Flywheel Battery Segmentation and Asymmetry
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flywheel batteries face challenges with increased mass, diameter, and speed leading to issues of weight, footprint, gyroscopic effect, safety, efficiency, portability, and economic convenience, limiting their performance.
Innovation Solution
A flywheel battery design featuring flywheels rotating like satellites around a central shaft, with a transmission system using a ring gear and pinions, and housed in a vacuum chamber to minimize friction and gyroscopic effects, allowing for increased energy accumulation per unit mass.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Quantity of substance
If the mass, diameter and speed of the flywheel are increased to increase the capacity, then the energy storage capacity is improved, but the weight, footprint and gyroscopic effect increase which reduce safety, efficiency and portability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single flywheel system into multiple smaller flywheels (first flywheel and second flywheel) that rotate in opposite directions. This segmentation allows the system to achieve the required energy storage capacity without increasing the mass of individual flywheels, thereby maintaining portability and reducing gyroscopic effects while preserving total energy capacity.
2Quantity of substance
If the mass, diameter and speed of the flywheel are increased to increase the capacity, then the energy storage capacity is improved, but the footprint increases which reduce safety and portability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single flywheel system into multiple smaller flywheels (first flywheel and second flywheel) that rotate in opposite directions. This segmentation allows the system to achieve the required energy storage capacity without increasing the mass of individual flywheels, thereby maintaining portability and reducing gyroscopic effects while preserving total energy capacity.
3Quantity of substance
If the mass, diameter and speed of the flywheel are increased to increase the capacity, then the energy storage capacity is improved, but the gyroscopic effect increases which reduce safety and efficiency
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric rotation directions for the first and second flywheels, with the first flywheel rotating in one direction and the second flywheel rotating in the opposite direction. This asymmetric configuration causes the gyroscopic effects of the two flywheels to counterbalance each other, significantly reducing the net gyroscopic effect on the system while maintaining the total energy storage capacity.
4Quantity of substance
If the flywheel speed is increased to increase the capacity, then the energy storage capacity is improved, but the risk of accidents increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the single high-speed flywheel system into multiple smaller flywheels that can rotate at lower individual speeds while achieving the same total energy capacity. This segmentation inherently reduces the safety risks associated with high-speed rotation of individual components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs asymmetric rotation directions for the first and second flywheels, with the first flywheel rotating in one direction and the second flywheel rotating in the opposite direction. This asymmetric configuration causes the gyroscopic effects of the two flywheels to counterbalance each other, significantly reducing the net gyroscopic effect on the system while maintaining the total energy storage capacity.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The design enhances energy density, reduces weight and maintenance costs, minimizes gyroscopic effects, and lowers the risk of accidents while maintaining efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the kinetic energy of the system of flywheels and supports is increased as a function of the ratio of the angular velocities of the central shaft and of the secondary shafts, so that the energy stored by the flywheel battery will be determined by the sum of the kinetic energy obtained from these two angular velocities
Implementation Method 2
where J represents the moment of inertia around this axis of the single flywheel
Implementation Method 3
the flywheel battery keeps kinetic energy thanks to the minimalization of dispersions and friction, in particular the friction due to the fluid in which the rotating system is immersed, which is arranged inside a particular vacuum chamber
Implementation Method 4
a ring gear with an inner gearing fixed in a vacuum chamber containing the flywheels
Implementation Method 5
a transmission comprising a ring gear with an inner gearing fixed in a vacuum chamber containing the flywheels and pinions keyed on the secondary shafts of the flywheels
Data Source
Figure 1
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AI summary
Flywheel battery comprising at least one rotor (13) mechanically connected to at least one flywheel (26) through at least one central shaft (20) suitable to rotate around a central axis (A), wherein the central shaft (20) is joined to one or more supports (23) comprising at least one hub in which at least one secondary shaft (24) can rotate, wherein one or more flywheels (26) are mechanically connected to the secondary shaft (24) to rotate around the central axis (A) and around an axis substantially parallel to the central axis (A) by means of a transmission (27, 28).