulses, eliminating multiple steps of energy conversion and storage used in capacitor-based systems.
Receiving this ONR CNR Challenge award "demonstrates GA's continued support for developing rugged and viable pulsed power systems at the energy levels required for cutting edge weapons systems" commented Staines. Staines further explained that the linear generator is just one of several approaches that GA is studying for providing the high energy pulses needed to drive directed energy weapons deployed on ships, aircraft, or ground vehicles. "While capacitors continue to be the basis for most laboratory pulse power systems, other approaches must be considered for the future. It’s not a one-size-fits-all world out there. Different problems require different solutions."
General Atomics' grant of this award and inclusion in the first Director of Innovation Newsletter results from the fact that GA is a recognized leader in innovating future technologies for the Navy. Examples of high power, high energy Navy systems to which GA has played a leading role include the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS), Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG), Electromagnetic Launcher (Railgun), and Integrated Fight-thru Power (IFTP) systems, just to name a few.
General Atomics Electronic Systems (GA-ESI), formerly part of Maxwell Energy Products, is globally recognized as a leading U.S. developer and manufacturer of high voltage high power components i.e. capacitors, charging power supplies and pulse power systems/sub-systems such as advanced film capacitors, resistors, fuses, and PFN's (pulse forming networks). Primary markets for these products include national laboratories and universities, energy and defense contractors, and medical and industrial companies around the world.
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