Design Considerations for a 100-Megajoule/500-Megawatt Superflywheel.

Abstract

The magnitude of stored energy required in high power bursts for modern experiments in physics has reached the point where capacitor banks previously used for this purpose are no longer practical. Although flywheels have been proven to be less expensive for this purpose and are one-hundredth the size, even the practicality of future flywheel-powered systems is being challenged by the magnitude of future experiment energy requirements. An existing steel flywheel capable of delivering 100 MJ at a rate of 100 MW costs $1,500,000 and weighs 60,000 pounds. Future experiments may require 20 times this energy. The report describes a Superflywheel having a design goal of delivering 100 MJ at a rate of 500 MW. Its projected cost is less than $50,000. Also, it appears to be readily scalable to the larger size required for future experiments. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1973
Accession Number
AD0774736

Entities

People

  • David W. Rabenhorst
  • Robert J. Taylor

Organizations

  • Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Capacitors
  • Electronic Components
  • Electronic Equipment
  • Engine Components
  • Flywheels

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Distributed Systems and Data Platform Development
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering/Mechanics of Materials.