Optimizing Energy Storage Capacity Metallic Flywheel Rotor Stress Concentration Reduction

Technique

Adham Samanoudy
School of Engineering
University of the West of England (UWE) Bristol, UK
Student ID: 18045371
Abstract-Flywheel and other energy storage devices rotors, which are costly and significantly have energy
can be used for load levelling and short-term energy losses. Concerns about safety with exceptionally
storage. Nevertheless, the energy storage capacity of stressed monolithic rotors are eliminated with the
metallic flywheel rotors is limited due to their steel laminated rotor design. Compared to a composite
susceptibility to material failure and stress KES (Kinetic Energy System) flywheel system with
concentration. To optimize flywheel rotors design by lead acid batteries, it has a far longer service life and
lowering stress concentration, a novel technique is
proposed in this work. Regions with large PARAMETER FLYWHEEL TECHNOLOGY LEAD
concentrations of stress are identified and rotor Steel Composite ACID
stresses are modelled using finite element analysis. BATTERY
30WH/KG Mechanical Chemical
Effective reduction of peak stress levels is LIFESPAN >20 years 5 –15 years
demonstrated by selective rotor shape adjustments LIFECYCLE 3
8x10 cycles (for 20-year 1000
based on fillet introduction. Reduced stress life) Cycles
concentration allows for a higher rotating velocity LOSSES Very High (5% per hour) Very Low
in the rotor design, which increases the amount of (2-5% per
month)
energy stored. An increase of 12% in stored energy TOLERANCE Very High Very Low
is shown when the suggested technique is applied TO
to a sample metallic rotor shape. By reducing the OVERCHARGE
focused stress concentration, this offers a workable AND DEEP
method of flywheel optimization for energy storage DISCHARGE
COST/KWH $400-800 $50-100
applications.
ENVIRONMEN Very Low Low High
TAL IMPACT
Keyword - Flywheel, reduced stress concentration, SPECIFIC 70Wh/Kg 14Wh/kg (e- 30Wh/kg
optimization, metallic rotor shape. ENERGY (Plain disc glass)
rotor)
I. Introduction 75.7Wh/kg 300Wh/kg
(Rotor disc (Carbon
A) Flywheel Energy Storage Background with AS4C)
elliptical
For hundreds of years, flywheels have been NC holes)
employed as energy storage devices, as a flywheel is a far less environmental impact.
rotor that stores kinetic energy by revolving around an Table 1 Cost Benefit Analysis of Steel flywheel technology (Lamare
axis. An electric motor accelerates the flywheel's spin et al, 2013)
by converting electrical power into kinetic energy.
The flywheel's moment of inertia and angular velocity Flywheel systems have a better energy density than
determine how much energy it can hold. The flywheel lead acid batteries, although being more expensive.
keeps more energy the easier it turns. Conversely, by The value is further increased by adding elliptical
supplying a decelerating force to the flywheel, the holes to the rotor. The primary issue for flywheel
electric motor recovers the kinetic energy to electric technology is lowering the self-discharge rate, or
power as a generator. Flywheel energy storage has energy loss over time. Development in low-EMD
recently advanced, showing its potential for generators and bearing technologies are both
integration with sustainable energy sources and contributing to this effort (Pullen et al, 2017).
electrical grids. Nonetheless, most systems in use
B) Overview of flywheel energy systems
today were created for UPS (Uninterruptible Power
Supply) and frequency control purposes. Usually, they An energy-storing spinning mass is used in a
have rotors made of fibre-reinforced composite that flywheel, an inertial energy storage device. A
are magnetically bearing-built. It is still not possible revolving cylindrical body that stores kinetic energy is
to create a large-scale, reasonably priced flywheel what a flywheel rotor is often made of. Flywheels are
energy storage device for a wider variety of uses, such well recognized for their ability to be employed as
as load shifting. The difficulties brought on by the energy storage devices, even though their most
need for energy storage that is secure, effective, and common usage is to moderate speed variations in
ecologically friendly could be greatly impacted by machinery (like engines). Flywheel energy may be
flywheel technology. It is still relatively new to transformed into mechanical energy and then stored
construct flywheel rotors using steel laminated; most by joining the rotor to a motor/generator unit.
recent designs have concentrated on high-speed Operating as both a generator and a motor, the

