🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Dec17.011649.987@cmkrnl.com> jeh@cmkrnl.com writes:
>In article <1992Dec16.192456.6261@news.cs.brandeis.edu>,
> andyh@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu (Andrew J. Huang) writes:
>> <I have to admit an emotional response to this since I think that
>> flywheels have tremendous potential.>
>
>The flywheel is a great way to store mechanical energy.  However I'm not
>certain about the means for using it.  Somehow the energy must be gotten 
>outside of the container.  Mechanical couplings are probably out -- too much

I would opt for direct utilization of the mechanical energy coming out
of the flywheel.  If you've got a magnetic coupling, consider it a
clutch and run it to your transmission.  Forget the lossy mechanical
to electric, electric to mechanical conversions.

I don't consider flywheels to be batteries for electric cars.  They
are a high output energy reservoir that can be filled from an onboard
low power high efficiency IC engine.  That way we have the best of
both worlds - a fuel tank of explosives and disk of intense kinetic
energy.

-andy