1074 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS, VOL. 53, NO.
4, AUGUST 2006
Control and Performance Evaluation of a Flywheel
Energy-Storage System Associated to a
Variable-Speed Wind Generator
Gabriel O. Cimuca, Christophe Saudemont, Benoît Robyns, Member, IEEE, and
Mircea M. Radulescu, Senior Member, IEEE
Abstract—The flywheel energy-storage systems (FESSs) are
suitable for improving the quality of the electric power delivered
by the wind generators and for helping these generators to con-
tribute to the ancillary services. Supervisors must be used for
controlling the power flow from a variable-speed wind generator
(VSWG) to the power grid or to an isolated load. This paper
investigates the control method and the energetic performances of
a low-speed FESS with a classical squirrel-cage induction machine
in the view of its association to a VSWG. A test bench is developed,
and experimental results are presented and discussed.
Index Terms—Efficiency, energy storage, induction machine,
losses, low-speed flywheel, power-flow control, supervisory, wind
energy conversion system.
I. I NTRODUCTION
T HE ENERGY can be stored as kinetic energy in a ro-
tating mass, which is called a flywheel. The flywheel is
coupled to an electric generator that produces electricity when
braking the flywheel. In the last years, flywheel energy-storage
systems (FESSs) have been rediscovered by the industrials due
to their advantages in comparison with other energy-storage
systems [1], [2].
FESSs have thus found a specific application for the electric-
power quality as far as the voltage and frequency maintenance
between the imposed limits are concerned. By virtue of their
high dynamics, long lifetime, and good efficiency, FESSs are
well suited for short-term storage systems, which are generally
sufficient to improve the electric-power quality [1], [2]. In [3], a
suitable method is developed to predict the ability of the energy
Manuscript received December 30, 2004; revised May 10, 2005. Abstract
published on the Internet May 18, 2006. This work was supported in part by the
Romanian Ministry of Education and Research. The test-bench development
benefited from the financial support of the Regional Council Nord-Pas de
Calais, the FEDER, the Technological Research National Center of Lille,
Forclum Ingenierie Verquin, Innovelect, and HEI.
G. O. Cimuca was with the Small Electric Motors and Electric Traction
(SEMET) Group, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 400110 Cluj-Napoca
1, Romania, and also with the Laboratoire d’Electrotechnique et d’Electronique
de Puissance de Lille (L2EP), Ecole des Hautes Etudes d’Ingénieur (HEI),
59046 Lille Cedex, France. He is now with the Powertrain Department,
Siemens VDO Automotive, Timisoara, Romania (e-mail: gabriel.cimuca@
siemensvdo.com).
C. Saudemont and B. Robyns are with the Laboratoire d’Electrotechnique
et d’Electronique de Puissance de Lille (L2EP), Ecole des Hautes Etudes
d’Ingénieur (HEI), 59046 Lille Cedex, France (e-mail: christophe.saudemont@
hei.fr; benoit.robyns@hei.fr).
M. M. Radulescu is with the Small Electric Motors and Electric Traction
(SEMET) Group, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, 400110 Cluj-Napoca
1, Romania (e-mail: mircea.radulescu@mae.utcluj.ro).
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TIE.2006.878326
0278-0046/$20.00 © 2006 IEEE
storage to increase the penetration of the wind generators in
the power system. This paper shows that the most economical
energy-storage system is the FESS, if the maximum storage
period is 10 min. Moreover, for a 1-MW capacity wind turbine,
the association with a 300-kW FESS involves a gain of about
14 000 C per year in the extra revenue [3].
Flywheels are able to deliver a very high power, which
is limited only by the rating of the generators and power
electronics. The response time is limited to a few milliseconds,
and the number of charge and discharge cycles of a flywheel
is constrained only by the efficiency of the electric and power
electronic systems cooling. Friction with the surrounding air
is the main cause of the loss for these storage systems. Low-
speed flywheels with a speed up to 10 000 r/min are, therefore,
contained in vessels filled with a helium to reduce the friction,
and high-speed flywheels are kept in a vacuum. The standby
losses are considerable, but the in-out efficiency is very high.
The lifetime depends on the bearings used. In the low-speed
flywheels with up to 10 000 r/min, the bearings are commer-
cially available products with many years of service life and
easy monitoring of their operation. A few hundred low-speed
flywheels are used in Europe, e.g., for the uninterruptible power
supply (UPS) for Internet providers and special production ma-
chinery. High-speed flywheels are used in transport applications
because of their much lower weight. They offer little advantage
in stationary applications [4].
Flywheels compete with the superconducting magnetic
energy-storage systems in the applications requiring several
megawatts for 1–2 s, and they also compete with batteries in
the applications where the backup time needs to be longer
than some 15 s [4]. One of the most popular flywheel UPSs
is the Piller’s POWERBRIDGE system, available in the range
of 250–1300 kW. The bigger system can deliver 1.1 MW for
15 s and contains a low-speed flywheel with a maximum
rotational speed of 3600 r/min (www.piller.com).
To emulate the possibility of wind generators to participate
in the ancillary services, a generating system, which must be
able to feed isolated loads or to be integrated in the network
including classical generators, is considered. The commutation
between both cases corresponds to an islanding. The generators
must then work without an auxiliary source to contribute to
the generation/consumption balance and to set the adequate
frequency and voltage.
In order to reach these objectives, a variable-speed wind
generator (VSWG) coupled to the FESS has been considered.
By using power electronics, the energy generation and storage
CIMUCA et al.: CONTROL AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A FESS ASSOCIATED TO A VSWG
Fig. 1. VSWG–FESS assembly under study.
Fig. 2. Scheme of the experimental test bench.
