Analysis of Geo-Location Data to Understand Power and Energy Requirements for Main Battle Tanks

Abstract

<div class="section abstract"><div class="htmlview paragraph">Tanks play a pivotal role in swiftly deploying firepower across dynamic battlefields. The core of tank mobility lies within their powertrains, driven by diesel engines or gas turbines. To better understand the benefits of each power system, this study uses geo-location data from the National Training Center to understand the power and energy requirements from a main battle tank over an 18-day rotation. This paper details the extraction, cleaning, and analysis of the geo-location data to produce a series of representative drive cycles for an NTC rotation. These drive-cycles serve as a basis for evaluating powertrain demands, chiefly focusing on fuel efficiency. Notably, findings reveal that substantial idling periods in tank operations contribute to diesel engines exhibiting notably lower fuel consumption compared to gas turbines. Nonetheless, gas turbines present several merits over diesel engines, notably an enhanced power-to-weight ratio and superior power delivery. This analysis underscores the intricate interplay between powertrain selection, operational profiles, and fuel consumption in the pursuit of optimizing modern tank performance and a better understanding of operational sustainment on the battlefield.</div></div>