Flywheels
JOHN R. HULL
Argonne National Laboratory
Argonne, Illinois, United States
1. Introduction
2. Rotor
3. Bearings
4. Power Input and Output
5. Containment
6. Applications
Glossary
flywheel Rotating object, such as a wheel, often used for
opposing and moderating by its inertia any fluctuation
in speed in the machinery with which it revolves; also
capable of storing mechanical energy.
high-temperature superconductor (HTS) A superconduc-
tor with a critical temperature above the boiling point
of nitrogen.
motor/generator (M/G) Combined motor and generator
used to convert between the mechanical energy of the
flywheel and electrical energy.
rotational kinetic energy Energy in the form of rotational
motion given by the quantity KE ¼ 1/2 Io2, where KE is
the kinetic energy (units of joules), I is the moment of
inertia (units of kgm2, and o is the rotational speed
(units of rad/s).
specific energy Energy stored divided by mass of object
(units of m2/s2).
The flywheel, often in the form of a spinning disk
or cylinder, stores rotational kinetic energy. As an
integral part of the spindle whorl and the potter’s
wheel, the flywheel is among the most ancient
mechanical devices known to humans. The use of
the wheel for storing energy seems to be older than
its use as a means of supporting vehicles. The
flywheel is a fundamental element of many machines,
opposing and moderating by its inertia any fluctua-
tion of speed in the machinery with which it revolves.
The flywheel principle is also used in several toys
such as the top and the yo-yo. More recently,
Encyclopedia of Energy, Volume 2. r 2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
flywheels have been used as mechanical batteries to
store energy for electrical applications. If a motor/
generator (M/G) is attached to a flywheel, rotational
kinetic energy may be transformed easily and
efficiently into electrical energy and vice versa.
1. INTRODUCTION
The essential components of the flywheel are the
rotor, bearings, power conversion, and containment.
The rotor is the rotating mass in which the energy is
stored. The bearings connect the rotating part of the
flywheel to a nonrotating platform. Conversion of
the stored energy to mechanical power may be
accomplished with a mechanical linkage such as a
transmission gear. When the flywheel is used as a
mechanical battery, a motor/generator (M/G) con-
verts energy between rotating kinetic and electrical.
Flywheels are capable of attaining high specific
energy, and tip speeds of high-performance flywheels
are several times the speed of sound in air. Such
flywheels are contained in a vacuum vessel, and an
additional safety-related structure often surrounds
the flywheel to contain possible debris in case of
failure.
The kinetic energy E of a rotating rigid body is
E ¼ 1=2 Io2 ;
where I is the moment of inertia of the body about
the axis of rotation and o is the angular frequency of
rotation. The flywheel increases its rotational speed
as energy is accumulated. The flywheel slows when it
discharges energy for use.
A distinctive feature of all flywheel energy storage
(FES) systems is their very high power density. They
can be charged at very high rates and deliver very
high powers, with the only limit being the rating of
the transmission system and the torque the flywheel
itself can withstand. Power densities greater than
500 W/kg are commonplace. The specific energy of a
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