Award Abstract # 1938610
STTR Phase I: Ultra-thin Laminar Flywheels for Utility Scale Energy Storage

NSF Org: TI
Translational Impacts
Recipient: REVTERRA CORPORATION
Initial Amendment Date: March 2, 2020
Latest Amendment Date: March 15, 2022
Award Number: 1938610
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Muralidharan Nair
TI
 Translational Impacts
TIP
 Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships
Start Date: March 1, 2020
End Date: May 31, 2022 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $223,500.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $223,500.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2020 = $223,500.00
History of Investigator:
  • BenMaan Jawdat (Principal Investigator)
    bjawdat@revterra.net
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: REVTERRA CORPORATION
5410 TRAFALGAR DR
HOUSTON
TX  US  77045-6034
(832)875-9096
Sponsor Congressional District: 09
Primary Place of Performance: REVTERRA CORPORATION
TX  US  77060-3125
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
29
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): KRPXJQYMAGW9
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): STTR Phase I
Primary Program Source: 01001920DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 4080
Program Element Code(s): 150500
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.084

ABSTRACT

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase I project is to advance energy storage technology for the large-scale implementation of renewable energies, such as solar and wind. Not only would it be useful in large centralized grids, butregions with isolated micro-grids would benefit greatly from cheap, robust energy storage that can tolerate a wide range of conditions without negative environmental impact. The new technology would also find uses outside of energy storage, such as electric motors, propulsion systems, public transportation, and satellites.

This Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase I project seeks to develop a practical superconductor-based bearing for flywheel energy storage applications by overcoming some limitations that have previously been obstacles to commercialization. We will explore how new geometries can impact the requirements for stabilization; by modifying the arrangement of permanent magnets with respect to each other, the amount of external force required can be reduced. The project will include a simulation of the electromagnetic fields of the proposed designs and analyzing the stability, stiffness, efficiency, and other parameters. Substantially reducing the amount of external force required will allow it to implement superconductor-based bearings into commercial systems with low-cost, compact, and efficient cryocoolers that have become widely available in recent years. The project will improve the safety of flywheel energy storage systems by simulating a laminar-type flywheel composed of partially decoupled sheets, seeking to understand failure mechanisms and maximum rotational speeds.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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Slininger, Timothy S. and Chan, WaiYan and Severson, Eric L. and Jawdat, Benmaan "An Overview on Passive Magnetic Bearings" 2021 IEEE International Electric Machines & Drives Conference (IEMDC) , 2021 https://doi.org/10.1109/IEMDC47953.2021.9449571 Citation Details

PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT

Disclaimer

This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

Intellectual Merit

The increasing penetration of renewable power sources and the electrification of sectors like transportation places a strain on our existing electric grid infrastructure. Energy storage can mitigate this, both at the front of the meter on grid-scale projects as well as at the edge of the grid, by providing peak-shifting and peak demand management. However, existing solutions for stationary energy storage have obstacles to widespread implementation. Lithium-ion batteries, for example, pose issues from the supply chain (mining of lithium), the operation (fire hazard, risk of thermal runaway, limited cycle life), and the disposal (toxic byproducts), and are better suited to mobile applications where high energy density is critical. Kinetic energy storage is an alternative technology in which a steel rotor is used to store energy - it is robust (long lifespan), non-toxic, and capable of high-power density, but conventional systems suffer from low efficiency and high cost. Magnetic bearings can reduce maintenance requirements but have had limitations due to complexity, power consumption, and cost. During this Phase I STTR project, the feasibility of an improved hybrid superconducting / passive magnetic bearing design was explored and a prototype kinetic energy storage module incorporating this bearing was fabricated and tested; furthermore, a highly efficient AC homopolar motor/generator was designed, fabricated, and tested, and proved capable of providing passive damping forces through its windings. The prototype developed during this Phase I de-risks the key components of the system and provides the foundation for the development of a scaled-up commercial module.

Broader / Commercial Impact

The number of electric vehicles on the road today is just the tip of the iceberg compared to what will be coming in the next 5 to 10 years. To support this tremendous increase in the number of EVs, millions of EV chargers will need to be deployed every year - and many of these will be high-power fast chargers to reduce wait times. The construction of high-power EV fast charging stations is time consuming and expensive - waiting for the utility to provide the required permitting, digging trenches for high-voltage transmission lines, and installing large transformers, among other issues. Putting a stationary energy storage system as a "buffer" between the grid and the EV charging station can dramatically reduce the infrastructure upgrade costs and reduce demand charges for the owner and operator of the charging station, generally making them more profitable and accelerating their adoption. However, any energy storage technology used in this application must be capable of enduring a high number of charge/discharge cycles - a typical lithium-ion battery would have to be replaced in just a few years and provides a limited power to energy ratio (increasing charging times). Based on the outcome of our Phase I project, we plan to develop a modular kinetic energy storage solution for use in high-power EV charging stations - reducing the cost of installation, the cost of ownership, as well as the profitability. Our solution will also be applicable to other peak demand management applications beyond high-power EV charging, such as those in commercial and industrial settings. Reducing the reliance on Li-ion batteries in this application will have a large environmental impact, avoiding the need for damaging lithium mining practices and the disposal of countless Li-ion batteries - instead using low-cost steel alloys that are fully recyclable and can be manufactured from recycled steel. This Phase I project lays the foundation for a modular, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly kinetic energy storage solution that can be deployed to strengthen our electric grid.


Last Modified: 03/30/2022
Modified by: Benmaan Jawdat

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