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Advanced Flywheel Energy Storage for Pulsed Power Applications
Navy STTR FY2004
| Sol No.: |
Navy STTR FY2004 |
| Topic No.: |
N04-T013 |
| Topic Title: |
Advanced Flywheel Energy Storage for Pulsed Power Applications |
| Proposal No.: |
N045-013-0421 |
| Firm: |
AFS Trinity Power Corporation
Post Office Box 449
Medina, Washington 98039 |
| Contact: |
Donald Bender |
| Phone: |
(925) 455-7990 |
| Web Site: |
www.afstrinity.com |
| Abstract: |
AFS Trinity Power proposes to develop the design concept for an advanced shipboard flywheel power system. The design will minimize the size and weight of a complete flywheel system including all ancillary components. The end products will be a design concept review and final report describing follow-on Phase II work. AFS Trinity will team with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory on this STTR. The Lab is well known for its expertise in flywheel power systems and other advanced energy technologies for both commercial and military applications
Critical issues we will address in Phase I are: specific power, specific energy, compact power electronics design, optimum use of shipboard interfaces such as cooling and electric power, optimized packaging of the complete system including ancillary equipment and a shock and vibration mounting design.
AFS Trinity has over ten years experience developing advanced flywheel systems using high-speed composite rotors, magnetic bearings and proprietary motor control software. The Company plans to reach commercial success by manufacturing and selling flywheel power systems for several markets. Our business plan shows initial commercial flywheel systems for power quality applications followed by distributed generation, hybrid vehicles, industrial and military applications.
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| Benefits: |
AFS Trinity's first commercial product, known as the M3, is a 100 kW DC flywheel power system that can store and discharge 0.42 kWh of energy. Unlike batteries and other flywheel power systems, the M3 can recharge as quickly as it discharges. This makes it suitable for a wide range of power management applications that are not feasible for slow-recharge flywheels or batteries. The M3 contains a number of unique innovations including: high speed carbon-fiber composite rotor, Halbach Array motor-generator, active magnetic bearings and bi-directional power converter. AFS Trinity has the exclusive license for the Halbach Array technology from Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. An AC flywheel uninterruptible power supply rated at 100 kW and flywheel power systems with higher power ratings are in the product plan as well.
AFS Trinity has five major commercial applications for its flywheel technologies:
1. Power Quality/UPS - AFST flywheels are the obvious choice to replace the batteries in uninterruptible power supplies in which the flywheel stores enough energy to supply critical loads until a diesel generator starts. AFS Trinity's flywheel power systems will cost the same as comparable battery-based UPS systems, but are much smaller, lighter, and more reliable.
2. Distributed Generation Load-Following - AFST flywheels can follow sudden electric load changes for gas turbines and alternative energy sources (microturbines and fuel cells). Several cogeneration developers and a fuel cell company are planning field trials of AFST flywheels.
3. Industrial/Utility/Light Rail Power Management - Silicon wafer fabrication, arc-welding, textile mills and mining operations are among the industries that require brief, high-power electric pulses. A flywheel can do this more cheaply and reliably than the power grid. Flywheels can also provide power pulses to help trains accelerate and absorb power from regenerative braking.
4. Hybrid Electric Vehicles - Transit buses, delivery trucks and military vehicles can recapture energy through regenerative braking, then re-use that energy for acceleration, dramatically reducing emissions (70- 90%) while greatly increasing fuel efficiency (30-50%). AFST flywheels are lighter, smaller and more reliable than the batteries now used for hybrid trucks and buses.
5. Aerospace Power Management - Flywheel motor/generators in satellites and spacecraft can provide power management and attitude control in one energy momentum wheel (EMW), replacing separate battery and gyroscope systems. AFST is developing an EMW for NASA.
AFS Trinity has a backlog of purchase requests for over 30 flywheel power systems. Customers include 2 national cogeneration developers, a fuel cell developer, two internet colocation facilities, major UPS manufacturers, ABB, EPRI and several electric utilities.
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