Who Manufactures Flywheels For Energy Storage?

Question

I am building a zero-emission power boat (10 knots, range 25 miles), and I don't want to use batteries. So I have decided to use a flywheel, which will be wound up by a wind turbine. Only problem is: You can't just walk into K-Mart and demand one. Does anybody know where to get these things?

Answer 1

Please see the link below for a source. I can't vouch for it, but it looks reputable. I would find the contact information and give them a call to see how you would go about purchasing one of their units.

As a side note, I don't think flywheels are the way to go for powering a boat since the boat may pitch around alot. Flywheels have a lot of angular momentum and like to stay pointed in one direction. You could get around this with a gimbal system, but you would still be heaving the unit up and down. The other problem is that flywheels can be nasty if they fail. A fractured rotor can cause a lot of damage as it flies about. Some flywheels are mounted in pits below a home to contain the debris in the event of a rotor failure.

Answer 2

Caterpillar has a line of kinetic power storage devices, but they are designed for use indoors:

http://www.cat.com/cda/layout?m=37516&x=7

The problem is, kinetic energy storage is not a good power plant for a moving vehicle of any kind; a spinning flywheel has substantial gyroscopic inertia.

Answer 3

Check Satcon. They do research on flywheels. This is the best site I have found yet, although it does not seem to sell flywheels off the shelf.
Good luck in your project.

www.satcon.com
http://www.satcon.com/about/appliedtech.html
http://www.sti.nasa.gov/tto/spinoff1996/32.html

Answer 4

14 companies manufacture them
http://electronic-components.globalspec.com/specsearch/suppliers/electrical_electronic_components/power_generation_storage/alternative_power_generators/flywheel_power_systems?SrchItem=1&RegEvent=new

you have to register for freee (use fake info if you need) to view the companies listed.