systems can be coupled via a dc link. In such a configuration,
the FESS ensures the dc-link voltage control [5], [6], thus
contributing to the generation/consumption balance. The power
converter connected to the network can then be concerned with
the main voltage and frequency control, and the wind generator
can contribute to the ancillary services (voltage and frequency
regulation).
In this paper, the performance of the proposed system is
analyzed by considering its connection to a network with the
aim of smoothing the power generated by the VSWG, and the
importance of an adequate energy management of the FESS
is pointed out [7]–[11]. The reference value of the power
generated to the network, which yields the energy generated
or stored by the FESS, can be determined by means of a
fuzzy-logic supervisor [7]–[11]. Fuzzy logic is a helpful tool
to design a supervisor, which integrates an information on
the active power generated by the wind generator and the
FESS speed. Simplified supervisors based on the fuzzy-logic
approach are proposed, and it is shown in this paper that they
are interesting in a real-time application. The FESSs used in this
type of application incorporate low-speed flywheels [4]–[12].
The FESS performance and control strategies are particularly
analyzed from the point of view of the losses by considering a
classical induction machine.
A test bench of 3 kW, which is described in this paper, allows
a real-time simulation of the behavior of a permanent-magnet
1075
synchronous generator-based (PMSG) VSWG associated with
an induction machine-based FESS connected to the ac grid
or to an isolated load. The ac grid connection is considered,
and the experiments on the test bench validate the proposed
supervisory strategies and the low-speed FESS performance
analysis.
Fig. 1 shows the VSWG–FESS assembly under a study. It
is scale modeled by the laboratory test bench schematized in
Fig. 2, which is currently developed at the Ecole des Hautes
Etudes d’Ingenieur (HEI) Lille, France. The test bench has a
modular structure allowing the study of different VSWG–FESS
system topologies. There are four main parts in the bench.
1) Wind-turbine emulator (WTE). The wind turbine is em-
ulated by a dc machine (3 kW/1500 r/min), which is
fed through a pulsewidth-modulation (PWM) converter
entailing a DS1104 dSPACE card (PowerPC 603e/TI
DSP TMS320F240) control.
2) Power generation (PG). The WTE drives a PMSG (2.83
kW/3000 r/min) whose stator is connected to the dc link
(2200 µF/800 V) through a PWM rectifier. This one,
which is similar to the grid-connected PWM inverter, is
controlled by a DS1103 dSPACE card (PowerPC 604e/TI
DSP TMS320F240).
3) Network Connection (NC). The VSWG–FESS assembly
is connected to the power network (or to the isolated load)
1076
Fig. 3. Photographs of the test bench.
through a PWM inverter, which is controlled always by
the DS1103 dSPACE card.
4) FESS. The squirrel-cage induction machine—IM (3 kW/
1500 r/min), which is coupled to a flywheel (0.2 kg · m2 ),
is powered by a DS1104 dSPACE card-controlled PWM
converter.
All the PWM converters have the same structure and are
provided with SEMIKRON insulated gate bipolar transistors
(IGBTs) (1200 V/50 A). Control and measurement interfaces
between converters, dSPACE cards and sensors make the pos-
sible configuration changes.
Fig. 3 shows the test-bench pictures and allows identifying
its main components. Converter No. 4 is used for supplying the
dc machine.
The developed test bench allows investigations of the grid-
connected or isolated load-connected energy generation and
storage systems. Several grid connections can be thus consid-
ered with a reference to the filter (L, LC, etc.) used, so that
the different control strategies accounting for likely unbalanced
energy flows can be implemented.
In the next section, the FESS control strategy, two power-
flow supervisors, and the FESS IM control are treated. Experi-
mental results are presented in order to validate the theoretical
concepts. Section III deals with a FESS performance evaluation
by determining its losses and efficiency. Related simulation and
experimental results are presented. The design of a fuzzy-logic
supervisor is outlined in Appendix A, and the experimental
FESS main parameters are given in Appendix B.
II. C ONTROL OF A FESS A SSOCIATED TO A VSWG
A. Control Strategy for the FESS
The wind generators are considered as negative charges for
the power grid, because they do not consume the electric energy
but generate it without participating to the ancillary services. It
is well known that the wind speed is very fluctuant, and by this
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS, VOL. 53, NO. 4, AUGUST 2006
Fig. 4. Graphic representation of the FESS control strategy.
reason, the wind generator will deliver a variable electric power.
To overcome this drawback, two methods are available, i.e.,
1) acting on the mechanical system, e.g., using the pitch-
or stall-controlled wind turbines in order to deliver a
constant power to the wind generator [13] and [14];
2) acting on the electric system, e.g., associating an energy-
storage system with the wind generator in order to
regulate the electric power delivered into the power grid
[5]–[12].
The first method gives acceptable results when connecting
the wind generators at a strong power grid, but if the wind gen-
erator supplies a weak grid or an isolated load, the power fluctu-
ations can still be questionable. That is the reason for choosing
the second method in the power regulation. An energy buffer is
needed in order to make a good power regulation [5]–[12].
In this paper, the energy buffer consists of a FESS with a
classical squirrel-cage induction machine as is shown in Fig. 1.
A PMSG is used as a VSWG.
Fig. 4 gives a graphic explanation of the control principle of
the FESS. The FESS has two functions: 1) to regulate the dc-
link voltage and 2) to regulate the power flow toward the mains.
To regulate the dc-link voltage, a PI voltage controller is used
and gives the value of the power ∆P required for maintaining
this voltage at the reference value VDCref . If Preg is the power
CIMUCA et al.: CONTROL AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A FESS ASSOCIATED TO A VSWG 1077

