Series Structure of a New Superconducting Energy Storage

For some energy storage devices, an efficient connection structure is important for practical applications. Recently, we proposed a new kind of energy storage composed of a superconductor coil and permanent magnets. Our previous studies demonstrated that energy storage could achieve mechanical → electromagnetic → mechanical energy conversion with high efficiency and low loss. Additionally, we have found an optimized configuration of magnets to increase the capacity of the energy storage/conversion device. This article discusses a series connection structure to further enhance the capacity of the energy storage device. Two sets of experiments were carried out to investigate the effectiveness of the connection structure. The experimental results indicate that the energy capacity of a series connection of two such storage units will be the sum of the two units. The energy conversion efficiency is not compromised in the connection structure. Based on the results, it was concluded that an energy storage array with a much larger capacity may be achievable by a proper serial and parallel arrangement of multiple such energy storage/conversion units.