Method of operating an energy storage system with an elevator lift system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11555484-B2
Application number	US-202217809718-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2022
Priority date	Feb 2, 2021
Publication date	Jan 17, 2023
Grant date	Jan 17, 2023

Abstract

An energy storage and delivery system includes an elevator operable to move blocks from a lower elevation to a higher elevation to store energy and from a higher elevation to a lower elevation to generate electricity. A winch assembly is movably coupled to a cable that is coupled to the elevator. The winch assembly has planetary gear assemblies, brakes that selectively engage at least a portion of the planetary gear assemblies, and a spool coupled to the cable. A drive shaft extends between a motor-generator and the winch assembly. A brake is operable so that the spool rotates to reel-in the cable to raise the elevator to move a block from a lower elevation to a higher elevation to store energy or so that the spool rotates to reel-out the cable to lower the elevator to move a block from a higher elevation to a lower elevation to generate electricity.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for storing and generating electricity, comprising:
operating an elevator along an elevator shaft to move a plurality of blocks between a lower elevation and a higher elevation, the elevator coupled to a cable that extends between the elevator and a spool of a winch assembly, the winch assembly comprising one or more planetary gear assemblies and one or more brakes,
wherein operating the elevator includes:
operating a first brake of the winch assembly to disengage a brake disc of the winch assembly, operating a second brake of the winch assembly to disengage a first ring gear of a first planetary gear assembly and operating a third brake of the winch assembly to engage a second ring gear of a second planetary gear assembly to stop rotation of the spool,
operating the first brake to engage the brake disc of the winch assembly, operating the second brake to disengage the first ring gear of the first planetary gear assembly and operating the third brake to disengage the second ring gear of the second planetary gear assembly to rotate the spool in a reverse direction to reel-out the cable to lower the elevator, and
operating the first brake to disengage the brake disc of the winch assembly, operating the second brake to engage the first ring gear of the first planetary gear assembly and operating the third brake to disengage the second ring gear of the second planetary gear assembly to rotate the spool in a forward direction to reel-in the cable to raise the elevator.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein moving the blocks between the lower elevation and the higher elevation includes moving the blocks between a location above a lower deck in a left or a right column of a frame on either side of the elevator shaft to location above an upper deck of the frame aligned with the left or right columns.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein moving the one or more blocks between the location above the lower deck in the left or right columns and the location above the upper deck aligned with the left or right columns includes positioning the blocks so that an average distribution of load on the frame remains substantially constant.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the spool is rotated by a motor-generator via a drive shaft.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cable includes a damper and a linear actuator.

6. The method of claim 5 , further comprising operating the linear actuator to adjust a length of the cable to vary a position of the elevator coupled to the cable.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein when the block is lowered the winch assembly inputs power to a motor-generator operatively coupled to the winch assembly to generate electricity.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first brake, the second brake and the third brake are spaced from each other along an axis of a drive shaft connected to the spool.

9. A method for storing and generating electricity, comprising:
operating a pair of elevators along a respective pair of elevator shafts to move a plurality of blocks between a lower elevation and a higher elevation, each of the pair of elevators coupled to a cable that extends between the elevator and a respective spool of a winch assembly, the winch assembly for each of the pair of elevators connected by a drive shaft connected to a motor-generator,
wherein operating each of the pair of elevators includes one or more of:
operating a first brake of the winch assembly to disengage a brake disc of the winch assembly, operating a second brake of the winch assembly to disengage a first ring gear of a first planetary gear assembly and operating a third brake of the winch assembly to engage a second ring gear of a second planetary gear assembly to stop rotation of the spool,
operating the first brake to engage the brake disc of the winch assembly, operating the second brake to disengage the first ring gear of the first planetary gear assembly and operating the third brake to disengage the second ring gear of the second planetary gear assembly to rotate the spool in a reverse direction to reel-out the cable to lower the elevator, and
operating the first brake to disengage the brake disc of the winch assembly, operating the second brake to engage the first ring gear of the first planetary gear assembly and operating the third brake to disengage the second ring gear of the second planetary gear assembly to rotate the spool in a forward direction to reel-in the cable to raise the elevator.

10. The method of claim 9 , wherein moving the blocks between the lower elevation and the higher elevation includes moving the blocks between a location above a lower deck in a left or a right column of a frame on either side of the elevator shaft to location above an upper deck of the frame aligned with the left or right columns.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein moving the one or more blocks between the location above the lower deck in the left or right columns and the location above the upper deck aligned with the left or right columns includes positioning the blocks so that an average distribution of load on the frame remains substantially constant.

12. The method of claim 9 , wherein each cable includes a damper and a linear actuator.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising operating the linear actuator to adjust a length of the cable to vary a position of the elevator coupled to the cable.

14. The method of claim 9 , wherein when the block is lowered the winch assembly inputs power to the motor-generator to generate electricity.

15. The method of claim 9 , wherein the winch assembly operatively coupled to one of the pair of elevators is operable to lift the elevator to raise a block from a lower elevation to a higher elevation while concurrently the winch assembly operatively coupled to another of the pair of elevators is operable to lower the elevator to lower a block from a higher elevation to a lower elevation.

16. The method of claim 9 , wherein the first brake, the second brake and the third brake are spaced from each other along an axis of the drive shaft.

Assignees

• Energy Vault Inc

Inventors

• Pedretti Andrea
• Hänni Roland Markus

Classifications

• B66C23/28

  constructed to operate at successively higher levels · CPC title

• F03G3/094

  specially adapted for potential energy power storage stations; combinations of gravity or weight motors with electric motors or generators · CPC title

• F03G3/00 Primary

  Other motors, e.g. gravity or inertia motors · CPC title

• B66C13/28 Primary

  utilising regenerative braking for controlling descent of heavy loads and having means for preventing rotation of motor in the hoisting direction when load is released · CPC title