STTR Phase I: Ultra-thin Laminar Flywheels for Utility Scale Energy Storage

这项小型企业技术转移研究（STTR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是推动大规模实施可再生能源（如太阳能和风能）的能源储存技术。它不仅在大型集中式电网中有用，而且具有孤立微电网的地区将从廉价，强大的储能中受益匪浅，这种储能可以承受广泛的条件而不会对环境产生负面影响。这项新技术还将在能源储存之外找到用途，比如电动机、推进系统、公共交通和卫星。这个小型企业技术转移研究（STTR）第一阶段项目旨在通过克服以前阻碍商业化的一些限制，开发一种实用的超导体轴承，用于飞轮储能应用。我们将探索新的几何形状如何影响稳定的要求；通过改变永磁体相对于彼此的排列，可以减少所需的外力量。该项目将包括对所提出设计的电磁场进行模拟，并分析其稳定性、刚度、效率和其他参数。大幅减少所需的外力量将使其能够将基于超导体的轴承应用于近年来广泛使用的低成本，紧凑和高效的制冷机的商业系统中。该项目将通过模拟由部分解耦片组成的层流飞轮来提高飞轮储能系统的安全性，试图了解失效机制和最大转速。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase I project is to advance energy storage technology for the large-scale implementation of renewable energies, such as solar and wind. Not only would it be useful in large centralized grids, butregions with isolated micro-grids would benefit greatly from cheap, robust energy storage that can tolerate a wide range of conditions without negative environmental impact. The new technology would also find uses outside of energy storage, such as electric motors, propulsion systems, public transportation, and satellites.This Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase I project seeks to develop a practical superconductor-based bearing for flywheel energy storage applications by overcoming some limitations that have previously been obstacles to commercialization. We will explore how new geometries can impact the requirements for stabilization; by modifying the arrangement of permanent magnets with respect to each other, the amount of external force required can be reduced. The project will include a simulation of the electromagnetic fields of the proposed designs and analyzing the stability, stiffness, efficiency, and other parameters. Substantially reducing the amount of external force required will allow it to implement superconductor-based bearings into commercial systems with low-cost, compact, and efficient cryocoolers that have become widely available in recent years. The project will improve the safety of flywheel energy storage systems by simulating a laminar-type flywheel composed of partially decoupled sheets, seeking to understand failure mechanisms and maximum rotational speeds.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.