Rotary energy storage unit.

The invention relates to a rotational energy storage device according to the preamble of claim 1.

The invention has for its object to provide a simply constructed rotary energy storage, the energy to be stored by electrical means can be fed and "out of the stored energy by electrical means can be discharged.

To solve this object the rotational energy storage is constructed according to the invention as stated in the characterizing part of claim 1.

The current conductors, which can also be provided in the form of coil together with the permanent magnets, which form an electrical machine which can operate as an electric motor or as a generator depending on Beaufschaltung. Input electric power is stored as rotational mechanical energy of the rotor. When removing electrical power to the rotor rotational mechanical energy is extracted. The construction of the electric motor or generator with permanent magnets leads to a particularly simple construction.

In the present invention are preferably highly coercive permanent magnets of an alloy of an element from the group of rare earths, in particular samarium, used with cobalt. Such magnets make it possible to work with relatively large gap widths. They are also distinguished by an almost straight-line curve in the fourth quadrant, thus, are relatively insensitive to changes in gap width and opposing fields, for example by electromagnets.

Preferably, the rotational energy storage device according to the invention is self-controlling, that is, that at least one formed on to the current conductors stator sensor provided the Real tivstellung of the stator and detected with the permanent magnets formed runners and that of the. Sensor controlled, preferably electronic, switching means for drive just or equitable generator relative position of the stator and the rotor produces an electrical connection between the current conductors and a current source or current sink. Preferred features of the structure of the electric motor or generator going, filed on the same day the European patent application entitled "electric motor" (Applicant: Magnet-Motor GmbH ..., Attorney Docket Q 847m)

forth, the entire contents is incorporated by express reference to the disclosure of the present application. Preferred features in structure and in particular the electronic control of the electric motor or generator continue to expect filed on the same day the European patent application entitled "Linear, electric drive or generator" (Applicant: Magnet-Bahn GmbH, Attorney Docket Q 848m)<ul><li>forth, the entire content is also done by express reference to the disclosure of the present application.</li></ul>

Preferred embodiments of the invention result from claims 2 to 7. The formation of the current conductor as "air duct" is intended to mean that the current conductor as preferential are provided without an iron core, which reduces the losses. The attachment of permanent magnets on an inner peripheral surface of the rotor causes these permanent magnets are pressed by centrifugal force against the mounting surface, so that their attachment made less expensive. Due to the measures according to claim 4 and 5 can be the rotational energy storage load and unload simultaneously. The measure according to claim 6 leads to a reduction of the friction losses in the bearing of the rotor and to a substantially increased service life of the bearing. The particularly preferred embodiment according to claim 7 reduces the air friction losses of the rotor crucial, particularly in the striving to high rotational speeds.

Can also be arranged on radially both sides of the conductor permanent magnets.

In driving operation of the rotor the current conductors are at the correct time and the correct sign supplied power surges through said self-control. In generator mode, you can see the voltage induced in the conductors by rotation of the rotor voltage, for example, as AC voltage, then rectify and then, if desired, again alternately directed into an AC voltage of desired frequency. Thus, both the supplying and the discharging electric power irrespective of the speed of the rotor is possible.

Instead the air ducts can be the conductor as realize in potting compound embedded conductors or coils, preferably one containing a ferromagnetic powder encapsulant is used, as described in more detail in the above-mentioned second European patent application.

The invention is explained below with reference to an embodiment schematically shown in more detail. The single figure shows a rotational energy storage with a vertical axis, the rotor is designed as a flywheel.

The figure shows a rotational energy storage device having a vertical axis 66, with which a flywheel can rotate 68th The flywheel is arranged in an evacuated, pressure-tight housing 70th The housing 70 consists of a pot-shaped lower part 72 and a screw-sealed to the bottom part 72, the lid-like upper part 74. The vertical axis 66 is supported in the lower part 72 and in the upper part 74 by means of bearings 76, in turn, via elastic intermediate layers 78 in the respective housing part are added.

