Flywheel Energy Storage with Variator Modulated Differential Geartrain
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-speed flywheels face a significant speed mismatch with internal combustion engines, necessitating complex transmission systems to manage energy transfer efficiently, with existing solutions like planetary gear devices being cumbersome and in need of improvement.
Innovation Solution
A power system incorporating a differential geartrain and a variator to transfer energy between a driveshaft and a flywheel, featuring a rotatable speed control element and a variator with input and output shafts that adjust speed ratios to match the flywheel and engine speeds, allowing for efficient energy transfer and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If a high-speed flywheel is used to store energy efficiently, then energy storage density is improved, but speed mismatch with the engine increases
Solution Approach 1:
A differential geartrain is introduced as an intermediary mechanism between the engine and flywheel. The differential geartrain includes a sun gear connected to the engine, a ring gear connected to the flywheel, and planet gears that enable continuous variable speed ratio adjustment. This mediator allows the high-speed flywheel to be coupled with the lower-speed engine without direct connection, resolving the speed mismatch while maintaining energy storage efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a continuously variable transmission (CVT) mechanism through the differential geartrain, allowing the speed ratio between engine and flywheel to be dynamically adjusted during operation. This dynamic adjustment capability enables the system to adapt to varying operating conditions, maintaining optimal speed matching between the engine and high-speed flywheel across different load and speed conditions.
2Speed
If a transmission system is added to match speeds between engine and flywheel, then speed compatibility is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The differential geartrain serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides speed ratio adjustment, enables continuous variable transmission, and facilitates bidirectional energy flow between engine and flywheel. By consolidating these functions into a single integrated mechanism rather than separate transmission components, the system achieves speed compatibility while limiting the increase in overall device complexity.
3Use of energy by moving object
If a small and lightweight flywheel is used to rotate fast, then energy storage efficiency is improved, but speed matching with engine becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The differential geartrain acts as a mediator that decouples the direct speed relationship between engine and flywheel. This allows the flywheel to be optimized for high-speed rotation and lightweight construction to maximize energy storage efficiency, while the differential geartrain handles the speed adaptation, preventing the need for direct speed matching that would constrain flywheel design.
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 system enables efficient energy transfer and storage by varying the speed of the output shaft of the variator, allowing for flexible energy flow between the driveshaft and flywheel, optimizing engine operation and reducing complexity compared to existing solutions.
Implementation Method 1
a differential geartrain having a rotatable input element rotatable at a fixed speed ratio with the driveshaft, and a rotatable output element rotatable at a fixed speed ratio with the flywheel
Implementation Method 2
a variator having a variator input shaft and a variator output shaft coupled to the at least one rotatable speed control element and rotatable at a range of speeds relative to the variator input shaft to vary a difference between an input speed and an output speed of the transmission
Implementation Method 3
A flywheel stores kinetic energy in a rotating rotor that can be sped up to store energy when extra energy is available, and slowed down to extract the stored energy when desired
Data Source
AI summary
A power system includes an engine, a driveshaft, and an energy storage system having a flywheel. The energy storage system further includes a transmission structured to transfer energy between the flywheel and the driveshaft. The transmission includes a differential geartrain and a variator coupled to the differential geartrain and having a variator input shaft and a variator output shaft rotatable at a range of speed ratios. The variator may be coupled to a sun gear in the differential geartrain and controls a pattern of energy transfer between the flywheel and the driveshaft.