Demonstration of attitude control and bus regulation with flywheels

A flywheel energy storage device stores energy in a rotating mass. These devices can be used to perform the same function as traditional chemical batteries. In terms of the energy storage function, a flywheel system has significant advantages over chemical batteries: length of life, energy density, power density, and the capability of deep depth of discharge. Also, flywheels can be used to control the attitude of the spacecraft. This paper describes an experiment using two flywheels to simultaneously regulate a DC bus and provide single axis angle regulation on an air table. Models of the mechanical and electrical systems are developed, and simulations are run, then compared to experimental results. The correspondence of the simulations and experiments shows the sufficiency of the modeling of subsystems.