US009279474B2

(12) United States Patent (10) Patent No.: US 9.279,474 B2

Tarrant (45) Date of Patent: Mar. 8, 2016

(54) FLYWHEEL ASSEMBLY USPC ........ 74/572.1, 572.12, 572.2, 573.1, 573.11,
74/573.13, 5.5, 5.95:903/960; 310/74, 51:
(75) Inventor: Colin Tarrant, Cheshire (GB) 3.18/161
See application file for complete search history.
(73) Assignee: Williams Hybrid Power Limited, (56) References Cited
Oxfordshire (GB)
U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS
(*) Notice: Subject to any disclaimer, the term of this 3,980.358 A * 9, 1976 Davis 384.99
past 5SE, adjusted under 35
M YW- aWS.
4.102220 A 7/1978 Brobeck"
y y (Continued)
(21) Appl. No.: 13/257,017 FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS
(22) PCT Filed: Apr. 20, 2010 EP O 668 651 A1 8/1995
RU 2246034 C1 2, 2005
(86). PCT No.: PCT/GB2O1 O/OSO643 (Continued)
S371 (c)(1), OTHER PUBLICATIONS
(2), (4) Date: Oct. 27, 2011 United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office, Patents Act 1977:
Search Report Under Section 17, Application No. GB0906883.4.
(87) PCT Pub. No.: WO2010/122333 mailed Jul. 23, 2009 (4 pages).
PCT Pub. Date: Oct. 28, 2010 (Continued)
O O Primary Examiner — James Pilkington
(65) Prior Publication Data Assistant Examiner — Adam D. Rogers
US 2012/OO31 224A1 Feb. 9, 2012 (74) Attorney, Agent, or Firm — Wood, Herron & Evans,
LLP
(30) Foreign Application Priority Data (57) ABSTRACT
Apr. 22, 2009 (GB) ................................... 09068834. A flywheel assembly is described which is suitable for use as
a compact power storage device. The assembly comprises a
(51) Int. Cl housing, a flywheel coupled to a shaft which is rotatably
Fic i5/00 (2006.01) mounted in the housing via bearings, a primary chamber
FI6F 5/6 (2006.015 which is defined within the housing and contains the fly
wheel, and a secondary chamber which is defined within the
(Continued) housing and contains the bearings. Furthermore, it includes a
(52) U.S. Cl. molecular pump driven by the shaft for pumping gas mol
CPC ............. F16F 15/3156 (2013.01); Y02E 60/16 ecules from the primary chamber to the secondary chamber.
(2013.01); Y10T 74/2126 (2015.01) Location of the bearings in a high pressure chamber inhibits
(58) Field of Classification Search off-gassing from the bearing grease. Furthermore, any Such
CPC ..... F16F 15/3156; F16F 15/30; F16F 15/315; off-gassing underload will not increase the gas pressure in the
Y02E 60/16; H02K7/025; H02K7/02; first chamber containing the flywheel as it is separate from the
Y10T 74/2126; Y10T 74/2123; B60L 11/16; secondary chamber containing the bearings.
GO1C 19/16 11 Claims, 1 Drawing Sheet

42

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 US 9,279.474 B2
Page 2

(51) Int. Cl. WO 02/053911 A1 T 2002

HO2K 7/02 (2006.01) WO WO O2O53911 A1 * T 2002
FI6F 5/35 (2006.01) WO 03/023942 A1 3, 2003

(56) References Cited OTHER PUBLICATIONS

U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS European Patent Office, International Search Report and Written
5,462.402 A 10, 1995 Bakholdin et al. Opinion of the International Searching Authority, International
5,561,240 A 10, 1996 Ochiai et al. ........... . . . . . . . 73/40.7 Application No. PCT/GB2010/050643, mailed Sep. 21, 2010 (10
5,767,595 A 6, 1998 Rosen
5,821,650 A 10, 1998 Gunsallus et al. . . . . . . . . 310,74 pages).

6,144,128 A 11/2000 Rosen Partial uncertified English language translation of International

6,884,039 B2 4/2005 Woodard et al. ....... . . . . . . . . 417/51

6,995,529 B2 * 2/2006 Sibley ............ 318, 161 Application No. WO 02/053911 A1, published on Jul. 11, 2002, pp.
7,053,589 B2 * 5/2006 Gabrys et al. 74,572.1 4 to 6.
7,365,504 B2 * 4/2008 Kroeger ...... "... Espacenet, English Machine Translation of RU2246034C1, pub
8,726,762 B2 * 5/2014 Rogers et al.
2011/0232415 A1* 9/2011 Early et al. ............. 74/572 1 lished Feb. 10, 2005, retrieved from http://worldwide.espacenet.com
on Jul. 22, 2015 (6 pages).
FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS Uncertified Partial Translation of RU2246034, published Feb. 10,
2005 (2 pages).
RU 2246034 C1 2, 2005
WO O2/O2943 A1 1, 2002 * cited by examiner
U.S. Patent Mar. 8, 2016 US 9.279,474 B2

