Alternative to Flywheels

[Danno]

Thanks for the reponses to the previous post on flywheels. Clearly,
one of the prime issues is cost. The problems asociated with the high
performance nature of flywheels also appear to be a significant
drawback.
Anthony Matonak commented on using a very large device housed in an
outbuilding, got me thinking in larger scales, thought I'd float this
idea :
Instead of a large spinning flywheel, how about a large dead weight
on a vertical guide with a heavy chain secured to the top. The chain
leads to a set of reduction gears, which lead to a generator/motor.
When your system is generating excess power, the motor spins and slowly
pulls the dead weight up. When you need power, the weight drops, spinning
the generator.
Guess while I'm in this vein, I should inquire if there are other
forms of kinetic / potential energy storage in use (other than water)?

 

[Vaughn Simon]

Instead of a large spinning flywheel, how about a large dead weight
on a vertical guide with a heavy chain secured to the top. The chain
leads to a set of reduction gears, which lead to a generator/motor.
When your system is generating excess power, the motor spins and slowly
pulls the dead weight up. When you need power, the weight drops, spinning
the generator.

So now you are storing energy in the form of potential energy rather than
kinetic energy. Before you go any farther, do the math and figure out how high
you would have to raise "X" weight to store one kilowatt/hour of energy.

Google is your friend for units conversions, but to get you started:

1 Ft/# = .0013 BTU and

1 KW/Hr - 3413 BTU

Have fun and let us know...

Vaughn

 

[Eeyore]

Thanks for the reponses to the previous post on flywheels. Clearly,
one of the prime issues is cost.

Not to mention frictional losses, bearing availability and replacement, and the
tendency of flywheels with high stored energy to explode from the forces
involved.

Graham

 

[Arnold Walker]

Not to mention frictional losses, bearing availability and replacement,
and the
tendency of flywheels with high stored energy to explode from the forces
involved.

The bearings are magnetic on most of the modern gyros and the like.....

 

[Danno]

Thanks for the reponses to the previous post on flywheels. Clearly,
one of the prime issues is cost. The problems asociated with the high
performance nature of flywheels also appear to be a significant
drawback.

For those of you googling this post, a response to my previous post
on flywheels (from HVAC guy) contained this link:
http://home.hccnet.nl/david.dirkse/math/energy.html
Has some decent information.