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 Optimizing Energy Storage Capacity Metallic Flywheel Rotor Stress Concentration Reduction
Technique

motor/generator unit may recover energy from the

flywheel by accelerating it. Diagrams showing a
flywheel energy storage system’s main parts and
operation are displayed. There are three main parts of
a flywheel energy storage system. According to
(Pentadiene et al 2007) these elements and their roles
are as follows:

Figure 2 Dynamic model with a rotor. The j-to ball in the bearing
has a contact deformation of II (Henber et al, 2002)

C) Benefits and applications of flywheel energy

storage system
In comparison to conventional chemical batteries,
flywheel energy storage systems, also referred to as
flywheel batteries, could store a large amount more
Figure 1 Flywheel Energy storage system (Pentadiene et al, 2006) energy per unit of mass. This is crucial when storing
the most amount of energy possible in the lowest
 Rotor amount of bulk possible (such as in spacecraft).
Flywheel batteries also have a higher specific power.
A hub and rim make up a full rotor assembly. More than 90% of the energy stored in flywheel can
Kinetic energy is the form that the rotating rotor stores be recovered if they are combined with magnetic
the energy in. Most of the energy is stored in the bearing and sophisticated motor/generator systems,
rotor’s main rotational mass, or the rim. The rim and which is a significantly higher efficiency than
shaft are joined by the hub. conventional chemical batteries, which can only
recover less than 80% of the energy input (Hebner et
 Motor/generator al, 2002). Flywheel batteries’ high energy storage
Energy can be converted in an electromechanical efficiency results in weight and dimension reductions,
interface due to a Motor/Generator, when the machine which are essential qualities for vehicle applications.
functions as a motor, the charging procedure entails Satellites use Flywheel Energy Storage System,
storing energy in the flywheel energy storage system. because of its high efficiency and rapid recharging
However, when applied as a generator, the flywheel times, even though can also take advantage of the
energy storage system is discharged. The generator is additional benefits of the gyroscopic effect to regulate
a device that gets back electricity by reducing the the satellite’s motion in orbit. Attraction in Flywheel
rotor after supplying the motor with electrical energy. Energy Storage System has increased because to the
Typically, hub and shaft are used to transfer torque recent advancements in power electronics technology,
from the rotor rim to motor/generator unit during rotor new lightweight, robust materials, magnetic bearings.
acceleration and deceleration. The motor and
generator are often merged into a single unit to save
weight and expense of the flywheel system because
power input and output processes usually vary in time
(Hebner et al, 2002).

 Rotor bearing
Low resistance from rotor rotation is made
possible by the mechanical or magnetic bearings that
support the revolving flywheel shaft. Magnetic
bearings are chosen over mechanical ones because
bearing friction results in energy loss.

Figure 3 Mounting bracket and flywheel for NASA (NASA G2

flywheel, 2024)

The flywheel energy storage systems have a wide

range of uses:

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 Optimizing Energy Storage Capacity Metallic Flywheel Rotor Stress Concentration Reduction
Technique

 UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply)

A UPS is a type of electronic control equipment
with a right of way energy storage capability. For
high-power flywheels, a UPS is regarded as one of
most helpful forms of power supply for situations
running no longer than 15 seconds. 97% of power
outages occur for less than one second, which causes
problems with voltage and frequency, and 80% of
power outages last for less than three seconds. When
used in conjunction with a UPS, these applications
serve as file backups during a failure and supply
electricity when the grid is down. This happens until
another power source is restored. Batteries are often
employed as storage in UPS systems. One of the most
developed items in the world is the UPS system
created with this FESS. Among the vendors are Active Figure 5 Applications of flywheels in vehicles (Henber et al., 2002).
Power, Piller, VYCON, and Power thru. Reluctant in
nature, the Active Power motor’s flywheel rotates at a A flywheel system installed on the S60 sedan’s rear
rate of 7700 revolution per minute. The axle was introduced by Volvo in 2013. To halt the
electromagnetic suspension technology of the front-mounted engine, brake action rotates its
VYCON product allows it to run at a speed of 36000 flywheel at up to 60000 rpm. The car can be powered
revolutions per minute. The Powershred’s FESS can entirely or in part by using flywheel energy through a
rotate at 53000 rpm and is powered by molecular unique gearbox. A 6 Kg, 20-centimeter, carbon fiber
pump and synchronous reluctance motors. flywheel reduces friction by spinning in a vacuum. It
can save up to 25% on fuel when used in conjunction
with a four-cylinder engine, giving it an 80
horsepower (60 kW) boost and enabling it to reach
100 km per hour (62 mph) in 5.5 seconds instead of a
similarly performing turbo six-cylinder. Plans to use
the technology on its product line were not made
public by the corporation.

