Safety system for flywheel system for mobile energy storage
US6144128A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Aug 4, 1997 |
| Grant date | Nov 7, 2000 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Aug 4, 2017 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10T74/2119
- WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A flywheel safety support system isolates the flywheel and its motor-generator from the driving environment of an electrically powered motor vehicle. A suitable liquid, placed between the outer and vacuum housings of the flywheel assembly, provides buoyancy and damping to the vacuum housing, cooling of the motor-generator, and serves as one of the barriers to rotor energy and angular momentum transfer in the event of an accident or failure. During normal operation, a shearable mechanical gimbal system 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 fiber barrier provides an additional layer of protection to passengers.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.