Microstructure and properties of 35 kg large aluminum alloy flywheel housing components formed by squeeze casting with local pressure compensation

The squeeze casting method with local pressure compensation was proposed to form a flywheel housing component with a weight of 35 kg.The numerical simulation,microstructure observation and phase characterization were performed,and the influence of local pressure compensation on feeding of thick-wall position,microstructure and mechanical properties of the formed components were discussed.Results show that the molten metal keeps a good fluidity and the filling is complete during the filling process.Although the solidification at thick-wall positions of the mounting ports is slow,the local pressure compensation effectively realizes the local forced feeding,significantly eliminating the shrinkage cavity defects.In the microstructure of AlSi9Mg alloy,α-Al primarily consists of fragmented dendrites and rosette grains,while eutectic Si predominantly comprises needles and short rods.The impact of local pressure compensation on strength is relatively minimal,yet its influence on elongation is considerable.Following local pressure compensation,the average elongation at the compensated areas is 9.18%,which represents a 44.90%higher than that before compensation.The average tensile strength is 209.1 MPa,and the average yield strength is 100.6 MPa.The local pressure compensation can significantly reduce or even eliminate the internal defects in the 35 kg large-weight components formed by squeeze casting.

RESEARCH ON CONTROL OF FLYWHEEL SUSPENDED BY ACTIVE MAGNETIC BEARING SYSTEM WITH SIGNIFICANT GYROSCOPIC EFFECTS

Traditional PID controllers are no longer suitable formagnetic-bearing-supported high-speed flywheels with significant gyroscopic effects. Becausegyroscopic effects greatly influence the stability of the flywheel rotor, especially at highrotational speeds. Velocity cross feedback and displacement cross feedback are used to overcomeharmful effects of nutation and precession modes, and stabilize the rotor at high rotational speeds.Theoretical analysis is given to show their effects. A control platform based on RTLinut and a PCis built to control the active magnetic bearing (AMB) system, and relevant results are reported.Using velocity cross feedback and displacement cross feedback in a closed loop control system, theflywheel successfully runs at over 20000 r/min.

Spacecraft Attitude Tracking and Energy Storage Using Flywheels

The control law of the flywheel in an integrated power and attitude control system （IPACS） for a spacecraft is investigated. The flywheels are used as attitude control actuators as well as energy storage device. A feedback control law for attitude tracking is firstly developed by using Lyapunov approach, and then a torque based control law of the flywheel is studied. The control torque vector of the flywheel is decomposed into three parts which are orthogonal to one another by using the method of singularity value decomposition （SVD）. One part is used to provide the attitude control torque, another part is used to store energy with given power, and the last part is used to accomplish wheel speed equalization to avoid wheel saturation caused by large difference among the wheel spin rates. A management scheme for energy storage power using kinetic energy feedback is proposed to keep energy balance, which can avoid wheel saturation caused by superfluous energy. Numerical simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the control scheme.

Reducing Fuel Consumption Using Flywheel Battery Technology for Rubber Tyred Gantry Cranes in Container Terminals

Flywheel Energy Storage System (FESS) is used as an energy regeneration system to help with reducing peak power requirements on RTG cranes that are used to load or unload container ships. Nevertheless, with the use of FESS, Port Operator can deploy undersized generator for new RTG as this will further reduce fuel consumption. This paper presents the investigation of the amount of energy and fuel consumption that can be reduced in Rubber Tyred Gantry (RTG) cranes in container terminals by the use of simulation. In addition, Variable Speed Generator is integrated to the simulation-hybridized RTG. Simulation results reveal that the total energy saving exceeded 30% relatively to conventional RTG. A hardware-in-loop system is introduced for the purpose of validating the simulation results. The hardware components procured include a FESS, a Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) and brake resistors.

Integrated Power and Single Axis Attitude Control System with Two Flywheels

The existing research of the integrated power and attitude control system（IPACS） in satellites mainly focuses on the IPACS concept,which aims at solving the coupled problem between the attitude control and power tracking.In the IPACS,the configuration design of IPACS is usually not considered,and the coupled problem between two flywheels during the attitude control and energy storage has not been resolved.In this paper,an integrated power and single axis attitude control system using two counter rotating magnetically suspended flywheels mounted to an air table is designed.The control method of power and attitude control using flywheel is investigated and the coupling problem between energy storage and attitude control is resolved.A computer simulation of an integrated power and single axis attitude control system with two flywheels is performed,which consists of two counter rotating magnetically suspended flywheels mounted to an air rotary table.Both DC bus and a single axis attitude are the regulation goals.An attitude ＆ DC bus coordinator is put forward to separate DC bus regulation and attitude control problems.The simulation results of DC bus regulation and attitude control are presented respectively with a DC bus regulator and a simple PD attitude controller.The simulation results demonstrate that it is possible to integrate power and attitude control simultaneously for satellite using flywheels.The proposed research provides theory basis for design of the IPACS.

