Flexible bearing damping system, energy storage system using such a system, and a method related thereto

• US 20030048964A1
• Filed: 09/13/2001
• Published: 03/13/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beacon Power (RGA Labs, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Beacon Power Corporation (RGA Labs, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brackett, Norman C., Kabir, Omar M., Arseneaux, James F.
• Granted Patent: US 7,174,806 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 384/476
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 15/00 Construction of rotary bodies to resist centrifugal force flywheels, correction weights F16F15/30, F16F15/32
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/06 with a single row or balls
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 2361/55 Flywheel systems in general F16F15/00
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 27/04 Ball or roller bearings, e.g. with resilient rolling bodies
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 37/007 of rolling bearings
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/315 characterised by their supporting arrangement, e.g. mountings, cages, securing inertia member to shaft F16F15/31 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/16 Mechanical energy storage, e.g. flywheels or pressurised fluids
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2117 Power generating-type flywheel
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2119 Structural detail, e.g., material, configuration, superconductor, discs, laminated, etc.
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/212 Containing fiber or filament
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2121 Flywheel, motion smoothing-type
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2126 and bearings
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2131 Damping by absorbing vibration force [via rubber, elastomeric material, etc.]

Abstract

The present invention discloses a bearing damping system for damping vibrations and conducting heat from vibration-producing, heat-generating devices, an evacuated energy storage system including such a bearing damping system for damping vibrations produced by the rotating shaft and conducting heat from bearings and/or bearing assemblies; and a method for damping vibrations and conducting heat from vibration-producing, heat-generating devices. In one aspect of the present invention, the system includes one or more flexible bearing dampers in combination with one or more heat transferring rosettes. The flexible, e.g., elastomeric, bearing dampers minimize the rigid body critical velocity, which further minimizes the amplitude of the vibrations so that relatively high damping energy is required. The heat transferring rosettes comprises a flexible thermally conductive member that transfers heat by conduction from the bearings, bearing assemblies and/or heat generating devices to a remote heat sink. Preferably, the flexible thermally conductive member comprises a first end of a thermally conductive member that is thermally coupled directly to the heat-generating device, a second end f a thermally conductive member that is thermally coupled directly or indirectly to the remote heat sink and a third conductive member therebetween.

Claims

1. A system for damping vibrations and removing heat from a heat generating device, the system comprising:

one or more flexible dampers, each having a stiffness; and

one or more heat transferring devices, each having a stiffness, for thermally conducting heat energy produced by said heat generating device to a remote heat sink.

2. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the heat-generating device further supports a vibration-producing rotating device, having a rigid body critical speed.

3. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein the rotating device is a flywheel rotor shaft of an evacuated energy storage system.

4. The system as recited in claim 2, wherein the stiffness of the one or more flexible dampers minimizes the rigid body critical speed of the rotating device.

5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the heat-generating device consists of at least one of a bearing and a bearing assembly.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more flexible dampers includes a radial stiffness between about 500 pounds per inch and about 4000 pounds per inch.

7. The system as recited in claim 6, wherein the one or more flexible dampers includes a radial stiffness of about 1200 pounds per inch.

8. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said one or more flexible dampers comprises an elastomeric bearing damper.

9. The system as recited in claim 8, wherein said elastomeric bearing damper comprises a silicon rubber bearing damper.

10. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein said one or more flexible dampers comprises a mesh bearing damper.

11. The system as recited in claims 1, wherein the one or more heat transferring devices has a radial stiffness between about 10 pounds per inch and about 1000 pounds per inch.

12. The system as recited in claims 11, wherein the one or more heat transferring devices has a radial stiffness between about 50 pounds per inch and about 200 pounds per inch.

13. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more heat transferring devices comprises a flexible thermally conductive member, having a first end that is thermally coupled to the heat generating device and a second end that is thermally coupled to the remote heat sink.

14. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein the one or more heat transferring devices comprises:

a first thermally conductive member that is in thermal communication with the heat generating device;

a second thermally conductive member that is in thermal communication with the remote heat sink; and

a flexible thermally conductive member, wherein said flexible thermally conductive member is in thermal communication with said first and second thermally conduction members so that heat can be transferred from said first thermally conductive member to said second thermally conductive member.

15. The system as recited in claim 14, wherein the flexible thermally conductive member comprises one or more strands of a flexible multi-strand cable, wherein said one or more strands of said flexible multi-strand cable is fabricated from a thermally conductive material.

16. The system as recited in claim 15, wherein the flexible multi-strand cable is fabricated from at least one of copper, aluminum, silver, and carbon, including carbon fiber and carbon-carbon composites.

17. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the remote heat sink is at least one or radially and axially disposed from the heat-generating device.

18. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the heat-transferring device is configured and arranged so that at least some of the heat energy generated by the heat generating device is communicated to the remote heat sink.

19. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more heat transferring devices is configured and arranged to enable at least one of relative displacement and motion between the heat generating device and the remote heat sink.

20. An evacuated energy storage system, having a rigid body critical speed, the system comprising:

a rotor assembly having a rotatable flywheel that stores kinetic energy;

a high-energy motor that rotates the rotor assembly;

one or more bearing assemblies that rotatably support the rotor assembly; and

one or more flexible bearing damping systems comprising;

one or more flexible bearing dampers, having a stiffness, for damping vibrations induced by said one or more bearing assemblies; and

one or more heat transferring devices for thermally conducting heat energy produced by said one or more bearing assemblies to a remote heat sink.

21. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein the stiffness of each of the one or more flexible bearing dampers minimizes the rigid body critical speed of the evacuated energy storage system.

22. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein each of the one or more flexible bearing dampers includes a radial stiffness between about 500 pounds per inch and about 4000 pounds per inch.

23. The system as recited in claim 22, wherein each of the one or more flexible bearing dampers includes a radial stiffness of about 1200 pounds per inch.

24. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein the one or more flexible bearing dampers comprises an elastomeric bearing damper.

25. The system as recited in claim 24, wherein the elastomeric bearing damper comprises a silicon rubber bearing damper.

26. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein the one or more flexible bearing dampers comprises a mesh bearing damper.

27. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein the one or more heat transferring devices comprises a flexible thermally conductive member, having a first end that is thermally coupled to the one or more bearing assemblies and a second end that is thermally coupled to the remote heat sink.

28. The system as recited in claim 27, wherein the one or more heat transferring devices comprises:

a first thermally conductive member that is in thermal communication with the heat generating device;

a second thermally conductive member that is in thermal communication with the remote heat sink; and

a flexible thermally conductive member, wherein said flexible thermally conductive member is in thermal communication with said first and second thermally conduction members so that heat can be transferred from said first thermally conductive member to said second thermally conductive member.

29. The system as recited in claim 27, wherein the flexible thermally conductive member comprises one or more strands of a flexible multi-strand cable, wherein said one or more strands of said flexible multi-strand cable is fabricated from a thermally conductive material.

30. The system as recited in claim 29, wherein the flexible multi-strand cable is fabricated from at least one of copper, aluminum, silver, and carbon, including carbon fiber and carbon-carbon composites.

31. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein the remote heat sink is disposed in at least one of radially and axially from the rotor assembly.

32. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein the heat transferring device is configured and arranged so that at least some of the heat energy generated by said one or more bearing assemblies is communicated to the remote heat sink.

33. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein the one or more heat transferring devices is configured and arranged to enable at least one of relative displacement and motion between the one or more bearing assemblies and the remote heat sink.

34. The system as recited in claim 20, wherein the one or more heat transferring devices is configured and arranged to provide minimal stiffness as compared to the stiffness provided by the one or more flexible bearing dampers.

