Crash management system for implementation in flywheel systems

• US 20030061898A1
• Filed: 09/13/2002
• Published: 04/03/2003
• 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: Lazarewicz, Matthew L., Hockney, Richard L., Brackett, Norman C., Lewis, Eric A., Crowley, James G.
• Granted Patent: US 7,034,420 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 74/572
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 15/305 made of plastics, e.g. fibre reinforced plastics [FRP] , i.e. characterised by their special construction from such materials
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/025 for power storage
• 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 74/2121 Flywheel, motion smoothing-type

Abstract

A crash management system for implementation in a flywheel energy storage system (FESS) is provided. Implementation of such a system entails designing an FESS rim that is highly failure resistant, and designing the FESS such that if one, some, or even all of its components fail, they are physically prevented from accumulating and releasing enough energy to cause rim burst, thus leaving the rim intact and capable of safely remaining spinning even after one or more FESS component failures have occurred.

Claims

1. A system for managing a crash or failure of a flywheel energy store system, the flywheel energy storage system including a plurality of predetermined flywheel components, wherein at least one gap having predetermined axial and radial distances is defined between the predetermined components, said crash management system comprising:

at least one structural barrier placed at a predetermined position within the flywheel energy storage system such that at least one of the axial and radial distance of the at least one gap is reduced.

2. The crash management system of claim 1, wherein at least two structural barriers are placed within the flywheel energy storage system, and wherein at least one of the at least two structural barriers reduces the axial distance of the at least one gap, and wherein at least another of the at least two structural barriers reduces the radial distance of at least one gap.

3. The crash management system of claim 2, wherein three structural barriers are placed within the flywheel energy storage system, and wherein one of the three structural barriers reduces the axial distance of the at least one gap, and wherein at least another of the three structural barriers reduces the radial distance of the at least one gap.

4. The crash management system of claim 3, wherein one of the three structural barriers reduces the axial distance of the at least one gap, and wherein two of the three structural barriers reduce the radial distance of the at least one gap.

5. The crash management system of claim 1, wherein each of the at least one structural barrier is made of a metal-based material.

6. The crash management system of claim 5, wherein each of the at least one structural barrier is made of an aluminum-based material.

7. The crash management system of claim 1, wherein the predetermined flywheel components include:

a rim;

a shaft;

a hub that secures the rim to the shaft; and

a motor that drives the shaft.

8. The crash management system of claim 7, wherein the predetermined flywheel components and the at least one structural barrier are configured and arranged such that the motor will undergo structural failure prior to structural failure of the rim, and prior to structural failure of the shaft, and prior to structural failure of the hub.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the rim includes a plurality of layers.

10. A crash management system for minimizing the consequences of failures of at least one component of a flywheel energy storage system (FESS) on a flywheel assembly of the FESS, said crash management system comprising:

at least one a structural barrier disposed within the flywheel system, wherein the structural barrier is configured and positioned within the FESS such that, following failure of at least one of the at least one component of the FESS, motion of a flywheel of the flywheel assembly is restricted to less than a predetermined value in at least one of an axial direction or a radial direction with respect to a long axis of a shaft to which the flywheel is mounted.

11. The crash management system of claim 10, wherein the system comprises at least two structural barriers, and wherein each of the at least two structural barriers are positioned within the FESS at different positions such that one of the at least two structural barriers restricts motion of the flywheel in the axial direction, and such that at least another of the at least two structural barriers restricts motion of the flywheel in a radial direction.

12. The crash management system of claim 11, wherein the system comprises three structural barriers, and wherein each of the three structural barriers is positioned within the FESS at different positions such that one of the three structural barriers restricts motion of the flywheel in an axial direction, and such that two of the three structural barriers restrict motion of the flywheel in a radial direction.

13. A method of managing a crash or failure of a flywheel energy storage system, the flywheel energy storage system (FESS) including a plurality of predetermined flywheel components that are positioned such that at least one gap having predetermined axial and radial distances is defined between the predetermined flywheel components, said method comprising the step of:

placing at least one structural barrier at a predetermined position within the FESS such that at least one of the axial and radial distance of the at least one gap is reduced.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said placing step includes:

placing at least two structural barriers within the FESS at different predetermined positions such that at least one of the at least two structural barriers reduces the axial distance of the at least one gap, and wherein at least another of the at least two structural barriers reduces the radial distance of the at least one gap.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said placing step includes:

placing three structural barriers within the FESS at different predetermined positions such that one of the three structural barriers reduces the axial distance of the at least one gap, and such that at least another of the structural barriers reduces the radial distance of the at least one gap.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein said placing step includes:

placing three structural barriers within the FESS at different predetermined positions such that one of the three structural barriers reduces the axial distance of the at least one gap, and such that two of the three structural barriers reduce the radial distance of the at least one gap.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the predetermined flywheel components include a rim, a shaft, a hub that secures the rim to the shaft, and a motor that drives the shaft;

and wherein said method further comprises the step of;

configuring and arranging the predetermined flywheel components and the at least one structural barrier such that the motor will undergo structural failure prior to structural failure of the rim, and prior to structural failure of the shaft, and prior to structural failure of the hub.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the rim includes a plurality of layers.

19. A flywheel energy storage system (FESS), said FESS comprising:

a flywheel assembly; and

a crash management system for minimizing the consequences of failures of at least one component of the FESS on the flywheel assembly, wherein said crash management system includes;

at least one structural barrier disposed within the FESS, wherein the structural barrier is configured and positioned within the FESS such that, following failure of at least one of the at least one component of the FESS, motion of a flywheel of the flywheel assembly is restricted to less than a predetermined value in at least one of an axial direction or a radial direction with respect to a long axis of a shaft to which the flywheel is mounted.