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 US 9,279,474 B2
1. 2
FLYWHEEL ASSEMBLY Location of the bearings in a higher pressure chamber permits
the use of more commonly available greases with lower
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED vapour pressures.
APPLICATION Furthermore, any off-gassing from the bearing grease
under load will not increase the gas pressure in the first
This application is a submission under 35 U.S.C. S371 of chamber containing the flywheel.
In the preferred embodiment, the bearings are provided
International Application No. PCT/GB2010/050643, filed between the shaft and a hub which extends along the shaft
Apr. 20, 2010, which claims priority to Great Britain Appli from an inner wall of the housing. In this configuration the
cation No. 0906883.4, filed Apr. 22, 2009, the disclosures of 10 secondary chamber is therefore defined between the hub and
which are hereby expressly incorporated by reference herein the shaft.
in their entireties. Preferably, an additional pump is provided to remove gases
from the secondary chamber. The pump may be operable to
FIELD OF THE INVENTION control the pressure in the secondary chamber, and conse
quently control the gas pressure in the low pressure primary
The present invention relates to a flywheel assembly. More 15 chamber. The additional pump may be a getter pump or a
particularly, it concerns control of the pressure within the vacuum pump, for example. A vacuum pump may be pro
housing of the assembly. vided together with a controller coupled to a sensor for sens
ing the pressure in the primary chamber. The controller may
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION be operable to control the vacuum pump with reference to
signals from the sensor.
Flywheels are increasingly being used as compact power In preferred embodiments, the molecular pump is provided
storage devices, particularly in vehicles. The flywheel is towards and/or adjacent to the distal end of the hub. More
mounted in a housing, the interior of which is maintained at particularly, it may be a molecular drag pump which includes
low pressure to minimise drag on the flywheel as it rotates. a spiral groove formed on the hub. In a preferred configura
Whilst this low pressure environment can readily be achieved 25 tion, two spiral grooves are formed on inner and outer Sur
before sealing the housing, fibre composite materials are faces of the hub, respectively.
often used in the construction of high energy density fly In a preferred configuration, the flywheel carries the rotor
wheels which emit gases long after fabrication, making it of a drive motor and the stator of the motor is supported by the
difficult to maintain the desired near vacuum conditions. housing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,462.402 describes a flywheel energy stor 30
age system including a flywheel disposed within a first cham BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
ber. A second chamber is provided which maintains a rela
tively high pressure. A shaft is suspended between a first An embodiment of the invention will now be described
bearing located in the first chamber and a second bearing in with reference to the accompanying FIGURE, which is a
the second chamber. A molecular pump is driven by the shaft 35 cross-sectional side view of a flywheel assembly embodying
to pump gas molecules from the first chamber to the second the invention.
chamber to maintain a low pressure environment in the first
chamber. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 40 The FIGURE shows a cross-sectional side view of an elec
trically driven flywheel assembly 2. A carbon fibre flywheel 4
The present invention provides a flywheel assembly com is mounted on a central shaft 6 via a composite end cap 7 and
prising a housing, a flywheel coupled to a shaft which is enclosed within a housing 8. Permanent magnets 9 are carried
rotatably mounted in the housing via bearings, a primary on the inner circumferential surface of the flywheel and form
chamber which is defined within the housing and contains the 45 the rotor of a brushless DC motor.
flywheel, at least one secondary chamber which is defined The motor stator 10 is carried by a stator mount 12 which
within the housing and contains the bearings, and at least one extends inwardly from the housing. It may have a known
molecular pump driven by the shaft for pumping gas mol laminated construction, with three phase coil windings (not
ecules from the primary chamber to the at least one secondary shown). The stator is oil cooled.
chamber. 50 The flywheel rotates in a first chamber 14 which is defined
The bearings are preferably provided in a common second within the housing and contains a partial vacuum. The stator
ary chamber. In an alternative arrangement a first bearing is is separated from the first chamber by a glass fibre can 16. The
contained within one secondary chamber and a second bear shaft 6 is rotatably supported by first and second bearings 18,
ing is contained within another secondary chamber. In the 20. Each bearing comprises a plurality of ball bearings held
latter embodiment, a molecular pump may pump gas mol 55 between an inner race mounted on the shaft and an outer race
ecules from the primary chamber into the secondary cham Supported on an inner Surface of a cylindrical hub 22. Single
bers. As a further variation, two molecular pumps are pro bearings are shown by way of illustration, but two duplex
vided for pumping gas molecules from the primary chamber bearing pairs may be used instead. The ball bearings may be
to a respective secondary chamber. formed of ceramic material, for example. They are lubricated
The flywheel may be coupled to the shaft indirectly, via 60 by a grease.
gearing or another form of coupling. Alternatively, the fly Hub 22 is fastened to the wall of the housing 8 by bolts 24.
wheel may be mounted directly on the shaft. The hub extends inwardly from the wall of the housing and
Providing the bearings in a second, higher pressure cham around the shaft 6. A secondary chamber 26 containing the
ber is beneficial where the bearings require a grease which has bearings 18, 20 is defined between the hub 22 and the shaft 6.