Fig. 5. Block diagram of the supervisor.

Fig. 7. Surface of the simplified supervisor.

TABLE I
Preg VALUES FOR THE CONSTANT-POWER SUPERVISOR

Fig. 6. Surface of the fuzzy-logic supervisor.

expected from the coupling VSWG–FESS assembly and Pwg ,

which is the active power generated by the VSWG, the refer-
ence value of the active power exchanged between the FESS
and the dc-link is determined by

Pref = Preg − Pwg − ∆P. (1)

B. FESS Power-Flow Supervisory

In [7] and [11], a fuzzy logic-based supervisor was proposed
to control the FESS in association with the VSWG. The fly-
wheel speed has a finite range of variation. The supervisor
has to compute the value of Preg from (1) in order to main-
tain the flywheel speed between its limits. The inputs of the
supervisor are the filtered value of the generated power Pwgf
and the flywheel speed Ω, respectively. Ideally, the Preg should
be identical with the Pwgf , but that means an infinite inertia
of the flywheel in order to hamper the overfulfillment of its
speed limits. Therefore, the supervisor adapts the Preg value
in function of the Pwgf and the flywheel speed, respectively.
The supervisor is schematized in Fig. 5 and fully described in Fig. 8. Surface of the constant-power supervisor.
Appendix A.
The fuzzy-logic supervisor was tested by a simulation with
a MATLAB/Simulink, and the behavior of the FESS–VSWG The parameters of (2) were chosen in order to keep the
system was satisfactory [7]. Unfortunately, the implementation corners of the approximated surface in Fig. 7 as closer as
of the fuzzy-logic supervisor on the DS 1104 dSPACE card possible to the four external corners of the fuzzy-logic surface
needs a very big cycle period (900 µs), which alters the control of Fig. 6. By using this method, the better approximation of the
of the FESS electric machine. This was the reason for searching fuzzy-logic surface can be obtained. The supervisor based on
a simplified supervisor in order to reduce the cycle period. (2) was implemented on the DS 1104 dSPACE card. Hence, the
Fig. 6 shows the surface of the fuzzy-logic-supervisor repre- control of the FESS can be done during a shorter cycle period
sentation. It can be approximated by the surface of Fig. 7 [11], (200 µs).
which is empirically computed by With the simplified supervisor, the value of Preg is always
variable due to the flywheel speed fluctuations. However, Preg
Preg = 0.63 · Pwgf + 0.52 · Ω − 0.17[p.u.]. (2) is more smoothed than Pwg , but less smoothed than Pwgf .
1078 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS, VOL. 53, NO. 4, AUGUST 2006

Fig. 9. FESS induction machine control scheme.

If the flywheel inertia is sufficiently high, another supervisor
can be implemented in order to obtain a constant Preg . This
supervisor is also derived from the fuzzy-logic supervisor, and
was implemented by a lookup table with a linear interpolation.
The lookup table values for the input vectors and output matrix,
respectively, are given in Table I. Fig. 8 shows the surface of the
constant-power supervisor. The cycle period is always 200 µs.
C. Flux-Weakening Operation of the FESS Induction Machine
Since the maximum speed of the flywheel is 3000 r/min,
whereas the base speed of the IM is 1500 r/min, the FESS IM
must operate in its flux-weakening region in order to reach the
maximum speed of the flywheel. In this region, the rated power
of the IM is still available from 1500 to 3000 r/min.
The IM being under a rotor flux-oriented control, the corre-
sponding power equation is determined as
M Tref , if a = 1
PIM ≈ TemIM · Ω = p · Ψrd · isq · Ω (3)
Lr
where PIM is defined as the electric power, TemIM is the
electromagnetic torque, Ω is the mechanical speed, p is the
pole-pair number, M is the mutual inductance, Lr is the rotor
inductance, Ψrd is the d-axis rotor-flux component, and isq is
the q-axis component of the stator current.
From (3), the rotor-flux reference value can be computed as
where PIMr is the sum of the IM rated power and its estimated
losses [15], and Ωmes is the IM rotor measured speed. In (4), the
IM parameters assigned with an asterisk define the estimated
parameters.
D. Control of the FESS Induction Machine
The torque control is used for the FESS induction machine.
The reference power of the FESS Pref must be saturated
to the rated value of the IM power in order to avoid the IM
overheating. The flywheel speed is always kept between 1000
and 3000 r/min. Thus, a logical function was implemented as
a = (Ω > 1000)&(Pref < 0) xor (Ω < 3000)&(Pref ≥ 0)
and the torque reference is given by


0, if a = 0
Tref =  (5)
with
 Pref
Tref = + B · Ω + Ts (6)
Ω
where Pref is computed by (1), Ts is the static torque and B
is the viscous friction coefficient. From (3)–(5), the reference
current results as

PIMr · L∗r 1 Tref · L∗r

Ψref = · (4) isqref = k (7)
p · M ∗ · isq max Ωmes p · M ∗ · Ψref
CIMUCA et al.: CONTROL AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A FESS ASSOCIATED TO A VSWG 1079

Fig. 10. Wind speed. Fig. 12. Power delivered into the power network, without the FESS.