Flywheel Energy Storage with Mechanical Input-Output for Regenerative Braking

The system presented in this paper allows the direct transfer of kinetic energy of a vehicle’s motion to a flywheel and vice-versa. For braking, a cable winds onto a pulley geared to the vehicle’s propulsion driveshaft as it unwinds from another pulley geared to the flywheel and then operates in reverse for the transfer of energy in the opposite direction. The cable windings are in one plane resulting in an effective pulley radius that increases when the cable is winding onto it and decreases when unwinding from it. Thus, an increasing driven-to-driving pulley velocity ratio is obtained during a period of energy transfer in either direction. A dynamic analysis simulating the process was developed. Its application is illustrated with a numerical solution based on specific assumed values of system parameters.

Analysis of the Comprehensive Physical Field for a New Flywheel Energy Storage Motor/Generator on Ships

A novel flywheel energy storage （FES） motor/generator （M/G） was proposed for marine systems. The purpose was to improve the power quality of a marine power system （MPS） and strengthen the energy recycle. Two structures including the magnetic or non-magnetic inner-rotor were contrasted in the magnetostatic field by using finite element analysis （FEA）. By optimally designing the size parameters, the average speed of FEA results of was 17 200 r/m, and the current was controlled between 62 and 68 A in the transient field. The electrical machine electromagnetism design was further optimized by the FEA in the temperature field, to find the local overheating point under the normal operation condition and provide guidance for the cooling system. Finally, it can be concluded from the comprehensive physical field analysis that the novel redundant structure M/G can improve the efficiency of the M/G and maintain the stability of the MPS.

A Nonlinear Control Algorithm for Flywheel Energy Storage Systems in Discharging Mode

针对Buck-Boost变换器的非线性特征给飞轮储能系统的放电运行状态带来的控制问题,提出了电压电流双环非线性控制算法。基于输入/输出线性化理论,推导出电流内环的控制律,并证明了内动态的稳定性。电压外环采用鲁棒性强的滑模变结构控制方法,并增加限流环节,保证放电电路安全、稳定运行。在Matlab/Simulink仿真平台中搭建飞轮放电模型,对所提出非线性控制算法进行了仿真验证。仿真结果表明,相比于双环PI控制,该算法能够明显改善输出电压调节时间、超调量等动态特性,在输入电压存在大范围变化的情况下,输出电压能够保持恒定和较低的纹波系数。

Modular High-Power Electronics for a High-Speed MLC Flywheel Energy Storage System

The operation of a motor drive for high-power, high-speed applications, especially for the permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors with regeneration capability is presented. Power system utilizes a SVHPWM （space-vector-based hybrid pulse width modulation） for a reduced harmonic distortion and switching loss. Associated electromagnetic interference mitigation and cooling requirements are significantly reduced. Voltage source inverter drives a three-phase MLC200 flywheel. The modularity of the proposed topology also simplifies overall system design and manufacturability. The system topology and control strategy are discussed. Simulation results are presented to illustrate the harmonic distortion and switching loss reduction and reduced line current ripple.

THE CALCULATION METHOD OF FLYWHEEL MOMENT OFINERTIA OF CRANE MECHANISM

The origin and substance of the tlywheel moment calculation method of inertia mo ment of crane mechanism are set forth comprehensively and systematically in this paper, that is, the nucleus or the focus ofmoment of inertia calculation is the problem of calculating convertible tlywheelmoment. It is much better for the calculation of flywheel moment of loading move mass of lifting, traveling and rotating mechanism using the low of conservation of energy, the theorem of kinetic energyfor that of radius - changing mechanism, and the law of conservation of energy for that of all parts of gearing mechanism.

The study on the shrink-fit multi-ring flywheel with fall-off function

Structural integrity of the flywheel of reactor coolant pump is important for safe operation of a nuclear power plant. A shrink-fit multi-ring flywheel is designed with a fall-off function, i.e., it will separate from the shaft at a designed fall-off rotation speed, which is determined by the assembly process and the gravity. However, the two factors are ignored in the analytical method based on the Lame's equation. In this work, we conducted fall-off experiments to analyze the two factors and used the experimental data to verify the validity of the analytical method and the finite element method(FEM). The results show that FEM performs better than the analytical method in designing the falloff function of the flywheel, though FEM cannot successfully predict the strain variation with the rotational speed.

