Hi,
I was just wondering, do flywheel energy storage systems lose energy because of gravity? If yes, how much?
I know they lose it because of drag (if no vacuum) and bearing friction but what about gravity?
What if you change the bearings to magnetic ones, put it in a vacuum enclosure and levitate it with electromagnets, will it still lose energy because of gravity or earth rotation?
Thanks in advance for answering!
Cheers,
Enio
I was just wondering, do flywheel energy storage systems lose energy because of gravity? If yes, how much?
I know they lose it because of drag (if no vacuum) and bearing friction but what about gravity?
What if you change the bearings to magnetic ones, put it in a vacuum enclosure and levitate it with electromagnets, will it still lose energy because of gravity or earth rotation?
Thanks in advance for answering!
Cheers,
Enio
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No. They lose energy because of friction.
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Under the conditions you proposed, the system would still lose energy to friction. In reality, no volume of space can ever be perfectly empty. A perfect vacuum with a gaseous pressure of absolute zero is a philosophical concept that does not exist in nature (And cannot be created by man). Therefore there will always be some friction.
.
.
Under the conditions you proposed, the system would still lose energy to friction. In reality, no volume of space can ever be perfectly empty. A perfect vacuum with a gaseous pressure of absolute zero is a philosophical concept that does not exist in nature (And cannot be created by man). Therefore there will always be some friction.
.