Vacuum Gyroscopic Boat Stabilizer Cooling for Rapid Flywheel Spin-Up
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing control moment gyroscopes (CMGs) for boat roll stabilization face challenges such as heat buildup in bearings due to inefficient cooling, leading to potential failure, and a lengthy 'spin up' period, making them unsuitable for short trips.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves a gyroscopic roll stabilizer with an enclosure mounted on a gimbal, maintaining below-ambient pressure, and a flywheel assembly with a motor cooling circuit that recirculates cooling fluid through a closed pathway to efficiently dissipate heat from the motor and bearings.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the flywheel is contained in a vacuum enclosure to obtain high spin rate, then the CMG can counteract rolling motion effectively, but heat dissipation becomes problematic
Solution Approach 1:
A thermal management system acts as an intermediary between the motor/bearings and the vacuum enclosure. The system includes motor cooling channels integrated into the motor housing, bearing cooling channels in the bearing supports, and a heat exchanger that transfers heat from the vacuum enclosure to the external environment, enabling effective cooling while maintaining vacuum for high-speed operation
Solution Approach 2:
A liquid cooling circuit is implemented with cooling fluid flowing through channels in the motor housing and bearing supports. The fluid absorbs heat generated during high-speed operation and transfers it to a heat exchanger, providing efficient thermal management for the vacuum-enclosed high-speed flywheel system
2Loss of time
If the flywheel is designed for rapid spin up, then the CMG becomes suitable for short trips, but it requires significant cooling capacity
Solution Approach 1:
The thermal management system serves as an intermediary that enables rapid spin-up by efficiently removing heat. The motor cooling channels and bearing cooling channels provide continuous heat removal during the spin-up process, while the heat exchanger transfers this heat to the external environment, allowing the CMG to reach operational speed quickly even during short trips
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system is pre-configured with integrated motor cooling channels and bearing cooling channels that are ready to remove heat immediately when the motor starts operating. This preliminary thermal management capability allows the flywheel to spin up rapidly without dangerous heat accumulation, making the CMG suitable for short-duration trips
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
This design enhances heat dissipation, allowing for the use of larger, more powerful motors, reducing the time to engage the CMG, and enabling rapid spin up and spin down, thus improving the overall performance and usability of the CMG for various boating scenarios.
Implementation Method 1
A motor cooling circuit is configured to transfer heat away from the motor. The motor cooling circuit has a closed fluid pathway for recirculating cooling fluid therein.
Implementation Method 2
The fluid pathway may extend through the boss so that the cooling fluid circulates through the boss around the motor.
Implementation Method 3
Gyroscopic boat stabilization is another technology for roll suppression that is based on the gyroscopic effect. A control moment gyroscope (CMG) is mounted in the boat and generates a torque that can be used to counteract the rolling motion of the boat.
Implementation Method 4
The energy used to counteract the rolling motion of the boat comes from the angular momentum of the rotation of the flywheel at a high rate of speed.
Implementation Method 5
In order to obtain the high spin rate, the flywheel is typically contained in a vacuum enclosure, which makes heat dissipation problematic.
Data Source
AI summary
A gyroscopic roll stabilizer for a boat includes an enclosure mounted to a gimbal for rotation about a gimbal axis and configured to maintain a below-ambient pressure, and a flywheel assembly including a flywheel and flywheel shaft, with the flywheel assembly rotatably mounted inside the enclosure for rotation about a flywheel axis. The gyroscopic roll stabilizer also includes a motor operative to rotate the flywheel assembly and mounted in a boss that is integrally formed in the enclosure. A motor cooling circuit is configured to transfer heat away from the motor. The motor cooling circuit has a closed fluid pathway for recirculating cooling fluid therein. The fluid pathway extends through the boss so that the cooling fluid circulates through the boss around the motor. The gyroscopic roll stabilizer is configured to transfer heat away from the motor to the cooling fluid. Related methods are also disclosed.