DOE Patents title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Homopolar machine for reversible energy storage and transfer systems

Abstract

A homopolar machine designed to operate as a generator and motor in reversibly storing and transferring energy between the machine and a magnetic load coil for a thermo-nuclear reactor. The machine rotor comprises hollow thin-walled cylinders or sleeves which form the basis of the system by utilizing substantially all of the rotor mass as a conductor thus making it possible to transfer substantially all the rotor kinetic energy electrically to the load coil in a highly economical and efficient manner. The rotor is divided into multiple separate cylinders or sleeves of modular design, connected in series and arranged to rotate in opposite directions but maintain the supply of current in a single direction to the machine terminals. A stator concentrically disposed around the sleeves consists of a hollow cylinder having a number of excitation coils each located radially outward from the ends of adjacent sleeves. Current collected at an end of each sleeve by sleeve slip rings and brushes is transferred through terminals to the magnetic load coil. Thereafter, electrical energy returned from the coil then flows through the machine which causes the sleeves to motor up to the desired speed in preparation for repetition of the cycle. To eliminatemore » drag on the rotor between current pulses, the brush rigging is designed to lift brushes from all slip rings in the machine.

Inventors:
 [1]
  1. Ruffsdale, PA
Issue Date:
Research Org.:
Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States); Westinghouse Electric Corporation
OSTI Identifier:
863926
Patent Number(s):
4276507
Assignee:
U.S. Department of Energy (Washington, DC)
Patent Classifications (CPCs):
H - ELECTRICITY H02 - GENERATION H02K - DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES
DOE Contract Number:  
LN4-44177
Resource Type:
Patent
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
homopolar; machine; reversible; energy; storage; transfer; systems; designed; operate; generator; motor; reversibly; storing; transferring; magnetic; load; coil; thermo-nuclear; reactor; rotor; comprises; hollow; thin-walled; cylinders; sleeves; form; basis; utilizing; substantially; mass; conductor; kinetic; electrically; highly; economical; efficient; manner; divided; multiple; separate; modular; design; connected; series; arranged; rotate; opposite; directions; maintain; supply; current; single; direction; terminals; stator; concentrically; disposed; consists; cylinder; excitation; coils; located; radially; outward; adjacent; collected; sleeve; slip; rings; brushes; transferred; thereafter; electrical; returned; flows; causes; desired; speed; preparation; repetition; cycle; eliminate; drag; pulses; brush; rigging; lift; single direction; slip rings; modular design; hollow cylinder; homopolar machine; magnetic load; transferring energy; opposite direction; current pulse; opposite directions; electrical energy; energy storage; nuclear reactor; kinetic energy; radially outward; located radially; current pulses; concentrically disposed; load coil; rotor comprises; rotor mass; rotor kinetic; reversible energy; separate cylinders; reversibly storing; transfer systems; transfer substantially; thin-walled cylinders; thermo-nuclear reactor; sleeve slip; sleeves consists; stator concentrically; utilizing substantially; adjacent sleeves; brush rigging; machine rotor; machine terminals; machine designed; multiple separate; comprises hollow; efficient manner; energy electrically; eliminate drag; energy returned; excitation coils; lift brushes; desired speed; current collected; highly economical; hollow thin-walled; excitation coil; /322/310/

Citation Formats

Stillwagon, Roy E. Homopolar machine for reversible energy storage and transfer systems. United States: N. p., 1981. Web.
Stillwagon, Roy E. Homopolar machine for reversible energy storage and transfer systems. United States.
Stillwagon, Roy E. Thu . "Homopolar machine for reversible energy storage and transfer systems". United States. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/863926.
@article{osti_863926,
title = {Homopolar machine for reversible energy storage and transfer systems},
author = {Stillwagon, Roy E},
abstractNote = {A homopolar machine designed to operate as a generator and motor in reversibly storing and transferring energy between the machine and a magnetic load coil for a thermo-nuclear reactor. The machine rotor comprises hollow thin-walled cylinders or sleeves which form the basis of the system by utilizing substantially all of the rotor mass as a conductor thus making it possible to transfer substantially all the rotor kinetic energy electrically to the load coil in a highly economical and efficient manner. The rotor is divided into multiple separate cylinders or sleeves of modular design, connected in series and arranged to rotate in opposite directions but maintain the supply of current in a single direction to the machine terminals. A stator concentrically disposed around the sleeves consists of a hollow cylinder having a number of excitation coils each located radially outward from the ends of adjacent sleeves. Current collected at an end of each sleeve by sleeve slip rings and brushes is transferred through terminals to the magnetic load coil. Thereafter, electrical energy returned from the coil then flows through the machine which causes the sleeves to motor up to the desired speed in preparation for repetition of the cycle. To eliminate drag on the rotor between current pulses, the brush rigging is designed to lift brushes from all slip rings in the machine.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {1981},
month = {1}
}