Flywheel battery system with active counter-rotating containment
AssigneeTrinity Flywheel Power
InventorsH. Wayland Blake, Edward S. Zorzi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Flywheel battery systems having improved energy density are provided. Such systems preferably have an inner rotor mounted coaxially and substantially cylindrically within an outer containment rotor. The outer rotor counter-rotate relative to said inner rotor so as to manage the net gyroscopic force generated by the flywheel system. The outer rotor has a greater relative inertia as compared to said inner rotor and therefore can be rotated at a relatively lower rotational velocity to balance the gyroscopic forces generated by the rotation of the inner rotor. The relative rotational velocities of the inner and outer rotor are maintained by a combined mechanical and magnetic drive/suspension system.
Claims17
A flywheel system for storing and releasing energy comprising:
- an inner rotor rotatable about a first axis;
- an outer rotor rotatable about a second axis which intersects on at least one dimensional plane with said fist axis, said outer rotor counter-rotating relative to said inner rotor;
- a first plurality of drive wheels positioned around said first axis and movable interfacing with said inner rotor and a first end of said outer rotor;
- and
- a second plurality of drive wheels positioned around said second axis and movably interfacing with said inner rotor and a second end of said outer rotor,
- wherein said outer rotor is a containment vessel for said inner rotor, and said outer rotor substantially surrounds said inner rotor in a radial direction and restricts debris from said inner rotor in a radial direction, and said first plurality of drive wheels and said second plurality of drive wheels substantially surround said inner rotor in an axial direction and restrict debris from said inner rotor in an axial direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.