FLYWHEEL PROPULSION SIMULATION

Development of a bus propelled by a flywheel instead of by an engine or storage battery has long interested urban transportation planners. The kinetic energy stored in a flywheel supplants the need for petroleum-derived fuels and minimizes negative environmental impacts. This report was prepared in support of the Urban Mass Transportation Administration's program in flywheel energy storage. It can be considered both an evaluation tool and a design tool. This report develops and describes the analytical models and digital computer simulations that can be used for the evaluation of flywheel-electric propulsion systems employed with urban transit vehicles operating over specified routes and with predetermined velocity profiles. The computer simulation is divided into two sections. The first section simulates the dynamic behavior of the vehicle enroute, computes the energy and power requirements, and the power losses of each of the propulsion system components. The second section utilizes thermal models to compute the temperature rises of each of the propulsion system components. The simulations can be used to determine the suitability of a given flywheel-electric propulsion system for an intended mission. The simulation method can be applied to electric-drive systems for battery and flywheel energy-storage vehicles, to hybrid vehicles, and to vehicles operating from wayside power. The Appendices contain Mathematical Models, Input Constants for Computer Program, Parameter Listing for Computer Program, Tabular Outputs for Sample Run, Manufacturers' Data for Major Components, and Report of Inventions. /Author/

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Sponsored by the Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, and performed under contract to Transportation System Center, DOT.
• Corporate Authors:

  Kusko (Alexander) Incorporated

  161 Highland Avenue
  Needham Heights, MA  United States  02194
• Authors:
  • King, C M
  • Kusko, A
• Publication Date: 1977-5

Media Info

• Pagination: 194 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Buses; Energy; Environmental impacts; Flywheels; Hybrid vehicles; Mathematical models; Propulsion; Simulation; Storage batteries; Temperature; Urban transportation; Vehicle power plants
• Uncontrolled Terms: Propulsion systems
• Subject Areas: Energy; Environment; Highways; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00172042
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Urban Mass Transportation Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: UMTA-MA-06-0044-77-1Final Rpt.
• Contract Numbers: DOT-TSC-1180
• Files: TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Mar 29 1982 12:00AM