Fig. 11. Speed of the wind generator, without the FESS. Fig. 13. Speed of the VSWG.

where k is an experimentally determined coefficient whose

value depends on the IM’s operation modes, i.e.,


0.95, if Pref ≥ 0 (motor)
k = Ψref , if P < 0 (generator) (8)
Ψr ref

where Ψr is the rated value of the IM rotor flux.

The control scheme of the FESS induction machine is pre-
sented in Fig. 9. The torque control of the IM gives very good Fig. 14. Regulated power Preg .
results and allows the FESS to control the dc-link voltage and
the power flow from the VSWG to the mains.

E. Experimental Results for the VSWG–FESS Assembly

Experiments were carried out to validate the developed su-
pervisors and the control of the dc-link voltage by the FESS.
The experiments prove that the FESS can control the dc-link
voltage and the power flow from the generation system to the
Fig. 15. Electric power delivered into the power network.
power network or the isolated load.
The FESS can either smooth the power delivered into the
power network or control the power flow in order to deliver a
constant power into an isolated load (or into a weak grid). The
experiments presented in this paper concern only the network
connection of the VSWG–FESS assembly without considering
the isolated-load feeding. As it can be seen in Fig. 9, the
network converter can also be controlled to deliver a reactive
power into the network, which is necessary to the VSWG–FESS
assembly for contributing to the ancillary services. Fig. 16. Flywheel speed.
Fig. 10 shows the wind speed, which was measured in the
northern part of France, where a wind farm was installed. These and the network receives a smoothed power (Fig. 15).
wind-speed values were used to control the WTE. Fig. 11 shows The regulated power is more smoothed with respect to
the speed of the VSWG, which is the same with the WTE speed, the generated power and that involves the flywheel-speed
and Fig. 12 shows the power delivered to the power grid by the variations (Fig. 16). The dc-link voltage is well regulated
VSWG. As it can be shown in Fig. 12, the power grid receives at 400 V by the FESS (Fig. 17). Fig. 18 shows the
a variable power. measured power at the IM terminals.
1) Power smoothing. Figs. 13–18 show how the simpli- 2) Constant-power supervisor. Figs. 19–24 present the ex-
fied supervisor operates in order to smooth the electric perimental results with the constant-power supervisor. If
power delivered into the network. Fig. 14 shows the the wind generator supplies a weak grid or an isolated
regulated power given by the simplified supervisor Preg , load, it must be capable to deliver a constant power.
1080
Fig. 17. dc-link voltage.
Fig. 18. IM measured power.
Fig. 19. Speed of the VSWG.
Fig. 20. Regulated power Preg .
Fig. 21. Electric power delivered into the power network.
This experiment shows that the VSWG–FESS assembly
can deliver a constant power providing that the flywheel
inertia is sufficiently high. If the flywheel inertia is small,
its speed will soon go toward the saturation limits, and the
supervisor will vary the regulated power in order to keep
the flywheel speed within its range (Figs. 20–22).
By comparing Figs. 12, 15, and 21, the FESS contribution
to the power-flow regulation and the difference between the
proposed supervisors are emphasized. It can be shown that the
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS, VOL. 53, NO. 4, AUGUST 2006
Fig. 22. Flywheel speed.
Fig. 23. dc-link voltage.
Fig. 24. IM measured power.
constant-power supervisor needs a bigger flywheel inertia than
the simplified supervisor.
The above-mentioned figures point out another aspect con-
cerning the FESS losses, i.e., the VSWG–FESS assembly de-
livers less power than the VSWG without FESS. This aspect
will be treated in the next section.
III. FESS P ERFORMANCE E VALUATION
A. FESS Electronic Power Converter Losses
The dissipated power on the IGBT operating in the switching
mode may be expressed by
T
1
P = · VCE (t) · i(t) · dt (9)
T
0
where T is the signal period, VCE is the drop voltage on the
IGBT, and i is the electric current crossing the IGBT.
Switching Losses: For an IGBT power converter leg
(Fig. 25), the commutation losses can be expressed by [16]
and [17]
 
pcom = kWON · WON (i) + kWOFF · WOFF (i) · fpwm (10)
where WON (i) and WOFF (i) are the turn-on and turn-off
dissipated energy characteristics for the IGBT, respectively; in
this case, kWON = kWOFF = Vdc /EW with Vdc as the voltage
of the dc-link circuit and EW as the manufacturer’s labora-
tory test voltage. The total commutation losses of the FESS
CIMUCA et al.: CONTROL AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A FESS ASSOCIATED TO A VSWG 1081

Fig. 25. Structure of a power converter leg.

