COMET Flywheel System™ demonstration

The COMET Flywheel System™ demonstration is a program sponsored by NASA Glenn Research Center to demonstrate coordinated momentum and energy transfer for a suite of fixed-axis flywheels. This work describes how the flight system is integrated with the attitude control system (ACS) and electrical power system (EPS). The goal of the program is to demonstrate the feasibility of combining momentum and energy storage/transfer capabilities using the COMET Flywheel System. It focuses on the design of the motor/generator power electronics and the flywheel subsystem controller (i.e. COMET Flywheel Logic). The demonstration will use a three-flywheel system that will provide two-axis torque and power capability simultaneously. Three flywheels are mounted on a force table with their spin axes in a common plane orientated at 120 degree intervals. Force transducers will measure the net reaction torque in two axes. Load power and attitude torque profiles will be applied and the power bus voltage and net reaction torque will be observed to validate the system operation.