Design Considerations for a 100-Megajoule/500-Megawatt Superflywheel.
D. W. Rabenhorst, Robert J. Taylor · OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information) · 1973
Abstract : The magnitude of stored energy required in high power bursts for modern experiments in physics has reached the point where capacitor banks previously used for this purpose are no longer practical. Although flywheels have been proven to be less expensive for this purpose and are one-hundredth the size, even the practicality of future flywheel-powered systems is being challenged by the magnitude of future experiment energy requirements. An existing steel flywheel capable of delivering 100 MJ at a rate of 100 MW costs $1,500,000 and weighs 60,000 pounds. Future experiments may require 20 times this energy. The report describes a Superflywheel having a design goal of delivering 100 MJ at a rate of 500 MW. Its projected cost is less than $50,000. Also, it appears to be readily scalable to the larger size required for future experiments. (Author)