Design of an adaptive finite-time controller for synchronization of two identical/different non-autonomous chaotic flywheel governor systems

The centrifugal flywheel governor （CFG） is a mechanical device that automatically controls the speed of an engine and avoids the damage caused by sudden change of load torque. It has been shown that this system exhibits very rich and complex dynamics such as chaos. This paper investigates the problem of robust finite-time synchronization of non-autonomous chaotic CFGs. The effects of unknown parameters, model uncertainties and external disturbances are fully taken into account. First, it is assumed that the parameters of both master and slave CFGs have the same value and a suitable adaptive finite-time controller is designed. Second, two CFGs are synchronized with the parameters of different values via a robust adaptive finite-time control approach. Finally, some numerical simulations are used to demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed finite-time controllers.

Dynamical investigation and parameter stability region analysis of a flywheel energy storage system in charging mode

In this paper, the dynamic behavior analysis of the electromechanical coupling characteristics of a flywheel energy storage system （FESS） with a permanent magnet （PM） brushless direct-current （DC） motor （BLDCM） is studied. The Hopf bifurcation theory and nonlinear methods are used to investigate the generation process and mechanism of the coupled dynamic behavior for the average current controlled FESS in the charging mode. First, the universal nonlinear dynamic model of the FESS based on the BLDCM is derived. Then, for a 0.01 kWh/1.6 kW FESS platform in the Key Laboratory of the Smart Grid at Tianjin University, the phase trajectory of the FESS from a stable state towards chaos is presented using numerical and stroboscopic methods, and all dynamic behaviors of the system in this process are captured. The characteristics of the low-frequency oscillation and the mechanism of the Hopf bifurcation are investigated based on the Routh stability criterion and nonlinear dynamic theory. It is shown that the Hopf bifurcation is directly due to the loss of control over the inductor current, which is caused by the system control parameters exceeding certain ranges. This coupling nonlinear process of the FESS affects the stability of the motor running and the efficiency of energy transfer. In this paper, we investigate into the effects of control parameter change on the stability and the stability regions of these parameters based on the averaged-model approach. Furthermore, the effect of the quantization error in the digital control system is considered to modify the stability regions of the control parameters. Finally, these theoretical results are verified through platform experiments.

Application of the Latching Control System on the Power Performance of a Wave Energy Converter Characterized by Gearbox,Flywheel,and Electrical GeneratorGustavor

The latching control represents an attractive alternative to increase the power absorption of wave energy converters(WECs)by tuning the phase of oscillator velocity to the wave excitation phase.However,increasing the amplitude of motion of the floating body is not the only challenge to obtain a good performance of the WEC.It also depends on the efficiency of the power take-off system(PTO).This study aims to address the actual power performance and operation of a heaving point absorber with a direct mechanical drive PTO system controlled by latching.The PTO characteristics,such as the gear ratio,the flywheel inertia,and the electric generator,are analyzed in the WEC performance.Three cylindrical point absorbers are also considered in the present study.A wave-to-wire model is developed to simulate the coupled hydro-electro-mechanical system in regular waves.The wave energy converter(WEC)performance is analyzed using the potential linear theory but considering the viscous damping effect according to the Morison equation to avoid the overestimated responses of the linear theory near resonance when the latching control system is applied.The latching control system increases the mean power.However,the increase is not significant if the parameters that characterize the WEC provide a considerable mean power.The performance of the proposed mechanical power take-off depends on the gear ratio and flywheel.However,the gear ratio shows a more significant influence than the flywheel inertia.The operating range of the generator and the diameter/draft ratio of the buoy also influence the PTO performance.

Control System Design for Low PowerMagnetic Bearings in a Flywheel Energy Storage System

This paper presents a theoretical and experimental study on controller design for the AMBs in a small-scale flywheel energy storage system,where the main goals are to achieve low energy consumption and improved rotordynamic stability.A H-infinity optimal control synthesis procedure is defined for the permanent-magnet-biased AMB-rotor system with 4 degrees of freedom.Through the choice of design weighting functions,notch filter characteristics are incorporated within the controller to reduce AMB current components caused by rotor vibration at the synchronous frequency and higher harmonics.Experimental tests are used to validate the controller design methodology and provide comparative results on performance and efficiency.The results show that the H-infinity controller is able to achieve stable rotor levitation and reduce AMB power consumption by more than 40%(from 4.80 to 2.64 Watts)compared with the conventional PD control method.Additionally,the H-infinity controller can prevent vibrational instability of the rotor nutation mode,which is prone to occur when operating with high rotational speeds.

