Posted on 07/01/2018 4:46:56 PM PDT by Jonty30
Lockup your flywheel, folks, an American inventor is coming after them. Randy Moore of RK Transportation is working on an idea with a lightweight rotor with embedded magnets, to apply little pulses of electromagnetic torque just when they are needed in search of easier acceleration.
Perpetual motion?
Wish I would have thought of it.
Not quite. The magnets would probably work in sync to attract and then turn off to let them slide by each other. We know magnets work, but the question is whether or not they will work better than a fly wheel.
BFL. Like to see where this goes.
Me too. All my greatest ideas are already at least 20 years old before I thought of them. :D
Buy a Prius. Great cars.
A flywheel is just dead weight. Any power generated for the same weight will be a plus. Will it be enough of a plus to offset the expense?
I could see where magnets might boost acceleration.
After all a fly wheel only stores energy.
Interesting, but energy isn’t free. Where will the energy come from to power the motor? And the flywheel is a relatively low mass to accelerate compared to the vehicle.
Flywheel provides energy when needed by the engine, an electric motor is just another load.
This is just another of the many new strategies that combustion engines have going for them in the race for efficiency. Computer controlled valves the lighten the valves and eliminate the camshaft(Koenigsegg), mechanical variable timing and other innovations are making engines with unheard of power to weight ratios.
*that* lighten the valves
Does this idea work? Advantages? Disadvantages?
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Yeah it works , this is how Toyota has been doing it for the last 15 years , sandwiched between the gas engine and tranny ... the electric motor functionally replaces the starter , as it has 25-60 hp it cranks the gas engine instantly ,, you never notice the gas engine starting and stopping.
A DC motor works as a generator if the shaft it rotated by an external force. I would think (!) that one attached directly to the crankshaft and connected to a capacitor should charge the capacitor on the power stroke and contribute turning force as the capacitor discharges.
I still think it would require some kind of flywheel, though perhaps a much lighter one.
I don’t see how this is any different than virtually every motorcycle engine now made.
Motorcycle “Flywheels” are a hollow shell that simply acts as a mount for electrical coils so when the engine rotates, electrical power is generated. That is stored in the battery while also powering the road lights, electronic dash, etc.
The “Flywheel” also provides a convenient rotor for the electronic ignition triggers.
All while still providing the rotational mass required by the combustion engine for the given application.
The flywheel robs power on acceleration, but it gives back fuel economy when you “coast” down a light grade or toward a stop sign. Without a flywheel, your engine would slow muc more dramatically every time you take your foot off the petal. Is this electric motor going to mimic the benefit of having a flywheel, or will it mimic a flywheels benefit but just not rob acceleration.
I am dubious.
Make it in China what expense?
But in charging the capacitor you use energy. There is no free energy.
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