Figure 4 UPS in flywheel (Juila et al,2018)

 Transportation

Flywheel systems are a viable substitute for

traditional chemical batteries in mobile applications,
including electric automobiles. In comparison to Figure 6 S60 Sedan Volvo flywheel (Volvo, 2013)
chemical battery power systems, flywheel power
systems have certain advantages for these  Integration of renewable energy sources
applications, including deep discharge capability, high The usage of a hybrid system, which combines
power pulse capability and fast charging, wide solar energy panels and wind turbines, who also
temperature operating range tolerance, longer specify a 40% fuel consumption owing to diesel-
operational life, and reduced weight (Hebner et al., powered engines, which cannot result in fuel
2002). preservation. Generators powered by diesel should be
generally off and only activated when necessary. As a
result, flywheel energy storage system can reduce the
frequency of periodic cycles for starting and stopping
the generators, which aids in fuel conservation and
lowers the variability in power. To integrate with
renewable energy systems like Urenco Power,
VYCON technology, ABB’s Power Store, and Beacon
Power, a vast scale of flywheel systems has been
developed.

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 Optimizing Energy Storage Capacity Metallic Flywheel Rotor Stress Concentration Reduction
Technique

 SolidWorks Flywheel Rotors

This created flywheel concept is based on an

improved commercial flywheel design from Temporal
Power. The rotor’s material characteristics are shown
in this section. During optimization, the rotational
topology was parameterized using eight control points
that were similarly spaced throughout the flywheel’s
radius and had different heights along the y-axis. The
rotor topology was developed by tracing the points
using a cubic B-spline. While modelling a flywheel
rotor, revolved profile can be utilized to simulate its
usual round disc shape. Due to having the capacity to
produce curves that are smooth with local control over
shape, cubic b-spline is an excellent choice for
generating the revolved profile. Because b-spline has
Figure 7 The Beacon Power Flywheel (Beacon Power, 2019)
the advantage of offering opportunities for intuitive
D) Aims and Objectives
shaping because changes with the fit points only
impact the immediate region. SolidWorks was used to
There is a direct correlation between the overall rebuild the geometry, this two-dimensional in nature
energy storage capacity of a flywheel and the stress surface was mirrored along the direction of the x-axis
concentrations that are present in the kinetic energy and then rotated around the y-axis to create a two-
flywheel rotor during operation. For the purpose of dimensional representation. The dimensions of the
maximizing the system’s energy storage capability, shaft were determined by the 2D model to be r = 0.05
the study will investigate the interaction with the times the overall radius and h =1.25 times the ordinate
objective of lowering levels of stress within the rotor. of the spline’s initial point. For improved support, the
This will be accomplished by taking considering the 2-D model extends the shaft by 251.25 mm on both
following goals, which offer appropriate results to ends.
meet the project’s aims.
 Apply the FEA Ansys approach to investigate
stress concentrations on a hollow-sectioned rotor
disc in comparison to a solid disc.
 How does this affect the metallic flywheel’s
ability to store energy?
 Are non-central hole designs able to decrease the
concentration of load on the solid rotor?
 How do the hole’s diameter and radially
positioning on the rotor disc affect the
concentration of stress surrounding a non-central
hole?
 Regarding minimizing stress concentration, how Figure 8 two-dimensional rotor geometry
may the non-central hole layout be further
optimized?  Optimization of Rotor Geometry
E) Purpose and Importance of Current Research Flywheel shape optimization has been researched,
as was already demonstrated, the rotor’s energy
This dissertation studies the design, analysis, and density depends on both its material composition.
testing of a large-scale, inexpensive flywheel energy Shape factor K is a constant that was created to
storage device. A sizable steel rotor will be present in describe the rotor’s geometrical arrangement. It
the flywheel energy storage. To provide a parametric connects the flywheel energy storage system’s energy
representation of the essential components of the density to the following material properties:
design, theoretical analysis of the stress distribution of
the rotor is described. To estimate the rotational speed σu
and optimize the rotor’s shape, the stress-strain e=α ' α ' ' α ' ' ' K
ρ
distribution of the rotor is analysed using the finite (1)
element method. Additionally, dynamic response
(resonant modes and frequencies) of the rotor is α ' is the burst-resistant safety factor, the depth of
revealed by frequency analysis using the finite charge and discharge, or α ' ' is the ratio of the
element approach (FEA). Efficiency in energy storage energy’s usable fraction to its entire capacity.
is essential for the viability of this flywheel system. Furthermore, α ' ' ' represents the proportion of the
flywheel energy storage’s total weight to the rotor’s
II. Methodology weight. Additionally, the ratio of the rotor’s angular