MW级大储能量飞轮轴系结构力学及动力学研究

当前,对于高功率大储能量飞轮储能系统的仿真和实验研究还不够充分,本工作主要针对MW/100 MJ级飞轮储能样机展开。比较分析了内置式和表贴式两种结构飞轮电机转子的结构力学,比较了不同动平衡块材质对应力及形变的影响,并开展了轴系的动力学特性分析。对飞轮样机开展了实验测试,验证了系统的稳定性。数值计算结果表明,表贴式结构形式可以使电机硅钢片应力显著降低,但是通常这种结构需要在硅钢片外缠绕碳纤维加强层,以确保运行时磁钢不会因为离心力与硅钢片发生分离。动平衡块材质为不锈钢时的应力值相较于动平衡块为铝合金时提高了45%以上。对轴系进行了动力学特性分析,在工作转速下存在着1300 r/min和4200 r/min两个刚性振型,分别为平动和锥动。测试运行中,飞轮轴系在1300 r/min出现振动峰值,证明了数值仿真计算的准确性。但是数值仿真中的4200 r/min临界转速(锥动)在实际运行中并未出现明显峰值,在本工作的轴系结构中,相较于锥动,平动振型更容易被激发。

Earth-observation satellite attitude control using passive and active hybrid magnetically suspended flywheels

The control strategy is presented using passive and active hybrid magnetically suspended flywheels（P＆A MSFWs）,which can help meet the requirements of high precision and high stability for earth-observation satellites.Compared with the conventional flywheel,P＆A MSFW has more rotation degrees of freedom（DOFs）since the rotor is suspended by magnetic bearings,and thus requires more efficient controllers.A modified sliding mode control law（SMC）to our novel nonlinear and coupled system is presented,which is interrupted by inertia matrix uncertainties and external disturbances.SMC law via Lyapunov method is improved,and a fuzzy control scheme is used to attenuate the chatting and control attitude accuracy and maintain the robustness of SMC.Simulation results are provided to illustrate the efficiency of our model by using our control law.

Characteristic Analysis and Harmonic Feature Identification of Micro-Vibration on Flywheels

To avoid the negative effects of disturbances on satellites,the characteristics of micro-vibration on flywheels are studied.Considering rotor imbalance,bearing imperfections and structural elasticity,the extended model of micro-vibration is established.In the feature extraction of micro-vibration,singular value decomposition combined with the improved Akaike Information Criterion(AIC-SVD)is applied to denoise.More robust and self-adaptable than the peak threshold denoising,AIC-SVD can effectively remove the noise components.Subsequently,the effective harmonic coefficients are extracted by the binning algorithm.The results show that the harmonic coefficients have great identification in frequency domain.Except for the fundamental frequency caused by rotor imbalance,the harmonics are also caused by the coupling of imperfections on bearing components.

Flywheel and Induction Motor Sizing for Torque Fluctuation Optimization in Reciprocating Compressor

Reciprocating compressors are prone to high cyclic loads. The high required performance relies on a good design focusing a torque oscillation applied by the driver. In the first part of this job, dynamic model of reciprocating is presented. Newton-Euler method is used to get motion equations. In the second part, numerical results are presented. Simulations are used for calculating the driving moment as function of crankshaft motion. These results illustrate the effect of the flywheel and motor on its dynamics and are used for induction motor selection and flywheel sizing for optimizing crankshaft torque fluctuation and power consumption reduction.

Analysis of a Novel Mechanically Adjusted Variable Flux Permanent Magnet Homopolar Inductor Machine with Rotating Magnetic Poles for Flywheel Energy Storage System

Permanent magnet homopolar inductor machine(PMHIM) has attracted much attention in the field of flywheel energy storage system(FESS) due to its merits of simple structure,brushless excitation, and rotor flywheel integration. However, the air-gap flux generated by the PM cannot be adjusted, which would cause large electromagnetic losses in the standby operation state of FESS. To solve this problem, a novel mechanically adjusted variable flux permanent magnet homopolar inductor machine with rotating magnetic poles(RMP-PMHIM) is proposed in this paper. The permanent magnet poles are rotated by an auxiliary rotating device and the purpose of changing the air-gap flux is achieved. First, the structure and operation principle of the proposed RMP-PMHIM are explained. Second,the flux weakening principle of the RMP-PMHIM is analyzed and the equivalent magnetic circuit models under different flux weakening states are built. Third, the parameters of the PM and its fixed structure are optimized to obtain the good electromagnetic performance. Fourth, the electromagnetic performance, including the air-gap flux density, back-EMF, flux weakening ability, loss, etc. of the proposed RMP-PMHIM are investigated and compared. Compared with the non-rotating state of the PM of RPM-PMHIM, the air-gap flux density amplitude can be weakened by 99.95% when the PM rotation angle is 90 degrees, and the no-load core loss can be suppressed by 99.98%,which shows that the proposed RPM-PMHIM is a good candidate for the application of FESS.