Battery Discharging Power Control in a Double-Wound Flywheel System Applied to Electric Vehicles

Abstract

Flywheel Energy Storage Systems (FESS) are a good alternative for power handling and energy storage in hybrid and electric vehicles. The combination of a FESS and a battery has several advantages, such as higher peak power capacity and reduced number of charging/discharging cycles in the battery. Nevertheless, batteries have a significant effect on the performance of the system and the control of the flywheel-battery link should be optimized in order to increase the system efficiency.The FESS investigated in this paper has its novelty in the use of a double wound flywheel machine which divides the system in two different voltage/power levels. High-Voltage/Power (HV) side connects the flywheel machine to the wheel motor and Low-Voltage/Power (LV) side connects the flywheel machine to the battery.The present paper focuses on the converter system and the control logic which regulates battery discharging process and the flywheel rotational speed. Emphasis has been given to the overall power/energy management of the system. Simulations and experimental results show that an ON/OFF battery control allows a highly efficient system, requiring a robust speed control and high energy density for the flywheel machine.