Flywheels to power laser systems? (Also: ICBM plug blocking systems)

[greenmartian2017]

Guys,

I am not certain exactly as to where to place this news item, but the actual article is about the plugs that block the top parts of the Minuteman 3 siloes.

U.S. Enhances Last Line Of Nuclear Missile Silo Defense

Northrop Grumman has won a contract to upgrade an unusual device known as a Fast Rising B-Plug, which is literally the last line of defense to stop bad guys from gaining access to a missile with a live 400-kiloton nuclear warhead.

www.forbes.com

But what caught my attention was the next-to-last paragraph. It says there, " The B-Plug has an unusual power system, using a fast-spinning flywheel to store energy. The advantage of the flywheel is that it can release power extremely rapidly — flywheels are even being touted as power sources for high-energy laser weapons – which is needed to raise a seven-ton chunk of metal at high speed. The upgrade is likely to improve the reliability and efficiency of the mechanism."

Has there been any data about flywheels powering laser systems that anyone has noticed prior to?

 

[Grey Havoc]

There was a few projects relating to such back in the 1980s, IIRC.

 

[fredymac]

Homopolar Generators

Homopolar generators underwent a renaissance in the 1950s as a source of pulsed power storage. These devices used heavy disks as a form of flywheel to store mechanical energy that could be quickly dumped into an experimental apparatus. An early example of this sort of device was built by Sir Mark Oliphant at the Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering, Australian National University. It stored up to 500 megajoules of energy[4] and was used as an extremely high-current source for synchrotron experimentation from 1962 until it was disassembled in 1986. Oliphant's construction was capable of supplying currents of up to 2 megaamperes (MA).

Similar devices of even larger size are designed and built by Parker Kinetic Designs (formerly OIME Research & Development) of Austin. They have produced devices for a variety of roles, from powering railguns to linear motors (for space launches) to a variety of weapons designs. Industrial designs of 10 MJ were introduced for a variety of roles, including electrical welding.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homopolar_generator

 

[Fluff]

Flywheels are being used for EV charging stations, as it keeps the grid demand low/even, but can give your Porsche 800V at 200A

 

[Orionblamblam]

Has there been any data about flywheels powering laser systems that anyone has noticed prior to?

Ayup:

PDF Review: Wheelguns in Spaaaace

 

[Grey Havoc]

On a tangent:

https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA302039.pdf