Simulation of a Flywheel Energy-Storage System

A computational model has been developed to simulate the operation of a laboratory flywheel energy-storage system that is a subsystem of the Flywheel Attitude Control, Energy Transmission, and Storage (FACETS) system located at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. The FACETS, which includes three advanced flywheel energy-storage units and an apparatus denoted the Agile Multi- Purpose Satellite Simulator (AMPSS), is used to demonstrate conceptual spacecraft operations involving integral combinations of attitude-control maneuvers and energy-storage operations. The flywheel units include high-hoop-strength carbon composite rotors that turn on magnetic bearings. The flywheels have a maximum rated angular speed of 40,000 rpm, making it possible to store as much a 1 kW·hr of energy in each unit. An air bearing supports the entire AMPSS test article allowing three-axis rotation with minimal damping. In addition to the flywheel units, the system includes DC-to-DC power converters and a three-phase rectifier.