An Assessment of Integrated Flywheel System Technology

The current state of the technology in flywheel storage systems and ancillary components, the technology in light of future requirements, and technology development needs to rectify these shortfalls were identified. Technology efforts conducted in Europe and in the United States were reviewed. Results of developments in composite material rotors, magnetic suspension systems, motor/generators and electronics, and system dynamics and control were presented. The technology issues for the various disciplines and technology enhancement scenarios are discussed. A summary of the workshop, and conclusions and recommendations are presented

Third International Symposium on Magnetic Suspension Technology

In order to examine the state of technology of all areas of magnetic suspension and to review recent developments in sensors, controls, superconducting magnet technology, and design/implementation practices, the Third International Symposium on Magnetic Suspension Technology was held at the Holiday Inn Capital Plaza in Tallahassee, Florida on 13-15 Dec. 1995. The symposium included 19 sessions in which a total of 55 papers were presented. The technical sessions covered the areas of bearings, superconductivity, vibration isolation, maglev, controls, space applications, general applications, bearing/actuator design, modeling, precision applications, electromagnetic launch and hypersonic maglev, applications of superconductivity, and sensors

A feasibility assessment of magnetic bearings for free-piston Stirling space power converters

This report describes a design and analysis study performed by Mechanical Technology Incorporated (MTI) under NASA Contract NAS3-26061. The objective of the study was to assess the feasibility and efficacy of applying magnetic bearings to free-piston Stirling-cycle power conversion machinery of the type currently being evaluated for possible use in long-term space missions. The study was performed for a 50-kWe Reference Stirling Space Power Converter (RSSPC) system consisting of two 25-kWe free-piston Stirling engine modules. Two different versions of the RSSPC engine modules have been defined under NASA Contract NAS3-25463. These modules currently use hydrostatic gas bearings to support the reciprocating displacer and power piston assemblies. Results of this study show that active magnetic bearings of the attractive electromagnetic type are technically feasible for RSSPC application provided that wire insulation with 60,000-hr life capability at 300 C can be developed for the bearing coils. From a design integration standpoint, both versions of the RSSPC were found to be conceptually amenable to magnetic support of the power piston assembly. However, only one version of the RSSPC was found to be amendable to magnetic support of the displacer assembly. Unacceptable changes to the basic engine design would be required to incorporate magnetic displacer bearings into the second version. Complete magnetic suspension of the RSSPC can potentially increase overall efficiency of the Stirling cycle power converter by 0.53 to 1.4 percent (0.15 to 0.4 efficiency points). Magnetic bearings will also overcome several operational concerns associated with hydrostatic gas bearing systems. However, these advantages are accompanied by a 5 to 8 percent increase in specific mass of the RSSPC, depending on the RSSPC version employed. Additionally, magnetic bearings are much more complex, both mechanically and particularly electronically, than hydrostatic bearings. Accordingly, long-term stability and reliability represent areas of uncertainty for magnetic bearings. Considerable development effort will be required to establish the long-term suitability of these bearings for Stirling space power applications

Advanced Integrated Power and Attitude Control System (IPACS) study

Integrated Power and Attitude Control System (IPACS) studies performed over a decade ago established the feasibility of simultaneously satisfying the demands of energy storage and attitude control through the use of rotating flywheels. It was demonstrated that, for a wide spectrum of applications, such a system possessed many advantages over contemporary energy storage and attitude control approaches. More recent technology advances in composite material rotors, magnetic suspension systems, and power control electronics have triggered new optimism regarding the applicability and merits of this concept. This study is undertaken to define an advanced IPACS and to evaluate its merits for a space station application. System and component designs are developed to establish the performance of this concept and system trade studies conducted to examine the viability of this approach relative to conventional candidate systems. It is clearly demonstrated that an advanced IPACS concept is not only feasible, but also offers substantial savings in mass and life-cycle cost for the space station mission

Design and Development of a Next Generation Energy Storage Flywheel

Energy storage is crucial for both smart grids and renewable energy sources such as wind or solar, which are intermittent in nature. Compared to electrochemical batteries, flywheel energy storage systems (FESSs) offer many unique benefits such as low environmental impact, high power quality, and larger life cycles. This dissertation presents the design and development of a novel utility-scale FESS that features a shaftless, hubless rotor. The unique shaftless design gives it the potential of a doubled energy density and a compact form factor. Its energy and power capacities are 100 kWh and 100 kW, respectively. The flywheel is made of high-strength steel, which makes it much easier to manufacture, assemble, and recycle. Steels also cost much less than composite materials. In addition, the system incorporates a new combination active magnetic bearing. Its working principle and the levitation control for the flywheel are presented. The development of an integrated, coreless, permanent-magnet (PM) motor/generator for the flywheel is briefly discussed as well. Initial test results show that the magnetic bearing provides stable levitation for the 5443-kg flywheel with small current consumptions. Furthermore, this dissertation formulates and synthesizes a detailed model for designing and simulating a closed-loop control system for the proposed flywheel system at high speed. To this end, the magnetic bearing supporting structure is considered flexible and modeled by finite element modeling. The magnetic bearing is characterized experimentally by static and frequency-dependent coefficients, the latter of which are caused by eddy current effects and presents challenges to the levitation control. Sensor- runout disturbances are measured and included in the model. System nonlinearities in power amplifiers and the controller are considered as well. Even though the flywheel has a large ratio of the primary-to-transversal moment of inertias, Multi-Input-Multi-Output (MIMO) feedback control demonstrates its effectiveness in canceling gyroscopic torques and stabilize the system. Various stages of PD controllers, lead/lag compensators, and notch filters are also implemented to suppress the high-frequency sensor disturbances and structural vibrations

