Flywheel Energy Storage for Regional Rail Vehicles Matthew Read 1, Roderick A Smith 1, Keith Pullen...

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Flywheel Energy Storage for Regional Rail Vehicles Matthew Read 1 , Roderick A Smith 1 , Keith Pullen 2 1 Future Railway Research Centre, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, 2 School of Engineering and Mathematics, City University London UK Rail Energy Consumption Transportation currently accounts for a large percentage of total carbon dioxide emissions in the UK. Concerns over global warming, increasing fuel prices and energy security are driving the development of new technologies with the potential to increase vehicle efficiency and reduce primary energy consumption. The use of an electrical supply network for rail vehicles allows the system to make full use of developments in the field of clean electricity production, and enables simple recovery of braking energy. Diesel powered trains, however, are widely used and account for around forty percent of the total UK rail energy consumption. Improving the efficiency of this type of vehicle therefore represents an opportunity to reduce both carbon dioxide emissions and operating costs. Mechanical Flywheel System A mechanical transmission system offers a potentially efficient way of enabling regenerative braking with the high specific energy and power of flywheel storage. It is proposed that a simple gearbox incorporating a planetary gear set (PGS) can be used with a small secondary energy storage system (SESS) to allow efficient and rapid charging and discharging of the flywheel. The configuration and operation of the system is illustrated below. FRRC SESS provides initial acceleration before discharging flywheel Flywheel stores 85% of total energy 82% of flywheel energy passes directly through PGS to vehicle Hybrid Rail Vehicles High inertia losses for diesel- hydrodynamic trains indicate that regenerative braking can significantly reduce fuel consumption. A simple strategy is to use stored energy to provide initial vehicle acceleration, reducing inefficient transmission operation and engine idling while stationary. Simulated fuel savings for a system capable of accelerating the vehicle to 80km/h are shown below as a function of station spacing. Rail Energy Consumption by Type Source: ‘Improving the efficiency of traction energy use’, RSSB report, 2007 Typical Energy Usage Relatively small station spacing, low speed Hydrodynamic transmissions Simulation Results for Typical Duty Cycle 0 100 200 300 400 0 50 100 150 Tim e (s) V elocity (km/h) V veh V lim it Energy Storage System The choice of energy storage device is key to hybrid system performance. A Ragone plot can be used to identify appropriate devices on the basis of specific energy and power. Other considerations include: system requirements of device cost, reliability and lifespan ease of integration with vehicle platform aims of power control strategy High-speed flywheels combine a range of advantages; our research is investigating their potential for rail applications. Batteries Super- capacitors Electrolytic capacitors Film caps High-speed flywheels Braking times HST LU train Ragone Plot of Energy Storage Devices 0 30 60 90 0 15 30 45 Tim e (s) E nergy (M J) 0 30 60 90 -2 -1 0 1 2 Tim e (s) Power(M W ) Simulation Results for Discharge/Charge Cycle (assuming no transmission losses) Vehicle Flywheel SESS Schematic Diagram of Proposed System A detailed component based model of the flywheel system has been developed (using a hydraulic SESS) which predicts a round- trip efficiency of around 75%. An experimental test-rig will be used to validate system performance for representative duty cycles, and will allow investigation of alternative configurations. Contact details Email: [email protected] Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 7203 0 100 200 300 400 0 0.5 1 Tim e (s) Transmission efficiency

Transcript of Flywheel Energy Storage for Regional Rail Vehicles Matthew Read 1, Roderick A Smith 1, Keith Pullen...

Page 1: Flywheel Energy Storage for Regional Rail Vehicles Matthew Read 1, Roderick A Smith 1, Keith Pullen 2 1 Future Railway Research Centre, Department of Mechanical.

Flywheel Energy Storage for Regional Rail VehiclesMatthew Read1, Roderick A Smith1, Keith Pullen2

1Future Railway Research Centre, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, 2School of Engineering and Mathematics, City University London

UK Rail Energy Consumption

Transportation currently accounts for a large percentage of total carbon dioxide emissions in the UK. Concerns over global warming, increasing fuel prices and energy security are driving the development of new technologies with the potential to increase vehicle efficiency and reduce primary energy consumption.

The use of an electrical supply network for rail vehicles allows the system to make full use of developments in the field of clean electricity production, and enables simple recovery of braking energy. Diesel powered trains, however, are widely used and account for around forty percent of the total UK rail energy consumption. Improving the efficiency of this type of vehicle therefore represents an opportunity to reduce both carbon dioxide emissions and operating costs.

Mechanical Flywheel System

A mechanical transmission system offers a potentially efficient way of enabling regenerative braking with the high specific energy and power of flywheel storage. It is proposed that a simple gearbox incorporating a planetary gear set (PGS) can be used with a small secondary energy storage system (SESS) to allow efficient and rapid charging and discharging of the flywheel. The configuration and operation of the system is illustrated below.

FRRC

• SESS provides initial acceleration before discharging flywheel

• Flywheel stores 85% of total energy

• 82% of flywheel energy passes directly through PGS to vehicle

Hybrid Rail Vehicles

High inertia losses for diesel-hydrodynamic trains indicate that regenerative braking can significantly reduce fuel consumption. A simple strategy is to use stored energy to provide initial vehicle acceleration, reducing inefficient transmission operation and engine idling while stationary.

Simulated fuel savings for a system capable of accelerating the vehicle to 80km/h are shown below as a function of station spacing.

Rail Energy Consumption by Type

Source: ‘Improving the efficiency of traction energy use’, RSSB report, 2007

Typical Energy Usage

• Relatively small station spacing, low speed

• Hydrodynamic transmissions

Simulation Results for Typical Duty Cycle

0 100 200 300 4000

50

100

150

Time (s)

Ve

loci

ty(k

m/h

)

0 100 200 300 4000

0.5

1

Time (s)

Tra

nsm

issi

on

effi

cie

ncy

Vveh

Vlimit

Energy Storage System

The choice of energy storage device is key to hybrid system performance. A Ragone plot can be used to identify appropriate devices on the basis of specific energy and power. Other considerations include:• system requirements of device

• cost, reliability and lifespan

• ease of integration with vehicle platform

• aims of power control strategy

High-speed flywheels combine a range of advantages; our research is investigating their potential for rail applications.

Batteries

Super-capacitors Electrolytic

capacitors Filmcaps

High-speedflywheels

Braking times

HST

LU train

Ragone Plot of Energy Storage Devices

0 30 60 900

15

30

45

Time (s)

En

erg

y (M

J)

0 30 60 90-2

-1

0

1

2

Time (s)

Po

we

r (M

W)

Simulation Results for Discharge/ChargeCycle (assuming no transmission losses)

Vehicle

Flywheel

SESS

Schematic Diagram of Proposed System

A detailed component based model of the flywheel system has been developed (using a hydraulic SESS) which predicts a round-trip efficiency of around 75%. An experimental test-rig will be used to validate system performance for representative duty cycles, and will allow investigation of alternative configurations.

Contact detailsEmail: [email protected]

Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 7203

0 100 200 300 4000

50

100

150

Time (s)

Ve

loci

ty(k

m/h

)

0 100 200 300 4000

0.5

1

Time (s)

Tra

nsm

issi

on

effi

cie

ncy

Vveh

Vlimit