Comments on: KERS explained: how a mechanical Kinetic Energy Recovery System works

By: build

build — Sat, 08 Jan 2011 06:09:38 +0000

Keith,
Don’t forget that (as far as I am aware) while it must be driver activated the duration of each usage is pre-programmed.

regards,

By: ssaa

ssaa — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 18:38:31 +0000

how heat energy dissipated from brakes goes to flywheel
(without using motor or engine),as it is human powered vehicle….

By: paul

paul — Wed, 05 May 2010 15:16:58 +0000

these flybrids gonna me the race much more interesting… will also decide race outcomes. but i’ve got a question concerning the dynamics of the car. how would adding a 25kg flybrid affect the car while goin ard the corner at low speeds?? would it make it flip… as the flybrids got its own momentem which you’ll have to deal with.

By: keiththeengineer

keiththeengineer — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 18:53:14 +0000

as a thought could not a kers system be done with harnessing the air compressing ability of the engine to first of all provide braking and then a store of compressed air to provide boost air to replace the now missing ram air due to cornering slowly or even as a pseudo turbo … would be easier to make than the other systems only pipework and valves and a storage volume which is to all intents and purposes empty air at 10 bar which if incorporated into the structure would make it very very stiff when inflated

By: build

build — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 06:11:16 +0000

I’m no expert but I’m told …
Don’t really need two rotors, the flywheel is actually very, very light but spins incredibly quickly therefore the gyroscopic effect is minimised and I would imagine on the inverse plan to the engine.

Someone said “As soon as braking stops the spinning flywheel will also start slowing down” … The flywheel runs in a vacuum with so called frictionless bearings so the loss is absolutely minimal even over many months of storage. I’m told as many as six months, so it can retain the energy for a much greater time than a single lap.

Someone said “the flywheel operates only operates when the engine is turning”, that is incorrect the flywheel continues to spin for months or until all the energy is drawn from it.

hth,
build

By: Ben

Ben — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:05:04 +0000

Needed too know!! Thanks. not even that into f1. just the tech/mech.

By: Max

Max — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 14:08:59 +0000

It’s interesting how they use the green button. In qualifying 2 we saw Kimi just tap the green button at the start of a straight and the KERS seemed to stay on for a pre-programmed time. In the race we saw others mixing it up a bit more.

By: Robert McKay

Robert McKay — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:54:48 +0000

No, I don’t think so. The charging only happens under braking, so I would imagine that the system recharges as much as it can whenever the brakes are applied. Don’t know how they manage to maintain a consistent brake balance.

Cheers. It sounded like Croft on R5L was alluding to that being the case (the driver selecting when to charge I mean) but I wasn’t sure if this was the case.

Just another of the many complications of KERS that the fans are somehow meant to know about

By: Max

Max — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:49:51 +0000

No, I don’t think so. The charging only happens under braking, so I would imagine that the system recharges as much as it can whenever the brakes are applied. Don’t know how they manage to maintain a consistent brake balance.

Unfortunately the “batter bar” on the TV only shows the time allowance left for that lap, not the state of charge of the system.

By: Robert McKay

Robert McKay — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 13:44:10 +0000

Just while we’re talking about KERS – is it true to say that the driver chooses where and when it “charges up”? So it’s not that the system automatically charges itself wheneve braking, but the driver has to push a button to charge it when they want?