Energy management system and method

• US 6,441,581 B1
• Filed: 03/20/2001
• Issued: 08/27/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Nagendra, Somanath, Salasoo, Lembit, Song, Dongwoo, King, Robert Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): TOATLEY, GREGORY J
• Application Number:
  US09/681,335
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• Field of Search: 320/101, 307/10.1, 307/150, 180/65.3, 180/165
• US Class Current: 320/101
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/28 Four wheel or all wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/145 Structure borne vibrations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/30 using propulsion power stored mechanically, e.g. in fly-wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/06 for vehicles propelled by ac motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/14 for vehicles propelled by ac motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/22 Dynamic electric resistor braking, combined with dynamic electric regenerative braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 9/16 using ac induction motors
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 9/08 requiring starting of a prime-mover
• 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: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors

Abstract

An energy management system comprises: an energy storage system comprising flywheels and batteries; and an energy storage system controller adapted to cause the flywheels and batteries to store energy during load-supplying periods and to supply energy during load-receiving periods. The flywheels may be situated in respective ones of a plurality of compartments in a vehicle platform, and the batteries may be situated above the flywheels.

Claims

1. An energy management system comprising:

(a) an energy storage system comprising flywheels and batteries; and

(b) an energy storage system controller adapted to cause the flywheels and batteries to store energy during load-supplying periods and to supply energy during load-receiving periods.

2. The energy management system of claim 1 wherein the load-supplying periods comprise deceleration periods and the load-receiving periods comprise acceleration periods.

3. The energy management system of claim 2 further comprising a resistor for dissipating power during deceleration periods when the flywheels and the batteries have reached maximum storage capabilities.

4. The energy management system of claim 2 further comprising an electronic interface for supplying power to the energy storage system during the deceleration periods and for receiving power from the energy storage system during the acceleration periods.

5. The energy management system of claim 2 wherein the electronic interface comprises at least one bi-directional voltage converter.

6. The energy management system of claim 2 wherein the energy storage system controller is further adapted to cause the flywheels to supply energy to the batteries during load-neutral periods.

7. The energy management system of claim 2 wherein the electronic interface comprises a first interface for the battery energy storage system and a second interface for the flywheel energy storage system.

8. The energy management system of claim 7 wherein each of the first and second interfaces is adapted for being coupled to a DC link.

9. The energy management system of claim 8 further including a motor coupling the flywheel energy storage system and the second interface.

10. A locomotive energy management system comprising:

(a) an energy storage system comprising flywheels and batteries;

(b) an energy storage system controller adapted to cause the flywheels and batteries to store energy during deceleration periods and to supply energy during acceleration periods; and

(c) at least one bi-directional voltage converter for supplying power to the energy source system during the deceleration periods and for receiving power from the energy storage system during the acceleration periods.

11. The locomotive energy management system of claim 10 wherein the energy storage system controller and the at least one bi-directional voltage converter are further adapted to cause the flywheels to supply energy to the batteries during load-neutral periods.

12. The locomotive energy management system of claim 10 wherein the energy storage system controller is further adapted to cause the batteries to supply energy to the flywheels prior to initiating an acceleration period from a stationary position, starting an uphill grade, or entering a tunnel.

13. An energy management system comprising an energy storage system comprising:

a vehicle platform including a plurality of compartments;

a plurality of flywheels situated in respective ones of the plurality of compartments; and

a plurality of batteries situated above the plurality of flywheels.

14. The energy management system of claim 13 further comprising a plurality of compartment covers situated above respective flywheels and compartments.

15. The energy management system of claim 14 wherein the compartment covers comprise removable compartment covers including holes through which flywheels can be coupled.

16. The energy management system of claim 15 further including vacuum seals for providing moderate vacuum levels within the flywheel compartments.

17. The energy management system of claim 16 wherein the vacuum seals define vacuum chambers and further including bearings 49 situated outside of the vacuum chambers for coupling the flywheels and a plurality of respective machines.

18. The energy management system of claim 17 further including a plurality of mounts coupling respective machines and respective bearings.

