Design, Fabrication, and Test of a

5-kWh/100-kW Flywheel Energy Storage

Utilizing a High-Temperature
Superconducting Bearing
M. Strasik, P. E. Johnson, A. C. Day, J. Mittleider, M. D. Higgins,
J. Edwards, J. R. Schindler, K. E. McCrary, C.R. McIver, D.
Carlson, J. F. Gonder, and J. R. Hull
November 15, 2007
University of Cambridge, UK

This work was partially supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Offices of Electricity Delivery and Energy
Reliability under the Cooperative Agreement DE-FC36-99G010825, Contract W-31-109-Eng-38, and Sandia
National Laboratories Energy Storage Program Contract 24412
Outline
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

• Flywheel application description

• 5 kWh /100 kW FES design and test results
• Previous HTS bearing and cryogenic set-up
and results
• Direct cooled bearing design and test results
• Description of direct cooled test set-up
• Summary
Boeing Flywheel Facility - Seattle
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

Free Electron
Laser Bldg.
Mt. Rainier
Lobby

Offices

Offices

Flywheel
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage
 Boeing Flywheel Spin Test Facility
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

Test pit with concrete blocks Flywheel test chamber Control room

Largest
LargestFlywheel
FlywheelSpin
SpinTest
TestFacility
Facilityon
onthe
theWest
WestCoast
Coast
2nd Level test area Balancing spin system Flywheel test facility
Flywheel Electricity Systems
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

Surges Uninterrupted Regulated

(Load Leveled) Power Out

Freq Var
High Pulsed
Power Out

Sags

Noise
POWER TO
CUSTOMER

¢¥¡¢
POWER FROM
UTILITY GRID
Spikes
¢¥¡$
POWER INVERTER
AND CONDITIONER
Outage FLYWHEEL MOTOR
CONTROLLER

FLYWHEEL
CUSTOMER STORAGE UNIT
UTILITY
VAULT
 Boeing Flywheel Development History
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010

Design Concept 1 MWh FES

for Commonwealth Edison

IR&D Flywheel 3 kW
Demonstrator 2 kWh

3 kW 100 kW
DOE Phase 1 and 2 Contract 10 kWh 5 kWh
($12M)

DOE/Sandia Off-Grid FES Contract 50 kW

($1.5M) 5 kWh

New Project 100 kW

Proprietary Customer 100 kWh

IR&D High Energy/Power

Density Flywheel (Military)
 Why Flywheels and Superconducting Bearings?
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

• Why Pursue Flywheel Energy • Why use HTS bearings?

Storage? • Simple passive system
• Non-toxic and low maintenance • Very low frictional loss
• Potential for high power density (W/ kg) • Very long lifetime
and high energy density (W-Hr/ kg) • Low cost and
• Fast charge / discharge times possible maintenance
• Cycle life times of >25 years • Lower tolerance for
• Broad operating temperature range balancing of dynamic
structures
• High speed capability (>
500,000 RPM)
• Adjustable stiffness and
damping

Boeing
BoeingSuperconducting
Superconducting
Bearing
Bearing OffersMany
Offers ManyDesign
Design
and Operational Benefits
and Operational Benefits
Over
OverConventional
ConventionalBearing
Bearing
Systems
Systems
 Boeing 100 kW / 5 kWh UPS Flywheel System Design
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

Power
System tested up to 15,000 RPM Electronics

Touchdown
Bearing Lift Bearing

Motor/Generator
Steel
Vacuum
Vessel
Bearing Rotor
Energy-Absorbing
Containment Liner

Aluminum Hub

Stability HTS Bearing HTS Bearing

Composite Rotor

60 W GM
Cryocooler
Hex YBCO

Touchdown Bearing
Boeing Cryogenic Bearing Enables Low Loss
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

Boeing-Patented
Boeing-PatentedSuperconducting
SuperconductingBearing
BearingisisaaUnique
Unique
Discriminating
DiscriminatingTechnology
TechnologyEnabling
EnablingEfficient
EfficientFlywheel
FlywheelSystems
Systems
Superconducting Bearing System
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

HTS Crystals
HTS Crystals

Stainless Steel
Trapped
Field Cryostat
Profile
10” Electromagnetic Models
HTS Bearing Rotor
Structural Bearing Models
Flywheel Rotor Assembly
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

• The flywheel team has successfully

tested a composite flywheel system
weighing 360 lbs and supported by
HTS bearing up to 15,000 RPM
• Superconducting bearing performance
confirmed estimate of < 0.2% per hour
Stability Bearing Magnet
Rotor Installed

Motor Rotor Installed

 Stability Bearing Rotor Installation
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

Stability Bearing Magnet Rotor

Installed

Stability Bearing Magnet Rotor Installed

Composite Retaining Ring for

Bearing Magnets

HTS Stainless
Cryostat
Rotor Installation and Lift Magnet Assembly
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

Lift PM Magnet
Closing Flywheel Assembly
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage
100 kW Power Electronics
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

100 kW system test

at Ballard Power

Utility Remote
Control Interface
Containment Structure for Rotor Drop/Burst - Subscale Test (after)

Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

Dropped rotor at 41,000 rpm

following quill shaft failure

Top of rotor: small scratches.

