Flywheel power generating facility and method of operating same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9300185-B2
Application number	US-201313798565-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2013
Priority date	Oct 11, 2011
Publication date	Mar 29, 2016
Grant date	Mar 29, 2016

Abstract

In one embodiment, a flywheel power generating facility includes a flywheel power generator including a flywheel for storing rotational energy, and configured to convert the rotational energy into electric power to supply the electric power to a test facility. The generating facility further includes a driving motor configured to rotate the flywheel, and a power supply device configured to supply electric power to the driving motor. The generating facility further includes a detector configured to output a signal related to the rotation of the flywheel, and a controller configured to control operation of the driving motor, based on the outputted signal. The controller controls the operation of the driving motor so that the driving motor provides accelerating torque to the flywheel while the supply of the electric power to the test facility is stopped and while the electric power is supplied to the test facility.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A flywheel power generating facility comprising:
a flywheel power generator including a flywheel for storing rotational energy, and configured to convert the rotational energy into electric power to supply the electric power to a test facility that is configured to perform a nuclear fusion test;
a driving motor configured to rotate the flywheel;
a power supply device configured to supply electric power to the driving motor;
a detector configured to detect a rotational speed of the flywheel; and
a controller configured to control operation of the driving motor, based on the rotational speed detected by the detector,
wherein
the controller is configured to control the operation of the driving motor so that the driving motor provides accelerating torque to the flywheel while the supply of the electric power to the test facility is stopped and while the electric power is supplied to the test facility,
the flywheel power generator is configured to supply first electric power to the test facility during a first period and to supply second electric power smaller than the first electric power to the test facility during a second period, which is after the first period and longer than the first period, while the electric power is supplied to the test facility,
the controller includes a speed setting module configured to set a setting value of the rotational speed, and
the controller is configured to control the operation of the driving motor so that
the rotational speed is reduced, during the first period, from a first speed to a second speed lower than the first speed, and
the rotational speed becomes, during the second period, the setting value, which is equal to or lower than the first speed.

2. The generating facility of claim 1 , wherein
the controller controls the operation of the driving motor so that the rotational speed becomes, during the second period, the setting value, which is equal to or lower than the first speed and equal to or larger than the second speed.

3. The generating facility of claim 1 , wherein
the first speed is an upper limit of the rotational speed.

4. The generating facility of claim 1 , wherein the setting value of the rotational speed is an upper limit of the rotational speed.

5. The generating facility of claim 1 , wherein the speed setting module sets the setting value that varies with time.

6. The generating facility of claim 5 , wherein the speed setting module sets the setting value to a minimum speed that enables the test facility to operate.

7. The generating facility of claim 1 , wherein
the controller comprises an upper limit setting module configured to set an upper limit of the electric power supplied to the driving motor, and
the controller controls the operation of the driving motor so that the electric power supplied to the driving motor does not exceed the upper limit.

8. A method of operating a flywheel power generating facility, comprising:
controlling, by a controller, operation of a driving motor for rotating a flywheel of a flywheel power generator so that the driving motor provides accelerating torque to the flywheel while supply of electric power from the flywheel power generator to a test facility is stopped and while the electric power is supplied from the flywheel power generator to the test facility, the controller including a speed setting module configured to set a setting value of the rotational speed, and the test facility being configured to perform a nuclear fusion test;
supplying first electric power from the flywheel power generator to the test facility during a first period and supplying second electric power smaller than the first electric power from the flywheel power generator to the test facility during a second period, which is after the first period and longer than the first period, while the electric power is supplied to the test facility; and
controlling, by the controller, the operation of the driving motor so that
the rotational speed is reduced, during the first period, from a first speed to a second speed lower than the first speed, and
the rotational speed becomes, during the second period, the setting value, which is equal to or lower than the first speed.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• ARIHARA Yoshitaka
• Ishizuki Teruyuki
• Kageyama Takahisa

Classifications

• H01J3/30

  by electric fields only · CPC title

• Y02E60/16

  Mechanical energy storage, e.g. flywheels or pressurised fluids · CPC title

• H02P3/00

  Arrangements for stopping or slowing electric motors, generators, or dynamo-electric converters (stopping of synchronous motors with electronic commutators H02P6/24; stopping dynamo-electric motors rotating step by step H02P8/24; vector control H02P21/00) · CPC title

• H02K7/025 Primary

  for power storage · CPC title

• H02K7/18

  Structural association of electric generators with mechanical driving motors, e.g. with turbines · CPC title