EPSRC logo

Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference: GR/S70364/01
Title: Flywheel Energy Storage
Principal Investigator: Coombs, Professor TA
Other Investigators:
Campbell, Professor AM
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:
Urenco
Department: Engineering
Organisation: University of Cambridge
Scheme: Standard Research (Pre-FEC)
Starts: 01 April 2004 Ends: 30 September 2007 Value (£): 201,564
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:
Energy Storage
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:
Energy
Related Grants:
Panel History:  
Summary on Grant Application Form
This proposal is for an investigation into the use of superconducting bearings and motors running at cryogenic temperatures in an energy storage flywheel. Building on previous experience it appears that the ideal configuration for a cylindrically shaped flywheel is a journal bearing. This bearing has the dual advantages that it will be inherently stable and that it will have up to twice the stiffness of a passive magnetic bearing. In addition a large source of loss in an energy storage flywheel is parasitic loss which occurs in the iron core. The use of cryogenic temperatures presents the possibility that the reduction in ohmic losses makes it practical to use an air cored rather than an iron cored motor. Achieving this will allow flywheels to be used for diurnal storage in addition to their current applications.
Key Findings
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Potential use in non-academic contexts
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Impacts
Description This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Summary
Date Materialised
Sectors submitted by the Researcher
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
Project URL:  
Further Information:  
Organisation Website: http://www.cam.ac.uk