US Patent:
20130020157, Jan 24, 2013
Inventors:
Philip J. SCALZO - North Salt Lake UT, US
Carleton D. TAIT - North Salt Lake UT, US
Assignee:
EMB Energy, Inc. - Edmonton OK
International Classification:
F16D 63/00
Abstract:
A passive inert gas braking apparatus, system and method for braking a flywheel rotating within an electromechanical battery (EMB) system includes an electro-mechanical battery arrangement having a containment vessel containing a flywheel, a compressed gas storage arrangement to store compressed gas, a gas expansion arrangement to receive gas from the vessel, which is coupled to the storage arrangement, in which the vessel is coupled to the gas expansion arrangement, and in which the gas expansion arrangement is coupled to the compressor arrangement. Also described is a method for braking a flywheel rotating in an electromechanical battery (EMB) system by providing a compressed gas to an electro-mechanical battery arrangement having a containment vessel containing a rotating flywheel to slow the rotating flywheel, and after the flywheel has at least slowed because of the gas in the containment vessel, returning heated gas from the containment vessel to a gas expansion arrangement.