Advanced Carbon Nanotube Flywheel for Pulsed Power Applications

The advancement of systems requiring high power (megawatt level) in a short amount of time (seconds to minutes) is increasing, and there is currently no reliable energy storage and release system to complement these technologies on the Navys ships. Traditional flywheels are heavy with low tip speeds and often have to be built in place. Creare proposes an advanced carbon nanotube (CNT) flywheel for shipboard pulsed power applications. This flywheel will use state-of-the-art CNT yarns and tapes along with other materials to reduce weight and increase tip speed. During Phase I, we propose to conduct coupon testing of the CNT material, design the advanced flywheel, and conduct initial fabrication and testing of miniaturized high-risk components. In Phase II, Creare proposes to design, fabricate, and test a scaled prototype flywheel demonstrating tip speed in excess of 1000 m/s.