HMMWV OBVP-2 Prototype Onboard Generation

[dk8019]

Ok, so a quick thread regarding this HMMWV I purchased back in January. Took about 2 months for clearance of the EUC, and then she was trailered up to me in Northern VA. Not a bad looking truck overall, just the unusual bits that the OBVP units were equipped with, namely a 30kW permanent magnet generator crammed between the engine and the transmission.

The base truck is a 2003 or so M1123. Run of the mill 6.5NA with the 4 speed auto behind it. Guessing it was rebuilt before the conversion, odometer showed low mileage and hours, and the truck looked the part. First thing I noticed was that the injection pump top cover was MIA which wasn't a good sign. Also with fresh batteries in it, she would barely crank over. A quick look at the starter showed that this truck didn't have a typical military starter in it, but instead a 12V starter from a 2011 or so era Chevy Diesel pickup. Found a refurb unit on ebay, popped it in, and she cranked over like she meant it. Got everything bled out, popped the two rear injectors and gave her a splash of diesel in the intake and she fired off with a little complaining and then settled down.

Now to dig into the electronics of the beast!

 

[dk8019]

A few more shots of some of the bits and pieces.

 

[dk8019]

Ok, so as I mentioned it had a couple of bits and pieces installed in the footwells of the rear passenger and drivers side seats. These two liquid cooled modules have two functions. The first takes the three phase output from the generator head and rectify the output to high voltage DC. This is then fed to the drivers side module with converts the variable DC output back into AC to be used for equipment. This arrangement, while complex, allow variable engine speed to produce a constant output voltage regardless of engine speed. The rectifying modules was in good shape inside, however the controller that energizes it is long since gone unfortunately, which will likely require a bit of ingenuity to sort out. The inverter module however suffered a coolant leak internally at some point which basically destroyed the guts of this module.

 

[dk8019]

You can barely make out the coolant in the bottom of this module, I'm guessing that it isn't recoverable. The plan currently is to work on the engine speed management side as well as the rectifying unit so that DC output can be achieved. From there, replacing the invertor can be handled using a solar type inverter that can be cooled using the auxiliary coolant loop. Absolutely worse case, the modules will be pulled, and a far more simple engine speed controller will be used to provide the correct three phase voltage output directly from the generator head. This wouldn't be ideal as on the move power output would not be possible, but having an integrate 30kW generator on the HMMWV would be useful when in a static position.

 

[dk8019]

HMMWV at Idle

 

[bikeman]

This is cool. Looking forward to how the project progresses.

out of curiosity, any contacts or attempts from DRS or anyone?

 

[dk8019]

This is cool. Looking forward to how the project progresses.

out of curiosity, any contacts or attempts from DRS or anyone?

I have been talking with DRS via phone and email about the history of the machine. No documentation yet, but I remain hopeful that they will share what they can. Here's a comment regarding the vehicle from the product manager:

"The HMMWV you purchased is a Bid Sample version and is at least a generation behind the low-rate initial production version. This vehicle is more like a prototype. There are no spare parts left for this unit."

So, a bid sample is a very interesting bit of commentary, basically a first article, or proof of concept.

 

[osteo16]

30Kw... id check all my grounds really really good..

 

[fuzzytoaster]

http://imgur.com/a/g3Hhzsu

I watched this one sell and now I'm watching in anticipation of the development of this project.

 

[dk8019]

30Kw... id check all my grounds really really good..

No doubt!

 

[dk8019]

http://imgur.com/a/g3Hhzsu

I watched this one sell and now I'm watching in anticipation of the development of this project.

We'll see what I can get done with her. Currently I'm glad she runs down the road well, getting the generation portion up and working is step number two, but easily achievable using the second method I outlined.