Energy storage in a motor: Combined high temperature superconductor and flywheel energy storage

Abstract

Energy storage is needed to fill the gap when variable power energy production systems are offline. This project is to study an energy storage device using high temperature superconducting (HTS) windings. The design will store energy as mechanical and as electrical energy. Mechanical energy will be stored as inertia in the mass of the spinning rotor. This inertial energy storage is very similar to a flywheel. Magnetic energy will be stored in the motor's rotor windings and possibly in the field windings. Energy stored in these windings will create a magnetic field to store energy proportional to the current and number of turns in the coils and will also spin the flywheel / rotor. This design study is to determine the amount of energy that can be stored in the device and estimate the losses resulting from the spinning mass of the rotor and the peripheral devices needed for operation.