35. An evacuated energy storage system, having a rigid body critical speed, the system comprising:

a rotor assembly having a rotatable flywheel that stores kinetic energy;

a high-energy motor that rotates the rotor assembly; and

one or more self-contained flexible bearing damping systems comprising;

an upper grounding plate;

a lower grounding plate that is securely and removably attachable to the upper grounding plate;

one or more bearing assemblies that rotatably support the rotor assembly;

one or more flexible bearing dampers, having a stiffness, for damping vibrations induced by said one or more bearing assemblies; and

one or more heat transferring devices for thermally conducting heat energy produced by said one or more bearing assemblies to a remote heat sink.

36. The system as recited in claim 35, wherein the stiffness of each of the one or more flexible bearing dampers minimizes the rigid body critical speed of the evacuated energy storage system.

37. The system as recited in claim 35, wherein each of the one or more flexible bearing dampers includes a radial stiffness between about 500 pounds per inch and about 4000 pounds per inch.

38. The system as recited in claim 37, wherein each of the one or more flexible bearing dampers includes a radial stiffness of about 1200 pounds per inch.

39. The system as recited in claim 35, wherein the one or more flexible bearing dampers comprises an elastomeric bearing damper.

40. The system as recited in claim 39, wherein the elastomeric bearing damper comprises a silicon rubber bearing damper.

41. The system as recited in claim 35, wherein the one or more flexible bearing dampers comprises a mesh bearing damper.

42. The system as recited in claim 35, wherein the one or more heat transferring devices comprises a flexible thermally conductive member, having a first end that is thermally coupled to the one or more bearing assemblies and a second end that is thermally coupled to the remote heat sink.

43. The system as recited in claim 42, wherein the one or more heat transferring devices comprises:

a first thermally conductive member that is in thermal communication with the heat generating device;

a second thermally conductive member that is in thermal communication with the remote heat sink; and

a flexible thermally conductive member, wherein said flexible thermally conductive member is in thermal communication with said first and second thermally conduction members so that heat can be transferred from said first thermally conductive member to said second thermally conductive member.

44. The system as recited in claim 42, wherein the flexible thermally conductive member comprises one or more strands of a flexible multi-strand cable, wherein said one or more strands of said flexible multi-strand cable is fabricated from a thermally conductive material.

45. The system as recited in claim 44, wherein the flexible multi-strand cable is fabricated from at least one of copper, aluminum, silver, and carbon, including carbon fiber and carbon-carbon composites.

46. The system as recited in claim 35, wherein the remote heat sink is disposed in at least one of radially and axially from the rotor assembly.

47. The system as recited in claim 35, wherein the heat transferring device is configured and arranged so that at least some of the heat energy generated by said one or more bearing assemblies is communicated to the remote heat sink.

48. The system as recited in claim 35, wherein the one or more heat transferring devices is configured and arranged to enable at least one of relative displacement and motion between the one or more bearing assemblies and the remote heat sink.

49. The system as recited in claim 35, wherein the one or more heat transferring devices is configured and arranged to provide minimal stiffness as compared to the stiffness provided by the one or more flexible bearing dampers.

50. A method of damping vibrations produced by a vibration-producing rotating device, said rotating device having a rigid body critical speed, and conducting heat energy produced by a heat-generating device, the method comprising the steps of:

radially damping said heat generating device to minimize said rigid body critical speed of said rotating device; and

thermally coupling said heat-generating device to a remote heat sink to communicate heat energy produced by said heat-generating device to said remote heat sink.

51. The method as recited in claim 50, wherein the step of thermally coupling the heat generating device comprises the steps of:

thermally coupling a first end of a flexible thermally conductive member to said heat generating device; and

thermally coupling a second end of a flexible thermally conductive member to said remote heat sink.

52. The method as recited in claim 51, wherein the step of thermally coupling the heat-generating device further includes configuring and arranging the flexible thermally conductive member so that at least some of the heat energy generated by the heat-generating device is communicated to the remote heat sink.

53. The method as recited in claim 50, wherein the step of configuring and arranging the heat generating device to the remote heat sink includes configuring and arranging a heat transferring device that enables at least one of relative displacement and motion between the heat-generating device and the remote heat sink.