Fig. 27. Waveforms of the voltage u, current i, and power P .

for the losses computation (for the second half period of the
current, the losses being the same).
The dissipated energy in the IGBT during one PWM period
and for an angle θ is given by
 
1 r · sin(θ + ϕ)
ETR = VCE · |Ik | sin θ · + · Tpwm (13)
2 2
Fig. 26. Positive half period of the current waveform at the power-converter
leg terminal. where VCE is the voltage drop on the IGBT in the switch-
on mode. The average dissipated power in the IGBT for an
three-phase bridge-type power converter are obtained by tre- angle θ is
bling pcom of (10).  
1 r · sin(θ + ϕ)
Conduction Losses: Fig. 26 shows the electric current at PTR = VCE · |Ik | sin θ · + . (14)
one terminal of the power converter for a positive half period; 2 2
the IGBT conduction periods TIGBT and of the diode TD are Fig. 27 shows that the power has a double pulsation as
presented for a PWM period TPWM . If the PWM frequency compared to the voltage or the current. Therefore, the average
is sufficiently high, it can be considered that for an electrical dissipated power in the IGBT can be written as
period, the cyclic ratio for a power converter leg is
 
1 r · cos ϕ
1 r · sin(θ + ϕ) TIGBT PIGBT = VCE · |Ik | · + . (15)
ρ= + = = TIGBT · fpwm (11) π 4
2 2 Tpwm
In the same way, the diode conduction losses can be
where fpwm = 1/Tpwm , r denotes the modulation depth and ϕ written as
as the power factor. Some values for ρ are given in Fig. 27.  
1 r · cos ϕ
It should be noted that the dead time of the power converter PD = VD · |Ik | · − (16)
is not considered in this study. π 4
Therefore, the conduction periods of the IGBTs and diodes where VD is the voltage drop on the diode. Equations (15) and
during a PWM period are, respectively, (16) determine the conduction losses for one leg of the power
  electronic converter. Hence, the total conduction losses of the
ρ 1 r · sin(θ + ϕ)
TIGBT = = + · Tpwm (12a) FESS power converter are given by (17):
fpwm 2 2
  pcond = 3 · (PIGBT + PD ) = 3 · |Ik |
1−ρ 1 r · sin(θ + ϕ)
TD = = − · Tpwm . (12b)  
fpwm 2 2 VCE + VD VCE − VD
· + r · cos ϕ · . (17)
π 4
A sinusoidal shape of the current has been assumed by
neglecting its overlapped waves, i.e., i = |Ik | sin θ [18]. More- By summing the commutation and conduction losses given
over, the current is a supposed constant during the PWM period, by (10) and (17), respectively, one obtains the total losses of the
and only the positive half period of the current is considered FESS power converter. The characteristics of the SKM 50 GB
1082 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS, VOL. 53, NO. 4, AUGUST 2006
Fig. 28. Equivalent diagram of the IM.
123 D IGBT module, which are provided by SEMIKRON, have
been used in the simulation of the FESS power converter with a
PWM frequency set at 8 kHz. This frequency has been chosen
because of the dSPACE card.
B. FESS Electromechanical Losses
Stator copper losses of the IM are computed by using the
stator resistance Rs and the park components of the stator
current
pJS = Rs · (i2sd + i2sq ). (18)
Rotor copper losses for the IM can be written as the product
of the IM electric power PIM and the slip s
pJR = s · PIM = s · (vsd · isd + vsq · isq ). (19)
Iron losses are determined from the IM equivalent diagram
of Fig. 28.
(Us · cos ϕ − Rs · Is )2 + (Us · sin ϕ)2
pFe =3· . (20)
Rµ
It should be noted that (20) calculates the IM iron losses for
a sinusoidal regime by neglecting the PWM losses.
Friction losses are determined as
pf = Ω · (Ts + Ω · B). (21)
C. Simulation Results and Efficiency Estimation
According to the above established FESS losses equations,
the simulations were performed in the MATLAB/Simulink
environment in order to determine the IM-based FESS effi-
ciency. The scheme from Fig. 1 was simplified like it can
be shown in Fig. 29. With this scheme, the energy is taken
from the power network to accelerate the flywheel, and then
the flywheel is braked and returns its energy to the power
network. Accordingly, the FESS efficiency can be determined
either for one operating (charging or discharging) mode or for
a charge/discharge cycle (CDC).
To determine the FESS efficiency for a CDC, the simplest
way is to estimate the energy by integrating the measured
power. Therefore, the FESS efficiency is
 