a high vapour pressure. In a lower pressure environment, the 65 The end cap 7 is rigidly connected to the shaft 6 towards
grease will be liable to release gas or “off-gas causing accel one end of the shaft, with the bearings engaging the shaft at
erated degradation of the grease and its lubricating properties. locations between the end cap and the other end of the shaft.
 US 9,279,474 B2
3 4
This facilitates provision of the two bearings 18, 20 within a What is claimed is:
common chamber 26. 1. A flywheel assembly comprising:
A turbo molecular drag pump 28, 30 is located between the a housing:
first and second chambers 14, 26. A first part 32 of the drag a flywheel coupled to a shaft, and the shaft is rotatably
pump includes one or more first spiral grooves defined by the mounted in the housing via first and second bearings,
outer surface of the hub 22. This groove faces the inner with the first bearing arranged to Support one end of the
surface of a hollow cylindrical member 33 which is carried by shaft and the second bearing arranged to Support the
the shaft 6, and the groove and the cylindrical member coop other end of the shaft;
erate to form the first part 32 of the pump. A second part 34 of a drive operable to rotate the flywheel and the shaft;
the drag pump includes one or more further spiral grooves 10
a primary chamber which is defined within the housing and
having a smaller cross-section and pitch, defined on the inner contains the flywheel and a portion of the drive;
surface of a ring 36 fastened to the inner circumferential at least one secondary chamber which is defined within the
surface of the hub at its distal end. This second groove faces housing, with the first and second bearings contained
the cylindrical outer surface of the shaft 6, and they cooperate
to form the second part 34 of the pump. 15 within the at least one secondary chamber, and
An external vacuum pump 40 is connected to the second at least one molecular pump driven by the shaft for pump
chamber 26. A sensor 42 is provided in the first chamber 14 to ing gas molecules from the primary chamber to the at
sense the pressure therein. The sensor is coupled to a control least one secondary chamber which contains both of the
ler 44 associated with the vacuum pump 40. The vacuum first and second bearings Supporting the corresponding
pump is operable to control the pressure in the first chamber ends of the shaft,
by controlling the pressure in the second chamber. The con wherein the first and second bearings are provided between
troller 44 may for example be a “bang-bang controller oper the shaft and a hub which is fixedly mounted in the
able to Switch the vacuum pump 40 on and off, in response to housing and extends inwardly along the shaft from a
signals from the sensor in the first chamber to maintain the wall of the housing, and the at least one secondary cham
pressure in the first chamber within a predetermined range. 25 ber containing the first and second bearings is defined
In operation of the flywheel assembly, the vacuum pump between the hub and the shaft.
40 is initially employed to substantially evacuate both the first 2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the flywheel is
and second chambers. Preferably, the first chamber is main mounted on the shaft.
tained at a pressure of approximately 0.01 mbar to enable the 3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein an additional pump is
flywheel to operate at high speed without overheating due to 30
provided to remove gases from the at least one secondary
gas drag. When the flywheel is running, the vacuum level in chamber.
the first chamber will tend to drop (that is, the pressure 4. The assembly of claim3, wherein the additional pump is
increases), due to off-gassing of material (Such as water a getter pump.
vapour) from the flywheel. As the flywheel spins, the drag
pump 30, 32 acts to pump gas molecules from the first cham 35 5. The assembly of claim3, wherein the additional pump is
ber 14 into the second chamber 26. This will maintain a low a Vacuum pump.
pressure environment in the first chamber, and also increase 6. The assembly of claim 5, including a controller for the
the pressure in the second chamber. This facilitates use of a vacuum pump, and a sensor for sensing a pressure in the
grease in the bearings 18, 20 having a vapour pressure higher primary chamber which is coupled to the controller, the con
than would otherwise be the case. For example, a pressure of 40 troller being operable to control the vacuum pump with ref
greater than 0.1 mbar may be maintained in the second cham erence to signals from the sensor.
ber. 7. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one
Furthermore, as the bearings are provided in a second molecular pump is provided adjacent to a distal end of the
hub.
chamber separate from the first, any off-gassing from the
bearings grease will not affect the pressure of the first cham 45 8. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one
ber. molecular pump is a molecular drag pump.
While the present invention has been illustrated by descrip 9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the at least one
tion of various embodiments and while those embodiments molecular pump is a molecular drag pump, and the molecular
have been described in considerable detail, it is not the inten drag pump includes a first spiral groove formed on the hub.
tion of applicant to restrict or in any way limit the scope of the 50 10. The assembly of claim 9, wherein the molecular drag
appended claims to Such details. Additional advantages and pump includes a second spiral groove, wherein the first and
modifications will readily appear to those skilled in the art. second spiral grooves are formed on an outer Surface of the
The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limited to hub and within the hub, respectively.
the specific details and illustrative examples shown and 11. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the flywheel carries
described. Accordingly, departures may be made from Such 55 a rotor of a motor and a stator of the motor is supported by the
details without departing from the spirit or scope of Appli housing.
cants invention.