Flywheel system for mobile energy storage
US5767595A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 30, 1996 |
| Grant date | Jun 16, 1998 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 30, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T74/2119
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A flywheel support system isolates the flywheel (11) and its motor-generator (21) from the driving environment of an electrically powered motor vehicle. A suitable liquid (9), placed between the outer (8) and vacuum (10) housings of the flywheel assembly, provides buoyancy and damping to the vacuum housing, cooling the motor-generator, and serves as one of the barriers to rotor energy and angular momentum transfer in the event of and accident or failure. During normal operation, a shearable mechanical gimbal system (80) keeps the vacuum housing centered in the outer housing, reacts the spin moments generated by the motor-generator, and provides a path for the electrical leads into the vacuum housing. In the event of bearing seizure or rotor failure, the mechanical gimbal will shear and allow the vacuum housing to gradually spin down against the fluid. A system of angular-contact oil-lubricated ball bearings (12, 13) supports the rotating assembly including the rotor (21b) of the motor-generator. A squeeze film damper (145) associated with the lowermost bearing (13) minimizes mechanical vibrations. A molecular drag pump (26) maintains a high vacuum for the rotating assembly. The pla…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.