Flywheel energy storage systems
OwnerLewis B. Sibleyinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A flywheel energy storage system (10) includes a vacuum enclosure (18) having a flywheel (12), motor/generator (14), and a shaft (16) enclosed within. The flywheel and motor/generator combination are designed to minimize bearing loads and thus increase system life, reliability and safety.
Claims24
Energy storage apparatus comprising:
- a. a shaft;
- b. a flywheel rotatable relative to said shaft;
- c. means for selectably rotating said flywheel responsively to electrical power input or producing electrical power upon rotation thereof by said flywheel;
- d. bearing means facilitating rotation of said flywheel and said flywheel rotation/power production means respecting said shaft;
- e. means for connecting said flywheel and said means for selectably rotating said flywheel or producing electrical power output to a portion of said bearing means which is rotatable relative to said shaft, comprising:
- i. an inner member rotatable with a portion of said bearing means relative to said shaft;
- ii. an outer member fixedly connected to said flywheel and flywheel rotation/power production means combination;
- iii. said inner and outer members contacting when stationary;
- iv. means for connecting said members for facilitating continued unitary rotation of said outer member with said inner member as rotation of said inner and outer member, said flywheel and said flywheel rotation/power production means combination reaches a rate at which centrifugal force separates said members.
Energy storage apparatus comprising:
- a. a frame;
- b. a flywheel;
- c. means for selectably rotating said flywheel responsively to electrical power input or producing electrical power upon rotation thereof by said flywheel;
- d. bearing means facilitating rotation of said flywheel and said flywheel rotation/power production means respecting said frame;
- e. means for connecting said flywheel and said means for selectably rotating said flywheel or producing electrical power output to said bearing means, comprising:
- i. a first member fixedly rotatable with a bearing means portion which is rotatable respecting said frame;
- ii. a second member concentric with said first member, fixedly connected to said flywheel and flywheel rotation/power production means combination;
- iii. said members contacting when stationary;
- iv. elastomeric means for connecting said members and thereby facilitating continued unitary rotation thereof as centrifugal force separates said members;
- f. said flywheel-flywheel rotation/power production means-second member combination having resonant frequency below rotational frequency at which said members separate due to centrifugal force;
- and
- g. said flywheel-flywheel rotation/power production means-second member-first member combination having resonant frequency above rotational frequency at which said members separate due to centrifugal force.
A method for storing energy comprising acceleratingly rotating a unitary subcombination of a flywheel and means for selectably driving said flywheel or producing electrical power upon rotation of said flywheel through resonant frequency of a unitary combination defined by an outer sleeve and said unitary subcombination to a rotational rate sufficient to separate a concentric inner sleeve from said outer sleeve in unison with said unitary combination but stopping short of resonant frequency of a second unitary combination defined by said inner and outer sleeves and said unitary subcombination.
An energy storage rotor comprising a unitary metallic hub defining a center of rotation, said hub having a plurality of spaced apart spokes and a continuous rim to which said spokes are integrally connected at spaced apart locations, and a composite ring surrounding said rim, wherein said rim is in a tight interference fit with the composite ring at rest and behaves essentially as a solid body at lower rotational speeds, and wherein those portions of the rim disposed between said spokes are adapted to deflect radially outwardly under the influence of centrifugal force when in use at higher rotational speeds so as to follow the centrifugal force-induced radial expansion of the composite ring surrounding the rim such that at said higher rotational speeds portions of said composite ring can lift away from the rim of the hub at said locations where said spokes are connected to said rim and so that a tight fit between the rim and the ring is maintained at all operating speeds of the rotor and further wherein said rim portions between said spokes defined respective radially inwardly directed curved surface portions each having a center of curvature which is located radially outwardly of said center of rotation such that each of said rim portions becomes thinner toward a central portion between adjacent said spokes.
Coupling apparatus facilitating passage of an acceleratingly rotating body through a critical frequency of rotation, comprising:
- a. a pair of mating first and second portions of said body, said portions contacting when said body is stationary;
- and
- b. means for flexibly coupling said second portion to said first portion to facilitate continued substantially unitary rotation thereof as said second portion moves away from said first portion responsively to centrifugal force at rotational speed below said critical frequency.
A method for accelerating a rotating body through a critical frequency of rotation, said body having a second portion tending to separate from a first portion at body angular velocity below said critical frequency, comprising:
- a. permitting said second portion to move away from said first portion responsively to centrifugal force at rotational speed below said critical frequency thereby reducing effective mass of said rotating body and establishing a new critical frequency for said rotating body substantially shifted downwardly from said original critical frequency;
- and
- b. maintaining a flexible couple between said first and second portions to facilitate substantially unitary rotation thereof at common velocity but with separate angular momenta.
Apparatus for orienting a load, comprising:
- a. a shaft;
- b. a flywheel rotatable relative to said shaft;
- c. means for rotating said flywheel by driving said shaft;
- d. bearing means facilitating rotation of said flywheel respecting said shaft;
- e. means for connecting said flywheel and said shaft, comprising:
- i. an inner member rotatable with a portion of said bearing means relative to said shaft;
- ii. an outer member fixedly connected to said flywheel;
- iii. said inner and outer members contacting when stationary;
- iv. means for connecting said members for facilitating continued unitary rotation of said outer member with said inner member as rotation of said inner and outer members and said flywheel combination reaches a rate at which centrifugal force separates said members;
- v. a housing having said shaft and said flywheel rotatably mounted therewithin and defining an axis about which said flywheel is mounted for rotation in a single plane relative to said housing;
- vi. means connected to said housing and being rotatable about a second axis differing from the axis of rotation of said shaft, for rotatably securing the housing relative to said load.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.