Container brackets slightly
damaged,can be re-used

Bottom of rotor: lost < 1”.

Hub broken, some melting
 1 kWh Burst Rotor & Container Before/After
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

Before Successfully
SuccessfullyVerified
VerifiedBoeing
BoeingPatented
PatentedSafety
SafetyContainment
Containment After
Rotor Test Assembly Shaft

Container S-Brackets Flat in Center

Results of High Speed Touch Down Event
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

••Many
Manylessons
lessonslearned
learned
••Conservative
Conservativesafety
safetyapproach
approach
verified – no external damage
verified – no external damage
••Testing
Testingconfirmed
confirmedhigh
highrisk
risk
component designs
component designs

Test
Testexperience
experienceresulted
resultedin
inan
an
improved modular re-design
improved modular re-design
 5 kWh/100 kW UPS Flywheel Technical Issues
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

Inverter Facility prepared for SCE tests

Inverter system tested and ready for

480 VAC
integration

480 VAC
600 VDC
Motor controller over-current shutdown
resolved

Motor Motor controller algorithm

Controller

Variable Freq VAC

Motor stator over-heating during drive

Rotor spun to 15,000 RPM non-contact

Flywheel Rotor has sub-sync vibration at higher RPM

HTS Bearing nominal to 15,000 RPM

Sub-sync Whirl
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage
Dec 7, 2005 Run #5

9 18000
8.5 17000
8 16000
7.5 15000
7 14000
Lower w/o Upper w/o 6.5 13000

Relative Sub-Sync Amplitude

sub-sync sub-sync 6 Sub-sync 12000
RPM
5.5 11000
5 10000

RPM
4.5 9000
4 8000
3.5 7000
3 6000
2.5 5000
2 4000
Lower with Upper with
1.5 3000
sub-sync sub-sync
1 2000
0.5 1000
0 0
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 65 70 75
Time (minutes)

FFT note
sub- sync Low energy in sub-sync,
frequency
stays fixed but do not want to
contact excursion surface
Proposed System Architecture for Deployment of a
50kW / 5kWh Flywheel Energy Storage System
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

50 kW
Wind
50 kW Turbine
Wind
Turbine
Integrated
Hybrid
Power
Control
System

100 kW 50 kW Off Grid

Diesel Diesel Village
Genset Genset

Flywheel
Flywheel Energy Storage System would supply power 50 kW / 5 kWh Power
during short peak demand periods Flywheel Electronics

Benefits of Using FESS Instead of Idling 2nd Generator on Standby

• Reduce Generator Maintenance by 50% (estimate)
• Reduce Fuel Costs by $80k/yr (estimate)
• Lower Pollution
Key Issues for HTS Bearing Design
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

• Overall efficiency needs to be >95% in operating range

• Low loss superconducting bearing
• No criticals in operating range
• System needs to be stiff enough to follow
disturbances, yet not so stiff critical frequencies are
produced in the operating range
• Interactions between rotating portions (hub, spokes, & rotor)
• Bearing stiffness
• M/G stiffness
• HTS damping – Jc and temperature dependent
• Cooling type – parasitic losses, temperature
• HTS samples size and superconducting properties
Previous DOE/Boeing Flywheel Terrestrial Cryogenics
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

Use of a Thermosiphon eliminated a

cryogenic pump requirement
Cold Head (to re-condense N2 gas for
closed loop LN2 Operation) & ~ Liter Size
LN2 Reservoir

LN2
HTS Stability Bearing Cryostat
Installed in DOE 5 kWh Flywheel

Return LN2 & N2 (Two phase flow)

Cryostat (HTS)

HTS Stability Bearing Cryostat

Installed in DOE 10 kWh Flywheel
Input LN2 (gravity fed)
Direct Cooled HTS Bearing
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage
Sandia 50 kW / 5kWh Flywheel Energy Storage System 2007
Direct Cooled Bearing Tests
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

HTS Bearing Stator

HTS Bearing Rotor Hex YBCO

G-10 Bearing Support
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage
 Experimental Spin Down Results from Direct Cooled
HTS Bearing
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

12
T = 50K, Gap = 2.1 mm
y = 0.000356x + 5.644164
10
Rotational Loss (rpm/min)

4
Below Resonance
Total Loss
2 Above Resonance
• 3.3 W at 2.1 mm gap
• 1.6W at 3.9 mm gap Linear (Above Resonance)

0
0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 14,000 16,000
Rotational Rate (rpm)
Boeing Flywheel Project Summary
Boeing Technology | Phantom Works Flywheel Energy Storage

• Program goal is to design, develop, and demonstrate a

100 kW UPS flywheel electricity system
• Flywheel system spin tested up to 15,000 RPM in a
sensorless, closed loop mode
• Testing identified a manufacturing deficiency in the
motor stator – overheats at high speed, limiting
maximum power capability
• Successfully spin tested direct cooled HTS bearing up
to 14,500 RPM (limited by Eddy current clutch set-up)
• Testing confirmed commercial feasibility of this
bearing design – Eddy Current losses are within
acceptable limits
• Boeing’s investment in flywheel test facilities
increased our spin-test capabilities to one of the
highest in the nation