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 Optimizing Energy Storage Capacity Metallic Flywheel Rotor Stress Concentration Reduction
Technique

speed to the angular speed of a thin rim with same  Stress

exterior diameter and density under the same load is
known as the speed factor K. In various rotor shapes The amount of stress that flywheel material
are displayed along with the matching shape factors experiences when operating determines the maximum
and speed factors. (Genta et al, 1985) it defines rotational velocity of a flywheel. There will be a
K=0.606 as the shape factor for a solid disc. larger force applied the faster the wheel moves. More
energy can be stored by a stronger material since it
can spin faster and sustain higher stress levels. An
axisymmetric issue is one in which the geometry and
loading are both axisymmetric, for as when
calculating stress in a spinning disc with constant
angular velocity. There will be strains when the disc
rotates.

Figure 9 Potential rotor forms along with their matching speed Figure 10 Stress within rotating Disc (Kelly et al, 2008)
parameters A and shape factors K (Genta et al, 1985).
As a result, there will be matching strains and
 Kinetic Energy displacements associated with each of these stressors.
A flywheel’s capacity to store energy is The radial displacement will be taken into
determined by the square of its rotational velocity and consideration to compare the findings obtained from
moment of inertia. Because of this relationship, the FEA program with the theoretical results. Hooke’s
variations in the flywheel’s rotational velocity have a law produces the differential equation and combining
bigger impact on its capacity to store energy than the strain-displacement relations and the plane stress
variations in its moment of inertia. (Kelly et al, 2008).
2 2
1 2 d u 1 du 1 −1−v 2
KE= I ω + − 2 u= ρr ω
2 2
d r r dr r E
(2) (6)

It defines the moment of inertia for a solid disc or It may be used to find the radial displacement at
cylinder. radius (r) for a solid disc when the appropriate
boundary conditions are met (Kelly et al, 2008).
1 2
I ( solid cylinder )= m r
( )[ ( )]
2 3+ v 1−v 1+v 2
(3) u ( r )= ρ ω2 r r 2o − r
8 E 3+ v
It defines the moment of inertia for a disc with a (7)
central hole or a thick-walled cylinder.
The 2-D Lame equation of radial and tangential stress
1 2 2 in a hollow disc may determine the theoretical value
I ( thick walled cylinder ) = m(r i + r o ) of displacement (∆) within the disc (Lamare et al,
2
(4) 2013).

It indicates that the flywheel’s mass and radius have

∆ r i=( d ω2 ) r i
an impact on the storage capacity as well. While these
(8)
formulas are combined with growing mass, the total
kinetic energy storage capacity is obtained. γ ρ 1+ 3 v
d= ¿ , γ = ( 3+ v ) , φ= (9)
1 2E 4 3+ v
KE= ρπt ( r o −r i ) ω
4 4 2
4 1) Hollow disc Stress
(5)

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 Optimizing Energy Storage Capacity Metallic Flywheel Rotor Stress Concentration Reduction
Technique

A circular mass with a central hole that is either

linked immediately to a central axis or via the use of
spokes is used in several historical flywheel designs.
This investigation will include a look at a flywheel
that uses a rotor composed of many hollow discs. This
rotor may be categorized as a thick-walled cylinder
since its thickness is more than tenth of its whole
diameter.