 Ed 
ηFESS =   · 100 (22)
Es
where Es and Ed are the energy stored/delivered in/from the
flywheel, respectively, both considered for one CDC.
Fig. 29. Block scheme of the system used to determine the FESS efficiency.
The FESS electric-power converter efficiency obtained from
simulations in the MATLAB/Simulink was 97.5%. It should be
noted that this efficiency concerns only the Converter 2 from
Fig. 29. During the experiments, the measure of the current in
the dc link was very difficult because of the very fast variations
of the current. On the other hand, it was simpler to measure
the power at the alternative sides of the converters 2 and 3,
respectively, and to determine the global efficiency of the dc-
link power converter, i.e., coupling the two converters and
the dc link. Thus, the global efficiency of the dc-link power
converter, which is determined by simulations, was about 95%.
For the IM-based FESS, the simulation results revealed an
IM efficiency of about 90%. The efficiency for one CDC of the
FESS was 77% at the dc-link side of the Converter 2 and 73%
at the network side of the Converter 3.
D. Experimental Results and FESS Efficiency Determination
The scheme of Fig. 29 was implemented on the test bench,
and experiments were carried out in order to determine the
FESS efficiency.
By considering the energy at the IM terminals, the efficiency
of the IM plus flywheel can be determined. The FESS efficiency
is determined from the energies at the network-side terminals of
the Converter 3 from Fig. 29. By comparing the energy at the
network side and the energy at the IM terminals, the efficiency
of the dc-link power converter can be determined [15].
Fig. 30 presents the experimental results of the IM-based
FESS. It can be shown that the IM efficiency was 88% in
the rated-load (charging) mode and 81% in the generator (dis-
charging) mode. The resulted dc-link power converter global
efficiency was 91% in charging and to 92% in discharging
operation, respectively.
Fig. 31 shows the variations of the FESS energy and the
flywheel energy for some CDCs of the IM-based FESS. The
positive values of the energy are for the charging operation
mode. This experiment allows the determination of the FESS
efficiency for one CDC (or only for one operating mode of the
FESS). Therefore, the experimentally obtained efficiency of the
IM-based FESS for one CDC was about 71% (at the network
side of the Converter 3).
Figs. 18 and 24 show that the maximum IM measured power
is about 1 kW, but this is only for some seconds. The IM average
power is around 0.5 kW. Hence, an IM of 0.75 kW would be
sufficient for the experimental FESS.
As the rated power of the IM under study is 3 kW, this
one will always operate under its rated power. This involves
a poor efficiency of the IM. Only for magnetizing it, the power
CIMUCA et al.: CONTROL AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A FESS ASSOCIATED TO A VSWG
Fig. 30. Experimental efficiency of the FESS with IM.
Fig. 31. FESS with the IM energy measured at the network side and the
flywheel’s kinetic energy.
needed is about 300 W. Consequently, the power delivered into
the network by the VSWG–FESS assembly is less than the
power delivered by the VSWG without FESS (Figs. 12, 15, and
21). Nevertheless, the VSWG–FESS assembly can contribute to
the ancillary services, which is not possible with a stand-alone
VSWG.
The IM-based FESS losses being quite important, this could
appear a disadvantage. However, bigger IMs have a better ef-
ficiency, thus representing a convenient solution for the FESSs
designed to be associated with the VSWGs.
IV. C ONCLUSION
This paper presents a control and performance evaluation of
a FESS associated to a VSWG. This paper’s aim is to prove
that a FESS containing a low-speed IM-flywheel assembly can
control the dc-link voltage of the grid-side power converter and
the power flow from the VSWG to the grid.
The FESS control strategy, two power-flow supervisors, and
the FESS IM control are treated. Experimental results are
1083
Fig. 32. Degree of membership of the input variables.
TABLE II
INFERENCE TABLE
presented in order to validate the theoretical concepts. The
FESS energetic performances evaluation is also considered for
determining the FESS losses and efficiency. Related simulation
and experimental results are presented.
A PPENDIX A
F UZZY -L OGIC -S UPERVISOR D ESIGN
Fig. 5 shows the inputs of the supervisory allowing deter-
mination of Preg . The fuzzy-logic supervisor is based on the
following principles.
1) If the flywheel rotational speed is too small, then the
storage is favored. A larger amount of the generated
power is used to charge the FESS, and a less power is
delivered to the mains.
2) If the flywheel rotational speed is too high, then the
generation is favored. A larger amount of the generated
power is delivered to the mains and a less power is stored.
3) If the flywheel rotational speed is medium, then the
system is under a normal operation. The mains receive
the filtered generated power Pwgf .
This was the basic idea when the fuzzy rules were established.
Fuzzyfication: The membership functions of the normalized
input variables are shown in Fig. 32. Three fuzzy sets are
considered: Small (S), Medium (M), and Big (B).
Inference: The fuzzy rules are determined from Table II.
Seven fuzzy sets are considered for the output variable: Very
Small (VS), Small (S), Small Medium (SM), Medium (M), Big
Medium (BM), Big (B), and Very Big (VB).
Defuzzyfication: The membership functions of the normal-
ized output variable are shown in Fig. 33.
1084 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONICS, VOL. 53, NO. 4, AUGUST 2006

