Abstract
The fundamental goal of this project is to produce a fully operational Fly Wheel Energy Storage System (FESS) which would finally meet the vision of this project’s inception which began nearly 20 years ago. Originally designed for lunar colonization concepts and funded by NASA, the University of Idaho FESS research is a legacy project that has seen many years of experimentation and development yet has never been fully functional. The efforts in this thesis are summarized in the following forays:
1. Design, manufacture, and implement a test fixture for the optical encoder being used to track the absolute position of the rotor which dictates the coil energizing sequence.2. Repair the damaged coils from previous over current exposure.
3. Design, manufacture, and implement a novel air bearing which will substitute the superconducting Halbach array during initial testing phases.
4. Design and implement a control algorithm using improved current sensing technologies which will allow the control scheme to more precisely drive coil current to its zero crossing.
5. Conduct an all-up test run on the University of Idaho Fly Wheel Energy Storage System (UIFESS).
The University of Idaho FESS project is a great opportunity to trial a form of energy storage which would be in high demand if proven technically viable as the proliferation of renewable energy continues to supplant conventional carbon-based sources of energy. Fly wheels also provide the added benefit of spinning reserves which is inherit to their energy storage methodology. Fly wheel energy storage is also quite simple, as it has a long life cycling that is limited only by operational conditions and materials selection. Furthermore, the fully operational version of the fly wheel would be suspended on a superconducting Halbach array which would provide the rotor with near frictionless magnetic support thereby minimizing energy losses over time.