Energy Storage

The most common method of energy storage is with electrochemical batteries which have the disadvantages of environmental and health hazards, short lifespans, limited number of charge cycles and high maintenance costs. A need for more environmentally-friendly, cost-effective, and relatively safe alternatives, especially with the growing use of renewable energy sources, has led to continuing development of electromechanical devices such as the flywheel which stores electrical energy as kinetic energy and reverses the conversion with the use of a motor/generator. Flywheels have high power output and long lifespans, but they are usually large and expensive systems used in industry.  In this research, literature review and brainstorming were carried out for designing a lightweight, chambered and portable version that is filled with water when needed, empty when not in use and could be used as part of a disaster recovery operation.

The most common method of energy storage is with electrochemical batteries which have the problems of environmental and health hazards, short life spans, limited number of charge cycles and high maintenance costs. A need for more environmentally-friendly, cost-effective, and relatively safe alternatives, especially with the growing use of renewable energy sources, has led to continuing development of electromechanical devices such as the flywheel which stores electrical energy as rotational energy and reverses the conversion with the use of a motor/generator. Flywheels have high power output and long lifespans, but they are usually large and expensive systems used in industry.  This research is about designing a lightweight, chambered and portable version that is filled with water when needed, empty when not in use and could be used as part of a disaster recovery operation.

http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo3023/ARL-TR-3388.pdf

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S135983680200032X

http://patentscope.wipo.int/search/en/WO2011041503

Kinetic energy regenerating device patent

http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/Xplore/defdeny.jsp?url=http%3A%2F%2Fieeexplore.ieee.org%2Fstamp%2Fstamp.jsp%3Ftp%3D%26arnumber%3D4380112&denyReason=-134&arnumber=4380112&productsMatched=null&userType=inst

Spherical flywheel patent:

US7536932sphericalflywheel

Could the 2 inner spheres be perpendicular to each other on the horizontal plane and each sphere would have its supports with leads that curve under it and exit at the bottom end of the outermost sphere, which has a vertical axis? Or, could all concentric spheres share the same axis?

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032105000146