The flywheel 68 has a connected to the axle 66. Hub 80, a radially therefrom leading to the outside, disc-like portion 82 and an axially enlarged flywheel area 84. The flywheel 84 is usefully made of a high specific gravity material, such as steel, whereby windings of steel cables are concerned with plastic filling. For the rest of the flywheel 68 come only metal but also plastic materials, in particular fiber-reinforced plastic materials, for example, by glass fibers,_Karbon fiber and the like reinforced plastic materials into consideration.

The disk portion 82 carries on its upper side a ring 86 of ferromagnetic material. On the inner periphery of the ring 86 a number of permanent magnets 30 distributed annularly with alternating polarity is arranged. The permanent magnets 30 are thus pressed by the centrifugal force against the ring 86th Radially inside of the permanent magnets 30, leaving an annular gap extends from the upper cover part 74 her down a ring of vertical air flow guide 10 and air coils or in the manner described front vergußmassengefüllter conductors or coils. These constitute the functional part of the stator 2. The coils each have two vertical branches, which are connected together by horizontal, substantially annular curved branches. Radial inside of the ring of power conductors 10 or coil is to leave an annular gap and supported by the disk portion 82 a yoke ring 88. In this way, a drive and generator is formed.

The stator 2 or the upper cover part 74 carries one or a plurality of annularly distributed Hall probes 38 that cooperate with the Dauermageten 30th is determined Once hall probe each other, that a runner-side part and a stator-side part of a magnetic circuit or a plurality of magnetic circuits in the drive just or generator just relative position are, is the conductor or the coil or the conductor or the coil of this circle or these circuits automatically switched.

The stator as a whole can be connected by a single switching device or be divided into a plurality of sections each having a switching device, wherein a current conductor pair and a coil represents the lower limiting case of a section.

It may speak provided two electronic controls, one for the "drive function" = rotational speed increase of the flywheel 68 by supplying electric energy and one for the "generator function" = speed reduction of the flywheel 68 by subtracting electrical energy. In this way you can already synchronized supply electric energy to the respective speed of the flywheel 68 and can be found in the flywheel electric energy at a frequency that is not necessarily in a fixed relationship to the flywheel speed. For many applications, it may also be sufficient simply to refer to the electrical energy to the just given frequency without electronic control and, for example, rectify the AC power provided. Preferably, the design is such getrcffen that the stator comprises two two separate power conductor systems, namely one for supplying current and one for current extraction, for example, a current conductor system in an axially upper portion and the other current conductor system in an axially lower portion of the annular gap between the permanent magnets 30 and the Rücklaßring 88. such an interpretation, it is possible to simultaneously feed the flywheel electrical energy and how to grasp electrical energy, the frequencies of the supply current and the extraction flow may vary. In addition, one can interpret the current conductor system on the linefeed and removal function selectively, for instance take particularly low-removal windings for brief sampling of streams high amperage. At high speeds the flywheel 68, it is appropriate to provide the conductors in high-frequency appropriately to avoid the skin effect.

The vertical mounting of the flywheel 68 is carried out by repulsive permanent magnets. For this purpose, a plurality of permanent magnets 90 are annularly distributed at the bottom of the lower housing part 72 is disposed. Compared to these permanent magnets 90 are several permanent magnets 92 annularly distributed to the lower end face of the hub 80. A recording of the weight of the flywheel 68 by attracting permanent magnets is also possible. In the permanent magnet bearing may be provided a Präzessionsausgleich against Erddrehungspräzession. Instead of the radial bearing with roller bearings is also a storage by means of electromagnets that can be changed in its magnetic force, feasible.

The radial bearing is preferably carried out * critical with respect to possible radial oscillations.

It can be summarized to storage batteries more of the rotational energy storage described. Especially those storage batteries can achieve high storage performance that the storage battery even in place of a_Pumpspeicherwerks can be used. referred to other areas of application are: emergency generator, peak demand compensation for transport systems, power buffer associated with wind or solar energy systems.

You can train the axis 66 as a hollow shaft and provide therethrough a pressure support between the lower housing part 72 and the upper housing part 74th

In particular, when the flywheel 68 is axially less highly illustrated as in the figure, can be used for the lower housing part 72 and the upper housing part 74 relatively inexpensively available blanks are running from the pressure boilers, which have a substantially cup-like shape.