US5969446A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Flywheel permanent magnet machine
Assignee: SatCon Technology Corp
•
Filing: 1998-03-26
•
Granted: 1999-10-19
•
Expires: 2018-03-26
Abstract
Abstract A flywheel energy storage device has a central shaft, a flywheel having a flywheel rotor supported by and mounted for rotation around said shaft, and a motor/generator having a stator and a rotor. The rotor is formed integrally with the flywheel rotor. The stator has an outer cylinder that is cooled by a liquid flowing in contact with its cylindrical surface. Preferably, the stator has (i) a cylindrical hub having an outer surface and longitudinal channels formed therein, (ii) a cylinder surrounding said cylindrical hub thereby providing passages through the channels, and (iii) end caps sealing the passages and providing a distribution channel for distributing fluid to said passages, thereby providing fluid cooling passages for said stator. A radial vibration dampener can be positioned at one or both ends of the shaft. The dampener has a plurality of spring members positioned between two cylindrical surfaces, one end of each spring member being attached to each cylindrical surface.
Inventors
- 👤 David B. Eisenhaure
- 👤 Richard L. Hockney
- 👤 Gary Colello
- 👤 Vijay Gondhalekar
- 👤 Gita P. Rao
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 06:26
CPC Classifications
F; F16; F16F; F16F15/00; F16F15/10; F16F15/14; F16F15/1407; F16F15/1414; F16F15/1421; F16F15/1428; H; H02; H02K; H02K5/00; H02K5/24; H02K7/00; H02K7/02; H02K7/025; H02K9/00; H02K9/19; H02K9/197; H02K5/04; H02K5/16; H02K5/173; Y; Y02; Y02E; Y02E60/00; Y02E60/16
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 10
Claim 1
Independent Claim
189 words
A flywheel energy storage device comprising a sealed housing containing: a central shaft; a flywheel having a flywheel rotor supported by and mounted for rotation around said shaft; and a motor/generator having a stator and a motor rotor, the motor rotor being formed integrally with said flywheel rotor; wherein the stator comprises (i) a cylindrical hub having an outer surface and longitudinal channels formed therein, (ii) a cylinder surrounding said cylindrical hub thereby providing passages through the channels, and (iii) end caps sealing the passages and providing a distribution channel for distributing fluid to said passages, thereby providing fluid cooling passages for said stator; and wherein said rotor of the motor/generator is formed by positioning permanent magnet pieces in an array around an inner cylindrical surface of the rotor and separated from the stator by a gap, the permanent magnet pieces being magnetized radially with adjacent magnet pieces having opposite polarity, further comprising a radial vibration dampener positioned at one end of the shaft, said dampener comprising a plurality of spring members positioned between two cylindrical surfaces, one end of each spring member being attached to each cylindrical surface.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
189 words
A flywheel energy storage device comprising a sealed housing containing: a central shaft; a flywheel having a flywheel rotor supported by and mounted for rotation around said shaft; and a motor/generator having a stator and a motor rotor, the motor rotor being formed integrally with said flywheel rotor; wherein the stator comprises (i) a cylindrical hub having an outer surface and longitudinal channels formed therein, (ii) a cylinder surrounding said cylindrical hub thereby providing passages through the channels, and (iii) end caps sealing the passages and providing a distribution channel for distributing fluid to said passages, thereby providing fluid cooling passages for said stator; and wherein said rotor of the motor/generator is formed by positioning permanent magnet pieces in an array around an inner cylindrical surface of the rotor and separated from the stator by a gap, the permanent magnet pieces being magnetized radially with adjacent magnet pieces having opposite polarity, further comprising a radial vibration dampener positioned at one end of the shaft, said dampener comprising a plurality of spring members positioned between two cylindrical surfaces, one end of each spring member being attached to each cylindrical surface.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
27 words
The flywheel energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the cylinder of the stator is cooled by a liquid flowing in contact with a cylindrical surface thereof.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
The flywheel energy storage device of claim 1, wherein the flywheel rotor is bore loaded.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
86 words
A flywheel energy storage device comprising a sealed housing containing: a central shaft; a flywheel having a flywheel rotor supported by and mounted for rotation around said shaft; and a motor/generator having a stator and a motor rotor, the motor rotor being formed integrally with said flywheel rotor, further comprising a radial vibration dampener positioned at one end of the shaft, said dampener comprising a plurality of spring members positioned between two cylindrical surfaces, one end of each spring member being attached to each cylindrical surface.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
86 words
A flywheel energy storage device comprising a sealed housing containing: a central shaft; a flywheel having a flywheel rotor supported by and mounted for rotation around said shaft; and a motor/generator having a stator and a motor rotor, the motor rotor being formed integrally with said flywheel rotor, further comprising a radial vibration dampener positioned at one end of the shaft, said dampener comprising a plurality of spring members positioned between two cylindrical surfaces, one end of each spring member being attached to each cylindrical surface.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
29 words
The flywheel energy storage device of claim 4, wherein the stator comprises an outer cylinder that is cooled by a liquid flowing in contact with a cylindrical surface thereof.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
64 words
The flywheel energy storage device of claim 4, wherein the stator comprises (i) a cylindrical hub having an outer surface and longitudinal channels formed therein, (ii) a cylinder surrounding said cylindrical hub thereby providing passages through the channels, and (iii) end caps sealing the passages and providing a distribution channel for distributing fluid to said passages, thereby providing fluid cooling passages for said stator.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
54 words
The flywheel energy storage device of claim 4, wherein said rotor of the motor/generator is formed by positioning permanent magnet pieces in an array around an inner cylindrical surface of the rotor and separated from the stator by a gap, the permanent magnet pieces being magnetized radially with adjacent magnet pieces having opposite polarity.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
15 words
The flywheel energy storage device of claim 4, wherein the flywheel rotor is bore loaded.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
US4412170A
Cited
US4998032A
Cited
US5019737A
Cited
US5065060A
Cited
US5448118A
Cited
US5298827A
Cited
US5616973A
Cited
US5747900A
Cited
US5744880A
Cited
US5721459A
Cited
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 2002-10-18 | 2003-04-19 | 2003-10-19 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 2006-10-18 | 2007-04-19 | 2007-10-19 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2010-10-18 | 2011-04-19 | 2011-10-19 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |