Theses and Dissertations Collection

High speed flywheel energy storage systems (HSFESS) can greatly benefit space and terrestrial applications. The development of HSFESS requires new materials that can withstand the forces acting on them at the speeds required for such applications. The design of a high performance machine also requires the characterization of saturation effects and adverse effects of iron on the air gap. In this thesis, a method is presented to account for the effects of non-ideal materials on machine design through the use of a composite loss factor. Also, a method is described that accounts for saturation and iron's effect on air gap permeance by reflecting these effects into the air gap of the machine. Modular modeling is proposed as a means to develop a tool for machine design that can evaluate various machine configurations without redevelopment of the model. This is accomplished by defining the machine as a collection of parameters that are used to define the physical interactions between the components of the system. Finally, finite element analysis is performed to verify the model developed.