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Energy density homopolar generator

  • US 4,816,709 A
  • Filed: 06/24/1987
  • Issued: 03/28/1989
  • Est. Priority Date: 01/09/1985
  • Status: Expired due to Fees
First Claim
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1. An air-core self-excited homopolar generator responsive to a rotational drive input for generating a current at a load, comprising:

  • (a) a field coil assembly for generating a magnetic field within an interior region and for storing a collected current for said load, said collected current contributing to said generated magnetic field;

    (b) a rotor positioned in said interior region and responsive to said drive input and said magnetic field for generating said current, said rotor comprising,(i) an armature having highly conductive circuit elements in the axial direction but highly resistive circuit elements in the circumferential direction, and(ii) a pair of spaced apart slip ring surfaces, each disposed circumferentially on said armature and electrically coupled to said circuit elements, said armature having a radius at each said slip ring surface which determines the rotor surface speed thereat;

    (c) a pair of conductive brush assemblies coupled to said field coil assembly, each said conductive brush assembly contacting an associated one of said slip ring surfaces, said brush assemblies having a maximum rotor surface speed at said slip ring surfaces at which said brushes can operate; and

    (d) an energy storage means coupled to said rotor for rotation therewith for storing inertial energy where the energy storage capacity of said storage means is obtained independently of any radius of said rotor,(i) said brush assemblies, said axially conductive armature circuit elements, and said slip ring surfaces cooperating together to collect a current to said field coil assembly in response to rotation of said armature in said magnetic field, and(ii) said circumferentially resistive armature circuit elements permitting an increase in discharge efficiency of said collected current to said load by reducing the magnetic coupling of said armature to the flux of said magentic field during discharge of the collected current in said field coil assembly to said load.

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