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General information
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Description
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Principle The fly-wheel is an electro-mechanical energy storage system based on rotating masses. It is a powerful storage system which may be used in a number of application contexts in railways, mainly: Comparison to other storage technologies As can be seen from the Ragone diagram in Figure 1, fly-wheels are characterised by both high energy and high power densities making them an attractive storage technology for braking energy storage in rail vehicles. Compared to double-layer capacitors have a good cycle life and thus long lifetime. Figure 1: Ragone diagram Source: Schneuwly 2002 Technical details The fly-wheel system consists of the following main components: rotor in an almost frictionless bearing motor/generator power electronics. Rotor: Since the stored energy is proportional to the rotor mass and to the square of the rotational speed, the rotor needs to combine high mass and high speed tolerance. The rotor of state-of-the-art fly-wheels is a hollow cylinder primarily made of carbon fibre composite. Advantages of this material (as compared to steel rotors) lie in its tearing stability allowing much higher rotation speeds and its favourable crashing behaviour saving difficult protection measures. Drawbacks of carbon fibre composites are: relatively small mass (limiting storing capacity since energy content is proportional to mass) and difficult manufacturing process. Bearings and vacuum housing: In order to minimise bearing friction, most of the rotor weight can be borne by magnetic forces. The rotor housing is evacuated, thus minimising air friction losses. In some fly-wheels inert gases are used instead of a vacuum. Motor/generator unit: For an optimum compact system design the motor/generator (M/G) unit is integrated inside the hollow rotor. Rotation speed: 25.000-30.000 rpm Energy content: typically between 6 - 12 kWh of which only about 75 % can be used since the generator is not operable at very low rotor speeds. Energy densities of current fly-wheels attain 20 kWh/m3. Charging and discharging times: medium (between double-layer capacitors and batteries). Efficiency: >90%. Figure 2 shows the technical data of the fly-wheel used in the LIREX experimental train. Figure 2: Technical data of the LIREX fly-wheel Manufacturer | WTZ Rosslau | Energy content | 6 kWh | Maximum power | 350 kW | Duration of the complete charging cycle | For 350 kW | Efficiency including frequency converter (charging/discharging) | > 90% | Idling losses | 2,5 – 7 kW | Voltage [V] | 550 – 750 | Rotor material | Carbon fibre / epoxy resin | Diameter of the rotor | 700 mm | Maximum speed | 25.000 r/min | Minimum speed | 12.500 r/min | Type of bearing | Precision ball bearings with lubricating oil circuit | Type of motor | Synchronous motor, permanent excitation | Life | 20 years | Suspension of storage fly-wheel | Resilient mountings | Working temperature range | From –40°C to 60°C | Dimensions of the complete system | 1900 x 1625 x 1080 mm3 | Mass including the carrying frame | 1300 kg | Source: Witthuhn 2001 Gyro-effects Due to rotational mechanics, fly-wheel operation theoretically has an impact on the wheel-set forces. However, calculations made for the Lirex experimental train show that these gyro-effects are negligible. Fields of application - Diesel-electric busses (problem: diesel busses have to be refitted for diesel-electric operation first)
- Trolley busses
- Discussed for hybrid-electric cars (application hardly profitable due to low number of cycles)
- On-board and stationary use in railways (DC mass transit and diesel-electric regional trains)
- Industrial applications
Manufacturers Magnet-Motor GmbH Starnberg (Germany), WTZ Rosslau (Germany), etc. |
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General criteria
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Status of development: in use |
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Stationary storage
Fly-wheel storage was/is used in stationary applications for local trains in
Cologne, Hannover and few other European cities. Experience from Cologne showed
technical problems which led to the abandoning of the system. The application in
Hannover based on a steel fly-wheel is operated successfully.
On-board storage
Deutsche Bahn AG plans to integrate an on-board fly-wheel in their Lirex
experimental train. However, the development of the 6 kWh fly-wheel has run into
difficulties. Therefore the fly-wheel version of the Lirex will be delayed and
Deutsche Bahn plans to start regular service of the Lirex in December 2002
without an energy storage system. It is planned to integrate the fly-wheel
system later. |
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Time horizon for broad application: 5 - 10 years |
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According to WTZ Rosslau, stationary applications in light city rail systems could reach 30% market diffusion within 5 years (as of 2002). |
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Expected technological development: dynamic |
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cf. Application outside railway sector - Expected technological development outside railway sector |
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Motivation:
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If used as a storage technology for braking energy, the motivation is saving energy.
Other possible applications include catenary-free operation of city trams. |
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Benefits (other than environmental): not applicable |
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Maturity
Despite technological challenges still to be mastered, fly-wheel technology
is relatively mature.
Lifetime
According to WTZ Rosslau, fly-wheels have a cycle life of about 5 million
which corresponds to a lifetime of twenty years in a railway application, ten
times more than today’s double-layer capacitors. |
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Barriers: high |
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Costs
Investment costs of fly-wheels available on the market are still high.
Technological maturity
Small fly-wheel systems (~ 2 kWh, ~ 150 kW) as needed for busses are
available on the market (Magnet-Motor Starnberg). Early failures (such as false
system reactions due to sensor levels adjusted too low or mechanical problems
with fixation of certain subcomponents) have been resolved in the meantime.
Reliable higher power/energy classes based on steel technology exist for
stationary applications. The operation of a stationary fly-wheel (by
Magnet-Motor) in the Cologne KVB network has been stopped because of low
reliability.
