Title: Flywheel energy storage control for use with intermittent energy source

Authors: Kuo-Chi Lin; Steven Helkin; Chan Ham; Young Hoon Joo

Addresses: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, FL 32816, USA ' Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, University of Central Florida, 4000 Central Florida Blvd., Orlando, FL 32816, USA ' Department of Electrical and Mechatronics Engineering, Southern Polytechnic State University, 1100 S. Marietta Pkwy., Marietta, GA 30060, USA ' Department of Control and Robotics Engineering, Kunsan National University, 68 Miryong-dong, Gunsan, 573-701, Korea

Abstract: Systems used to extract renewable energy often are subject to suboptimal working conditions due to the intermittent nature of most renewable energy sources. The flywheel energy storage system suggested in this paper utilises an electronic clutch that engages and disengages the generator from the flywheel of the renewable energy system in an attempt to prevent the generator rotor from coming to a rest and encounter undesirable startup torque. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the threshold controls - average power output by the system can be seen to increase by 5% for a system with a small generator and by over 7,300% for a system with a very large generator, when compared to results for when no threshold controls are applied. The increased effectiveness for the larger generators confirms that the proposed threshold control scheme improves power output by decreasing the effect of counter-torques on the operation of the system.

Keywords: flywheel energy storage; FES; intermittent energy; load control; velocity threshold; renewable energy; electronic clutch; simulation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJRET.2013.058141

International Journal of Renewable Energy Technology, 2013 Vol.4 No.4, pp.391 - 405

Received: 16 Oct 2012
Accepted: 02 Sep 2013
Published online: 30 Jan 2014 *

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