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The KERS system in F1

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  • The KERS system in F1

    I usually don't follow F1 very much, but I found this article about the KERS systems installed in F1 and I thought it was cool. So Here are the links and also in Cut-n-Paste if you have trouble with the link. Below this are a couple vids, one explains the williams system - very good - and another I just liked.

    Questions over the safety of energy recovery systems in racing cars are unresolved as the season gets underway



    F1 cars get a power boost, but at what risk?
    01 April 2009 by Paul Marks
    NewScientist.com


    Please note: this feature was printed before the first race of the F1 season.



    THE first Formula 1 cars to be fitted with a controversial energy recovery system are due to race in this season's opening Grand Prix in Melbourne, Australia, on Sunday. But questions over the safety of the system remain unresolved in the run-up to the race.

    The problem is that the kinetic energy recovery system (KERS) introduces a new set of risks to the sport, raising the possibility of battery fires, electrocution and flying debris. Nobody knows how safe the systems will prove to be, particularly in high-speed crashes.

    The rules of F1 allow recovered energy to be used to deliver 60 kilowatts of extra power - equivalent to 10 per cent of peak engine power - for 6.5 seconds each lap. Available at the push of a button, the extra oomph will make overtaking easier and so improve F1 as a spectator sport, says Charlie Whiting of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), F1's governing body. The FIA also wants to boost its green credentials: the hope is that the KERS technology will find its way into road cars, reducing their fuel consumption.

    KERS works by recovering some of the energy dissipated when cars brake and storing it electrically or mechanically. A dynamo/motor converts the rotational energy of the drive shaft into current and also works in reverse, using current to turn the drive shaft. Between these stages, the energy is stored either electrically in a bank of lithium-ion batteries, or as kinetic energy in a heavy, fast-rotating flywheel.

    The question is, which storage method is best? Renault, BMW-Sauber and McLaren's F1 teams have chosen the battery option, which is already used in a much simpler form in hybrid cars like the Toyota Prius. That gives the best performance relative to weight and size and can also be easily transferred to road cars, says Markus Duesmann of the BMW-Sauber F1 team.

    But one team, Williams F1, has chosen the flywheel option. "Our analysis shows that flywheels are much better at getting the energy in and out more quickly," says Damien Scott of Williams. He says road car-makers are already interested in using the company's flywheel technology.

    So where do the risks come from? The high-voltage electronics both systems require are an obvious risk. One video available on YouTube shows a mechanic in the BMW-Sauber team flying onto his back after receiving a shock from the team's F1 car.

    A BMW Sauber technician was injured yesterday with an electric shock given off by the experimental Kinetic Energy Recovery System (KERS) equipped F1.07C car....



    "The mechanic suffered an electric shock after touching the bodywork and steering wheel of the car together," says Duesmann. The mechanic was unhurt, but the system has since been redesigned to prevent a repeat.

    The mechanic suffered an electric shock after touching the bodywork and steering wheel together
    Another problem is the possibility of the kind of lithium battery fires that have sometimes destroyed laptops. That will mean a careful choice of cathode for these batteries to minimise the possibility of a short circuit, says Simon Sheldon of Amberjac Projects in Grantham, UK, which is developing its own battery-based systems for hybrid cars.

    There are also concerns about the flywheel, which spins at 35,000 rpm. The fear is that if it fails, the system will throw off a deadly spray of high-speed debris. Williams, however, says it has designed its flywheel to fail safely. The team uses a novel carbon composite developed by Urenco, a UK firm which makes centrifuges for uranium enrichment. The material is designed to disintegrate when it fails. "The construction means that in the event of a failure like a crushing accident, all we're left with is a high-pressure outgassing of carbon fibre dust," says Scott.

    Williams clearly has faith in this mechanism. It has placed the flywheel directly behind its drivers' heads.

    Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.


    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rL8yV...eature=related <<< OK video, pretty girls, a couple great crashes and good music...



    Mike in Southwest Ohio

  • #2
    Re: The KERS system in F1

    KERS and NON KERS cars seemed evenly matched in Aus.
    Weight may be the equalizer.Kinda like locomotive tech for race cars.
    40 years from now,who can say?
    Calypornya...near the beach

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