Cylindrical spinning rotor gauge — A new approach for vacuum measurement

The spinning rotor gauge (SRG) is one of the most interesting vacuum gauges ever made, covering a pressure range of over seven orders of magnitude, with minimal gas interference (no pumping, ionization or heating of the measured gas), and a great stability of less than 1% drift per year. But despite its remarkable properties, apparently the SRG has not been further developed since the eighties, when it gained commercial interest. In this context, this dissertation aims at providing a starting point for a new line of investigation regarding this instrument, focused on the rotor itself. A brief study of different rotor geometries is provided, including a comparison between a cylindrical rotor and a spherical one. A cylindrical spinning rotor gauge (CSRG) is then proposed, based on the original SRG, but requiring a completely new lateral damping system. A prototype was built and tested against a non calibrated reference gauge

Design and fabrication of a long-life Stirling cycle cooler for space application. Phase 3: Prototype model

A second-generation, Stirling-cycle cryocooler (cryogenic refrigerator) for space applications, with a cooling capacity of 5 watts at 65 K, was recently completed. The refrigerator, called the Prototype Model, was designed with a goal of 5 year life with no degradation in cooling performance. The free displacer and free piston of the refrigerator are driven directly by moving-magnet linear motors with the moving elements supported by active magnetic bearings. The use of clearance seals and the absence of outgassing material in the working volume of the refrigerator enable long-life operation with no deterioration in performance. Fiber-optic sensors detect the radial position of the shafts and provide a control signal for the magnetic bearings. The frequency, phase, stroke, and offset of the compressor and expander are controlled by signals from precision linear position sensors (LVDTs). The vibration generated by the compressor and expander is cancelled by an active counter balance which also uses a moving-magnet linear motor and magnetic bearings. The driving signal for the counter balance is derived from the compressor and expander position sensors which have wide bandwidth for suppression of harmonic vibrations. The efficiency of the three active members, which operate in a resonant mode, is enhanced by a magnetic spring in the expander and by gas springs in the compressor and counterbalance. The cooling was achieved with a total motor input power of 139 watts. The magnetic-bearing stiffness was significantly increased from the first-generation cooler to accommodate shuttle launch vibrations

Design of a Bearingless Permanent Magnet Synchronous Machine with a Star Point-Connected Axial Active Magnetic Bearing

The bearingless synchronous machine is considered with slotted stator, cylindrical rotor with sleeve-protected surface-mounted permanent magnets and six actively controlled degrees of freedom as high-speed drive. The focus is set on two key aspects: The machine design under consideration of size-dependent scaling effects and a novel kind of feeding the excitation winding of the axial active magnetic bearing. Since the considered bearingless PM machines typically exhibit a low degree of magnetic saturation and are equipped with distributed windings, the two-dimensional analytical calculation is used to calculate the rotor suspension force and disturbing rotor forces. These calculations are used in the subsequent electromagnetic design process. At the beginning of the design process, boundary conditions are discussed, that are derived geometrically for the combined drive and suspension winding, structural mechanically for the sleeve height and thermally for the loss and output power density. On the basis of two different machine sizes, on the one hand approximately 1.5 kW and on the other hand approximately 60 kW at 75 mm and 130 mm outer diameter, respectively, at corresponding active axial length of 40 mm and 125 mm, this work shows, how the choice of pole count, bore diameter and magnet height influences the properties relevant for the rotor position control. It is concluded that an increase in pole count, a reduction in bore diameter and an increase in magnet height reduce the undesired parasitic lateral rotor forces, caused by rotor eddy currents and armature reaction. In order to investigate scaling effects, an analytical calculation is used, where the focus is set on the two-dimensional electrodynamic field calculation. By means of a 1 kW / 60000 rpm-prototype drive, consisting of a bearingless machine and a combined active radial-axial magnetic bearing, the accuracy of the results from calculation and simulation is verified. In order to reduce the number of required power electronic half-bridges, a concept is investigated, in which the axial magnetic bearing is supplied by a current between the star points of the combined winding sections in the bearingless machine. To do so the concept of the widely used space vector pulse-width modulation for 3-phase systems is extended to a double 3-phase system in a way that the axial magnetic bearing current corresponds to the sum current in the star point of one 3-phase system. This current can be controlled by the variation of the two star point electric potentials. However, additional current oscillations in the axial bearing current and in the 3-phase current can occur if the inverter is operated close to its voltage limit or if relatively high axial bearing currents must be provided at high dynamics. Anyway, the concept is considered a promising approach, since in this application as turbo-charger drive the disturbing effects do not occur

Second International Symposium on Magnetic Suspension Technology, part 2

In order to examine the state of technology of all areas of magnetic suspension and to review related recent developments in sensors and controls approaches, superconducting magnet technology, and design/implementation practices, the 2nd International Symposium on Magnetic Suspension Technology was held at the Westin Hotel in Seattle, WA, on 11-13 Aug. 1993. The symposium included 18 technical sessions in which 44 papers were presented. The technical sessions covered the areas of bearings, bearing modelling, controls, vibration isolation, micromachines, superconductivity, wind tunnel magnetic suspension systems, magnetically levitated trains (MAGLEV), rotating machinery and energy storage, and applications. A list of attendees appears at the end of the document