19. The energy management system of claim 18 further including vibration isolators situated outside the vacuum chambers for reducing vibrations in the flywheels and the machines.

20. The energy management system of claim 18 wherein each mount includes a respective bearing cap for the respective bearing.

21. The energy management system of claim 13 further including a plurality of machines and a plurality of bearings 49 for coupling respective flywheels and respective machines.

22. The energy management system of claim 21 further including a plurality of mounts for coupling respective machines and respective bearings.

23. The energy management system of claim 22 further including vibration isolators for reducing vibrations in the flywheels and the machines.

24. The energy management system of claim 14 wherein the compartment covers include slots through which flywheels can be coupled.

25. The energy management system of claim 14 further including integral shafts coupling respective flywheels and respective machines.

26. The energy management system of claim 14 wherein at least some of the plurality of batteries are situated such that masses of the respective batteries are applied to respective compartment covers.

27. The energy management system of claim 26 wherein at least some of the plurality of batteries are situated at least partially on top of the respective compartment covers.

28. The energy management system of claim 14 wherein pairs of adjacent flywheels comprise flywheels having opposite directions of rotation.

29. A locomotive comprising:

a platform including a plurality of compartments;

a plurality of flywheels situated in respective ones of the plurality of compartments;

a plurality of compartment covers situated above respective flywheels and compartments; and

a plurality of batteries situated above the plurality of flywheels such that masses of the respective batteries are applied to respective compartment covers.

30. The locomotive of claim 29 wherein at least some of the plurality of batteries are situated at least partially on top of the respective compartment covers.

31. The locomotive of claim 30 wherein pairs of adjacent flywheels comprise flywheels having opposite directions of rotation.

32. An energy management method for an energy storage system comprising flywheels and batteries, the method comprising:

during load-supplying periods, storing energy in the flywheels until the flywheels are fully charged, then storing energy in the batteries until the batteries are fully charged, and then dissipating any excess energy; and

during load-receiving periods, supplying energy from the flywheels, then supplying energy from the batteries, and, after energy is no longer available from the flywheels or batteries, supplying supplemental energy.

33. The method of claim 32 further including, during load-neutral periods, supplying energy from the flywheels to the batteries.

34. The method of claim 32 further including, prior to initiating an acceleration period from a stationary position, starting an uphill grade, or entering a tunnel, if a charge level in the flywheels has dropped below a predetermined amount, supplying energy from the batteries to the flywheels.

35. The method of claim 32 further including, prior to initiating an acceleration period form a stationary position, starting an uphill grade, or entering a tunnel, if a charge level in the flywheels has dropped below a predetermined amount, and if the charge level in the batteries is below a predetermined amount, supplying energy to the flywheels from supplemental energy source.

36. The method claim 32 wherein the load-supplying periods comprise deceleration periods and the load-receiving periods comprise acceleration periods.

37. An energy management method comprising:

situating a plurality of flywheels in respective ones of a plurality of compartments in a vehicle platform; and

situating a plurality of batteries above the plurality of flywheels.

38. The method of claim 37 further comprising, prior to situating the plurality of batteries, situating a plurality of compartment covers above respective flywheels and compartments.

39. The method of claim 38 wherein situating the plurality of flywheels and situating the plurality of compartment covers comprises coupling respective shafts of the respective flywheels through respective holes of the plurality of the compartment covers.

40. The method of claim 39 further including applying respective vacuum seals to provide vacuum chambers in respective compartments and situating.

41. The method of claim 39 wherein coupling respective shafts of the respective flywheels comprises coupling respective shafts integral to respective machines.

42. The method of claim 39 wherein coupling respective shafts of the respective flywheels comprises coupling respective shafts to respective machines and further including mounting the respective machines on respective structures of the flywheels.

43. The method of claim 37 wherein situating the plurality of flywheels and situating the plurality of compartment covers comprises inserting respective shafts of the plurality of flywheels through respective slots of the plurality of the compartment covers.

44. The method of claim 38 wherein situating the plurality of the batteries comprises situating at least some of the plurality of batteries such that masses of the respective batteries are applied to respective compartment covers.