Flywheel

• What is a flywheel

  Heavy wheels with a high moment of inertia and angular momentum that convert inputted torque to rational kinetic energy in a machine to be used at another point in a system
• What factors affect the energy storage capacity of a flywheel

  • Shape And Mass (Increased Moment of inertia = increased Kinetic Energy)
  • Material (Higher angular momentum = higher kinetic energy)
• How are flywheels used for storing energy in braking vehicles

  Electric vehicles use regenerative braking. When the brakes are applied, a flywheel is engaged, which charges up with the energy being lost. The energy is used to move the wheels when the vehicle accelerates and is then disengaged
• How are flywheels used for smoothing torque and angular velocity

  Flywheels use each burst of power to charge and then smoothy deliver the energy to rotating components. For systems that exert a varying force when the load torque is too high, the flywheel decelerates to top up the system and vice versa when engine torque is higher than load torque
• How are flywheels used in production processes

  Most production, such as piercing sheets of metal, require constant uniform action. Attaching a flywheel to the motor reduces problems by smoothing out fluctuations
• What are the advantages of using a flywheel

  • Very efficient
  • long working life
  • short recharge time
  • environmentally friendly
• What are the disadvantages of flywheels

  • Larger and heavier than other storage methods
  • safety risk as wheel could break at high speeds
  • energy lost though friction
  • Can oppose changes in direction for moving vehicles