Figure 12 Rotating Solid Disc

It illustrates that for a spinning solid circular disc with

uniform thickness, the greatest radial and hoop
stresses occur at the disc’s center and are equal.
2 2
ρ ω r o (3+ v )
σ rmax=σ hmax=
8
Figure 11 Stress in a cylinder with thick walls (12)

A thick-walled cylinder with stress occurring in three It can be used to find the radial tension at radius r
directions is seen in figure 10. Radial stress is denoted (Pope et al, 1997).
by σ r, hoop stress by σ h, and axial stress by σ a. Note

( )
2 2
that in a rotating system, axial tension might be ρ ω2 ( 3+ v ) 2 2 r o r i 2
regarded as insignificant. The inner radius is σ r= (r o+ r i − 2 −r )
8 r
represented by r i , and the outer radius by r 0 . (Pope et
al, 1997) it illustrates that for a revolving circular disc (13)
with a central hole of radius r i and an outer radius r 0 , It can be used to find the hoop stress at radius r (Pope
the greatest stress on the radial plane occurs at r and
et al, 1997).
the highest hoop stress occurs at r i .
2
0.5
r =( r i r 0 ) ρ ω (3+ v )
(10) σ h= ¿ (14)
8
According to (Kelly et al, 2008), the largest radial
 Stress Ratio
stress may be defined.
2 2 The material yield strength and the size
ρ ω ( r 0−r i ) (3+v ) restrictions listed will then be used to create a baseline
σ rmax= rotor design. There will be research done on ways to
8 decrease the stress concentrations in the rotor, and the
(11)
rotor design will be adjusted accordingly. To evaluate
It provides a definition for the maximum hoop stress these approaches’ efficiency, more modelling will be
(Kelly et al, 2008). done, and the outcomes will be contrasted with the
original rotor design. As a unitless numerical
ρ ω2 ( ( 3+ v ) r 2o + ( 1−v ) r 2i ) comparing tool, the stress ratio will be utilized to
σ hmax= compare the outcomes of the model runs with
4 different rotor designs and hole configurations.
(12)
σ max ( modified disc )
2) Solid Disc Stress σ ratio=
σ max ( plain disc )
As seen in figure 12, a revolving solid disc with a (15)
consistent thickness will also be investigated in this
study. The direction of the centripetal acceleration, By dividing the maximum Von Mises stress in the
that is how fast the particles are accelerating toward modified disc by the maximum Von Mises stress in
the disc’s center is shown by the dashed line’s arrow. the ideal plain disc, one way determines the stress
ratio.
 Validation

Since Ansys FEA is a well-known modelling software

that is regarded as industry standard, it is crucial to
make sure the outcomes it generates are legitimate
and reasonable. This was accomplished by modelling

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 Optimizing Energy Storage Capacity Metallic Flywheel Rotor Stress Concentration Reduction
Technique

a solid disc using the characteristics. The outcomes

generated by theoretical calculations will be
contrasted with those generated by the model. A
model is considered valid if the outcomes produced
by the model agree with those predicted by the theory.
Subsequent results can be regarded with confidence
and are deemed accurate.
Inner Outer Thickness Rotational Rotationa
Radius radius (mm) Velocity l Velocity
(mm) (mm) (RPM) (rad/s)
40 160 10 10000 1570.8
Table 2 Initial Hollow Disc Parameters

Table 3 Initial Solid Disc Parameters Outer Radius Thickness Rotational Rotational
(mm) (mm) velocity Velocity
 Model
200 10
(RPM)
10000
(rad/s)
1047.2
Table 3 parameters were used to draw a solid disc
geometry in the ANSYS tool ‘design modeler’. Next,
a mesh was added to the disc after importing the
geometry into ANSYS ‘Mechanical’. With a 2 mm
element size, a body sizing control was configured.
The mesh used for initial modeling’s quality
parameter are displayed in Table 3.
MESH NODES ELEMENTS ELEMENT
METHOD SIZE (MM)
AUTOMATIC 8436 16515 2
Table 4 Solid Disc Mesh Parameters

After that, the model’s parameters were established,

the disc’s rotating velocity was adjusted along its
centre axis, and it was held together by a single
frictionless support on its lower face. The purpose of
running the software was to produce data values. A
probing tool was used to create a value at spots along
the solid disc’s radius to extract a displacement figure
from the model. At a position in the disc’s centre
(t=10 mm), the probing instrument was configured to
measure displacement values at intervals of 10 mm
along the radius. After taking all the displacement
values produced by the model in addition to the
theoretical values, a percentage error has been
generated.

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Optimizing Energy Storage Capacity Metallic Flywheel Rotor Stress Concentration
Reduction Technique

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