and diesel generators,” in Proc. ICEM, Bruges, Belgium, Aug. 2002,

pp. 25–28.
[10] L. Leclercq, A. Ansel, and B. Robyns, “Autonomous high power variable
speed wind generator system,” in Proc. EPE, Toulouse, France, Sep. 2003,
CD-ROM.
[11] L. Leclercq, B. Robyns, and J. M. Grave, “Fuzzy logic based supervisor
of a flywheel energy storage system associated with wind and diesel
generators,” in Proc. 8th Int. Conf. Optimization Electr. and Electron.
Equipments—OPTIM, Brasov, Romania, May 2002, vol. 2, pp. 441–446.
[12] F. Hardan, J. A. M. Bleijs, R. Jones, and P. Bromley, “Bi-directional
power control for flywheel energy storage system with vector-controlled
induction machine drive,” in Proc. 7th Int. Conf. Power Electron. Variable
Fig. 33. Degree of membership of the output variable. Speed Drives (IEE Conf. Publ. No. 456), Sep. 21–23, 1998, pp. 477–482.
[13] Danish Wind Industry Association. [Online]. Available: http://www.
A PPENDIX B windpower.org/en/tour/wtrb/powerreg.htm
[14] S. Hurtado, G. Gostales, A. de Lara, N. Moreno, J. M. Carrasco,
FESS M AIN P ARAMETERS E. Galvan, J. A. Sanchez, and L. G. Franquelo, “A new power stabilization
control system based on making use of mechanical inertia of a variable-
IM-plus-flywheel parameters speed wind-turbine for stand-alone wind-diesel applications,” in Proc.
Number of poles 2p = 4. IEEE IECON 2002, Seville, Spain, Oct. 2002, pp. 3326–3331.
Stator resistance Rs = 0.76 Ω. [15] G. Cimuca, M. M. Radulescu, C. Saudemont, and B. Robyns, “Perfor-
mance analysis of an induction machine-based flywheel energy storage
Rotor resistance Rr = 0.76 Ω. system associated to a variable-speed wind generator,” in Proc. 9th Int.
Core-loss resistance Rµ = 293.3 Ω. Conf. Optimization Electr. and Electron. Equipments—OPTIM, Brasov,
Magnetizing inductance M = 77.67 mH. Romania, May 2004, vol. 2, pp. 319–326.
[16] T. Brückner and S. Bernet, “Investigation of a high-power three-level
Leakage inductance Lσ = 7.30 mH. quasi-resonant dc-link voltage-source inverter,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Appl.,
Stator inductance Ls = 81.32 mH. vol. 37, no. 2, pp. 619–627, Mar./Apr. 2001.
Rotor inductance Lr = 81.32 mH. [17] P. Bastiani, “Stratégies de commande minimisant les pertes d’un ensemble
convertisseur-machine alternative: Application à la traction électrique,”
Total leakage factor σ = 0.071. Ph.D. dissertation, Inst. Nat. des Sci. Appliquées de Lyon, Lyon, France,
Rated current I = 10.9 A. 2001.
FESS inertia J = 0.2085 kg · m2 . [18] C. Rivas and A. Rufer, “Comparaison des pertes des convertisseurs
pour systèmes de production d’énergie électrique à partir d’une pile à
Viscous friction coefficient B = 0.0011 N · m · s · rad−1 . combustible, Actes de 8ème Colloque,” in Proc. EPF, Lille, France,
dc-link parameters Nov. 29–Dec. 1, 2000, pp. 239–243.
Capacity C = 2200 µF.
Maximal voltage Vdc max = 800 V.
Power converter parameters
Gabriel O. Cimuca received the M.S. degree from
All the power converters are provided by SEMIKRON and the Electrical Engineering Faculty, Technical Uni-
are composed from a SKD 51/14 rectifier module, three SKM versity of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca, Romania, in
50 GB 123 D and one SKM 50 GAL 123 D IGBT modules 2001, and the Ph.D. degree jointly from the Tech-
nical University of Cluj-Napoca and the Ecole Na-
whose parameters are fully given at http://www.semikron.com. tionale Superieure d’Arts et Metiers de Lille, France,
in 2005, both in electrical engineering.
Between November 2001 and October 2005, he
R EFERENCES was a Ph.D. student in the Electrical Engineering
[1] R. Hebner, J. Beno, and A. Walls, “Flywheel batteries come around Faculty, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-
again,” IEEE Spectr., vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 46–51, Apr. 2002. Napoca, Romania, and at Ecole Nationale Superieure
[2] R. G. Lawrence, K. L. Craven, and G. D. Nichols, “Flywheel UPS,” IEEE d’Arts et Metiers (ENSAM) de Lille, France. He worked within the Laboratoire
Ind. Appl. Mag., vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 44–50, May/Jun. 2003. d’Electrotechnique et Electronique de Puissance (L2EP) de Lille, Lille, France,
[3] J. P. Barton and D. G. Infield, “Energy storage and its use with intermit- and was engaged in theoretical and experimental research on a flywheel energy
tent renewable energy,” IEEE Trans. Energy Convers., vol. 19, no. 2, storage system to be associated with a variable-speed wind generator. Since
pp. 441–448, Jun. 2004. March 2006, he has been with the Powertrain Department, Siemens VDO
[4] EUR 19978 Brochure: “Energy Storage—A Key Technology for Decen- Automotive, Timisoara, Romania. He is author or coauthor of 17 technical
tralized Power, Power Quality and Clean Transport”, 2001, Luxembourg: papers and reports.
Office for Official Publications of the European Communities. [Online]. Dr. Cimuca received the 3rd and 2nd Prize Awards at the Romanian High-
Available: www.cordis.lu/eesd/src/lib_misc.htm School Competition in Electrotechnics in 1995 and 1996, respectively.
[5] R. Cardenas, R. Pena, G. Asher, and J. Clare, “Control strategies for en-
hanced power smoothing in wind energy systems using a flywheel driven
by a vector-controlled induction machine,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron.,
