A flywheel variator energy storage system

Flywheels are proving to be an ideal form of energy storage on account of their high power density, cycle life and storage efficiency. This paper describes an energy storage system comprised of a steel flywheel and mechanical variator, designed to provide the main drive power for a hybrid railcar wh...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Energy conversion and management 1996-10, Vol.37 (10), p.1481-1491
Main Authors: Jefferson, C.M., Ackerman, M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied sciences
Drives
Exact sciences and technology
Mechanical engineering. Machine design
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Flywheels are proving to be an ideal form of energy storage on account of their high power density, cycle life and storage efficiency. This paper describes an energy storage system comprised of a steel flywheel and mechanical variator, designed to provide the main drive power for a hybrid railcar which can be charged either rapidly at stops on the route, or continuously at a constant rate from an on-board primary low power source. By operation on rails at urban speeds, with brake energy recovery, energy losses and consumption are minimised. A further application of the system is in load matching in autonomous wind diesel systems, as a means of load levelling and absorbing fluctuations in wind power. The results of laboratory tests on the energy storage unit are presented, along with the analysis of performance tests on a hybrid flywheel-battery rail vehicle.
ISSN:0196-8904
1879-2227
DOI:10.1016/0196-8904(96)00007-6