Common Monitoring and/or Control of a Flywheel and Battery-Based Power Supply System

• US 20130009476A1
• Filed: 07/07/2011
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Vycon Energy Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Vycon Incorporated
• Inventors: Ulibas, Oliver, Solis, Octavio
• Granted Patent: US 9,099,887 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/46
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/062 for AC powered loads

Abstract

A power supply system includes a flywheel system electrically coupled to a DC bus for supplying electrical power between a power grid and a load. The flywheel system includes a flywheel coupled to rotate with a rotor of a motor/generator. A battery system is electrically coupled to the DC bus concurrently with the flywheel system.

Claims

1. A power supply system for supplying back-up power to a load, where the load is powered by power from an alternating current (AC) power source, the power supply system comprising:

a flywheel system comprising a flywheel and an AC motor/generator electrically coupled to a direct current (DC) bus, the flywheel system configured to store, as kinetic energy, power received from the power source and, when power to the load from the power source decreases below a specified threshold, to provide power to the load through the DC bus;

a battery system electrically coupled to the DC bus and configured to remain electrically coupled to the DC bus while the flywheel system is providing power to the load, to store power received from the power source and to provide power to the load; and

a controller coupled to the flywheel system and the battery system, the controller configured to monitor the flywheel system and the battery system.

2. The power supply system of claim 1, where the controller is configured to provide status indications for the flywheel system and the battery system.

3. The power supply system of claim 1, where in monitoring the battery system, the controller is configured to monitor at least one of battery voltage, temperature, current, and for the presence of an open circuit.

4. The power supply system of claim 1, where in monitoring the flywheel system, the controller is configured to monitor at least one of rotational speed and voltage output.

5. The power supply system of claim 1, where the battery system is coupled to the DC bus without a switching circuit.

6. The power supply system of claim 1, where the flywheel system is configured to initially output electrical power at a voltage that is greater than the battery system is configured to initially output, and where the voltage output from the flywheel system decreases as the flywheel system provides power to the load.

7. The power supply system of claim 6, where the battery system is configured to provide power to the load when the voltage of the power output by the flywheel system decreases to below the initial voltage of the power output by the battery system.

8. The power supply system of claim 1, where the motor/generator comprises a rotor having permanent magnets.

9. The power supply system of claim 1, where the flywheel is coupled to rotate at the same speed as a rotor of the motor/generator.

10. The power supply system of claim 1, where the power source is a utility power grid.

11. The power supply system of claim 1, where the battery system and the flywheel system reside in a common housing.

12. A method, comprising:

supplying AC power from a flywheel system, rectified, to a DC bus while a battery system is electrically coupled to the DC bus, the DC bus coupled to a load for supplying power to a load;

supplying DC power from the battery system to the DC bus; and

monitoring the flywheel system and the battery system with a common controller.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising supplying AC power from a power source to the flywheel system to charge the flywheel system.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising inverting the power from the DC bus into AC and supplying the AC power to the load.

15. The method of claim 12, where monitoring the battery system comprises monitoring at least one of battery voltage, temperature, current, and open circuit.

16. The method of claim 12, where monitoring the flywheel comprises monitoring at least one of rotational speed and voltage output.

17. The method of claim 12, where supplying power from a flywheel system to a DC bus comprises supplying power at a higher voltage than a voltage of the battery system.

18. A power supply system for providing backup power to a load powered by an AC power source, comprising:

a flywheel system comprising a flywheel and a motor/generator electrically coupled to a DC bus to provide power to the DC bus, the DC bus for supplying electrical power to the load;

a battery system electrically coupled to the DC bus to supply power to the DC bus, the battery system configured to remain electrically coupled to the DC bus while the flywheel system is providing power to the DC bus; and

a controller coupled to the flywheel system and the battery system, the controller configured to monitor the flywheel system and the battery system.

19. The power supply system of claim 18, where in monitoring the battery system, the controller is configured to monitor at least one of battery voltage, temperature, current, and open circuit.

20. The power supply system of claim 18, where in monitoring the flywheel system, the controller is configured to monitor at least one of rotational speed and voltage output.

21. The power supply system of claim 18, further comprising a housing enclosing the flywheel system and the battery system.

22. The power supply system of claim 18, where the flywheel system is configured to supply power to the DC bus at a higher voltage than a voltage of power supplied by the battery system to the DC bus.