Williams F1 team running flywheel-based KERS for 2009
While most of the big teams in Formula One, including Ferrari, Renault and BMW, are planning to run battery electric Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems (KERS) on their 2009 cars, the Williams team is following a different path. One of the few remaining independent teams, Williams has opted for a mechanical system. The system uses an electrically driven flywheel spinning at up to 40,000 rpm to recapture kinetic energy during braking. Under braking, the rear wheels turn a motor/generator that spins up the flywheel. When the driver presses a boost button on the steering wheel the flywheel releases its energy to drive the motor and provide an extra power boost.
The season opens up in Australia March 29, but the team still hasn't decided whether to use KERS during the first race. When they do start running the KERS, it will be able to provide a boost of up to 80 hp for 6.6 seconds per lap. According to Williams, the system can cut lap times by about 0.3 seconds in its current form but that boost is expected to increase in future years. Williams is also talking to several automakers about adapting the technology to production vehicles.
A video with an animation of the system can be seen at the Williams site.
[Source: Williams F1]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Bill 12:34PM (3/17/2009)
I like the concept, but the Williams animation shows the flywheel right behind the driver's head! I hope that they've succeeded in designing it safely...
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squibby 12:30AM (3/31/2009)
I hope so too. The risk of the flywheel exploding is offset by the risk of climbing into a formula one car in the first place. Kind of like flying. Your more likely to crash your car and die on the way to your flight then the dangers in actually flying itself.
The flywheel exploding is the least of the drivers dangers.
Paul 4:46AM (4/12/2009)
Perhaps the greatest danger with the flywheel is that it is gyroscopic. Should the car make a quick change in attitude (read that flip, crash, upset, etc.). the flywheel is going to have a very strong tendency to remain in the plane it spins in. This means it may not explode, but instead, come off its bearings and tie-downs, retaining its original trajectory by itself. This could be very dangerous and exciting.
There is another angle to this gyroscopic effect that may actually aid in the car's handling. A force on the axle of the flywheel is translated to an opposite force at 90 degrees. Hmmmm. could this mean extra downforce on the rear wheels in a turn? Could this mean a tendency to ramain flat in a turn, reducing lean? Locating the flywheel in the center of the car could be a very good strategy to take advantage of gyroscopic forces to help with handling. We will see. The Williams cars are doing quite well so far.
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