vol. 48, no. 3, pp. 625–635, Jun. 2001. Christophe Saudemont received the Ph.D. degree
[6] R. Cardenas, R. Pena, G. Asher, J. Clare, and R. Blasco-Giménez, in electrical engineering from the Science and Tech-
“Control strategies for power smoothing using a flywheel driven by a nology University of Lille, Lille, France, in 1999.
sensorless vector-controlled induction machine operating in a wide speed Since 2001, he has been with the Depart-
range,” IEEE Trans. Ind. Electron., vol. 51, no. 3, pp. 603–614, Jun. 2004. ment of Electrical Engineering, Ecole des Hautes
[7] L. Leclercq, B. Robyns, and J.-M. Grave, “Control based on fuzzy logic Etudes d’Ingenieur, Lille, France. Since 2002, he
of a flywheel energy storage system associated with wind and diesel has also been a Researcher with the Laboratoire
generators,” Math. Comput. Simul., vol. 63, no. 3–5, pp. 271–280, 2003. d’Electrotechnique et Electronique de Puissance de
[8] L. Leclercq, C. Saudemont, B. Robyns, G. Cimuca, and M. M. Radulescu, Lille, Lille, France. His research interests include
“Flywheel energy storage system to improve the integration of wind renewable energies, decentralized electric energy
generators into a network,” Electromotion, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 647–652, production, and integration of dispersed renewable
2003. energy sources.
[9] L. Leclercq, A. Kamagate, B. Robyns, and J.-M. Grave, “Modelling Dr. Saudemont is a member of the Société française des Electriciens et des
and simulation of a flywheel energy storage system associated with wind Electroniciens.
CIMUCA et al.: CONTROL AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION OF A FESS ASSOCIATED TO A VSWG
Benoît Robyns (M’96) was born in Brussels, Bel-
gium, in 1963. He received the Ingénieur Civil Elec-
tricien and Docteur en Sciences Appliquées degrees
from the Université Catholique de Louvain, Louvain-
la-Neuve, Belgium, in 1987 and 1993, respectively,
and the Habilitation á Diriger des Recherches degree
from the Université des Sciences et Technologies de
Lille, Lille, France, in 2000.
From 1988 to 1995, he was with the Laboratory
of Electrotechnics and Instrumentation, Faculty of
Applied Sciences, Catholic University of Louvain, as
an Assistant. Since 1995, he has been with the Department of Electrotechnics,
Ecole des Hautes Etudes d’Ingénieur, Lille, France, where he is currently
the Department Head. Since 1998, he has also been with the Laboratory of
Electrotechnics and Power Electronics of Lille, Lille, France, as a Researcher,
where he is currently the Head of the Electrical Network and Energetic Systems
research team. He is the author and coauthor of more than 100 papers in
the fields of digital control of electrical machines, renewable energies, and
distributed generation.
Prof. Robyns is a member of the Société Franse des Electriciens et des
Electroniciens, the Société Royale Belge des Electriciens, and the European
Power Electronics Association.
1085
Mircea M. Radulescu (M’94–SM’99) was born in
Cluj-Napoca, Romania, on September 4, 1954. He
received the Dipl.-Ing. degree (with honors) from the
Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca,
Romania, in 1978 and the Dr.-Ing. degree from
the Polytechnic University of Timisoara, Timisoara,
Romania, in 1993, both in electrical engineering.
In 1983, he joined the Faculty of Electrical Engi-
neering, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, where
he is currently a Full Professor in the Department of
Electric Machines and the Head of the Small Electric
Motors and Electric Traction Group. He was an Invited Research Associate with
the Laboratoire d’Electromécanique et de Machines Electriques, Ecole Poly-
technique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, during 1990-1991 and with the
Laboratoire d’Electrotechnique de Grenoble, Institut National Polytechnique
de Grenoble, France, during 1992-1993. He was an Invited Professor with
Helsinki University of Technology, Finland, in 1997; Rheinisch-Westfälische
Technische Hochschule Aachen, Germany, in 1999; the University of Akron,
OH, in 1999 and 2001; the Université ‘Pierre et Marie Curie’ (Paris VI), France,
in 2002; and the Université de Picardie ‘Jules Verne’ Amiens, France, in 2003.
He is the author and coauthor of ten scientific monographs, multiauthor books,
and textbooks, and of more than 100 published scientific papers in refereed
technical journals and international conference and symposium proceedings.
His teaching and research activities include computer-aided design of electro-
mechanical devices; field analysis of electromagnetic structures; design and
control of small electric motors; actuators and mechatronic drives; design,
control, and electromagnetic compatibility of electric traction systems; and
ferrohydrodynamics.
Prof. Radulescu is a Foundation Member of the Romanian Association of
Small Electric Machines Builders, an Associate Editor of the international
scientific quarterly ELECTROMOTION, and a Member of the International
Steering Committee of several conferences and symposia in the field of electric
motor drives and electric traction. His biography is listed in Who’s Who in the
World (Editions 1997–1999) and Who’s Who in Romania (Edition 2002).