Technological competition
Recent progress in the development of double-layer capacitors makes a
wide-spread diffusion of fly-wheel technology uncertain. |
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Success factors:
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(no details available) |
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Applicability for railway segments: medium |
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Type of traction: electric - DC, electric - AC, diesel
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Type of transportation: passenger - main lines, passenger - regional lines, passenger - suburban lines, freight
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- On-board use in diesel-electric vehicles to store braking energy.
- On-board use in DC systems to raise recuperation rate
- Stationary use in DC systems to raise recuperation
rate
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Grade of diffusion into railway markets:
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Diffusion into relevant segment of fleet: 0 % |
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Share of newly purchased stock: 0 % |
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- No on-board in-service application yet.
- Very few stationary applications.
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Market potential (railways): low |
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- An economic use of fly-wheel technology will be mainly possible as
stationary installation in light rail and mass transit systems.
- An on-board application in diesel-electric vehicles may be profitable in
some networks with frequent stops.
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Example:
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Lirex experimental train (planned for in the future). |
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Environmental criteria
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Impacts on energy efficiency:
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Energy efficiency potential for single vehicle: > 10% |
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Energy efficiency potential throughout fleet: (no data) |
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Depends on application context.
Cf. Stationary energy storage in DC systems, Diesel-electric vehicles with energy storage and On-board energy storage in DC systems. |
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Other environmental impacts: neutral |
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(no details available) |
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Economic criteria
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Vehicle - fix costs: high |
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WTZ Rosslau that the market price of the fly-wheel currently developed (6 kWh / 350 kW) will be roughly 200.000 EURO. This is the market price and does not cover the total development costs of the joint project between Alstom and WTZ Rosslau. |
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Vehicle - running costs: significant reduction |
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Energy costs
Energy costs are significantly reduced.
Maintenance
The only known in-service use of fly-wheels in railways is a stationary fly-wheel storage system in a substation at Kölner Verkehrs-Betriebe AG (KVB), Cologne, Germany. There is however no data available on maintenance experience.
Maintenance experience with Magnetmotor fly-wheels used in Basel trolley busses
The maintenance intervals of the fly-wheels used in trolley busses in Basel are defined to 3500 operation hours. The manufacturer Magnetmotor claims that specific tests with bearings and lubrication prove that maintenance intervals of 6,000 h are possible and that for the power electronic the statistic MTBF (mean time between failure) is more than 40,000 hours.
Currently the maintenance of the MDS fly-wheel is done at Magnetmotor, i.e. the system has to be removed from the vehicle sent to the manufacturer. Typical maintenance includes checking of components and the system as a whole, cleaning and lubricating or exchanging the bearings. The average maintenance time is about one working day.
By 2000, the average repair requirements was down to one repair every 38,000 hours of operation (equivalent to one repair in 8 years per fly-wheel). |
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Infrastructure - fix costs: none |
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(no details available) |
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Infrastructure - running costs: unchanged |
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(no details available) |
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Scale effects: low |
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Scale effects are to be expected from a more wide-spread use of fly-wheels. However, a mass market for fly-wheel technology will not exist in the foreseeable future. According to WTZ Rosslau production of 100 fly-wheels will not yield any price effects. This would require selling at least 10.000 systems, a figure only to be reached in automotive mass market where fly-wheels have little or no potential. |
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Amortisation: > 5 years |
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Payback time depends on application context but is generally long. Study at NS In a study made in 1998, NS calculated that the energy savings pay off the investment to a great extent but not completely. The amortisation period is between 17 and 30 years. For an energy price of 13 ct/kWh at NS, the return on investment is 0,35-0,6. NS expects that this situation could improve in the future by growing energy prices. The payback time is quite pessimistic. Lirex The situation should have improved in the meantime due to technological progress. DB AG assumes that the investment for the Lirex fly-wheel system will pay off easily within the lifetime of the vehicle currently planned to be around 15 years. Diesel-electric vs. stationary applications in DC systems According to WTZ Rosslau, stationary applications in local DC systems will generally have a better cost-benefit ration than on-board storage systems in regional diesel-electric stock. |
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Application outside railway sector
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Status of development outside railway sector: in use |
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Since 1988, small fly-wheel systems (2 kWh, 150 kW) have been in use in electric busses for urban transport in several European cities. Fly-wheels made by the Magnetmotor GmbH have been in use in diesel-electric city buses since 1988. Since 1992, 12 trolley buses with fly-wheels have been running in Basel, Switzerland, with a total of more than 200.000 operating hours. |
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Time horizon for broad application outside railway sector: in 5 - 10 years |
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(no details available) |
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Expected technological development outside railway sector: highly dynamic |
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Energy densities of current fly-wheels attain 20 kWh/m3. Experts claim that a 5-fold increase of this figure is possible.
The use of superconductors instead of conventional magnets for the bearing of the fly-wheel would lead to a further reduction of losses. |
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Market potential outside railway sector: small |
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Since an application of fly-wheels in private cars is highly doubtful, there is no mass market for fly-wheel technology in the foreseeable future. The main market is diesel-electric busses and city rail systems. This means that demand will no exceed a few hundred fly-wheel systems. |
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Overall rating
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Overall potential: promising |
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Time horizon: long-term |
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Fly-wheel technology is a promising solution for energy storage systems. First in-service experience from trolley busses and stationary storage in a light city rail DC system show principal technological feasibility and reliability. High power fly-wheels for on-board storage in DMUs are still under development. Main barriers for fly-wheels are high initial investment and long payback times. Best cost-benefit ratio is reached for stationary storage systems in local DC systems. Scale effects will be small in the foreseeable future since no mass markets exist. Growing technological competition from double-layer capacitors make a wide-spread use of fly-wheel technology uncertain. Nevertheless, due to long life-time and relatively high maturity, fly-wheels are still a promising technology. |