A kinetic energy accumulator and an energy transfer system incorporating a kinetic energy accumulator

摘要

The invention relates to a kinetic energy accumulator, comprising a pluralityof rotatably mounted accumulator members (100, 198) positioned adjacent oneanother, an input drive mechanism (116) arranged to impart rotational driveto a first of the accumulator members, and velocity responsive coupling members(106, 192) arranged to provide for magnetic coupling of successive ones of theaccumulator members when respective ones of the accumulator members are causedsuccessively to rotate with an angular velocity equal to, or greater than, a predeterminedvelocity. The accumulator can store kinetic energy and thereby act as sourceof rotational drive. Hence, there is also provided a kinetic energy transfersystem, comprising the kinetic energy accumulator (118), an energy transmittermechanism arranged to apply drive from a kinetic energy source to the input drivemechanism (116) of the energy accumulator; and a load device coupled to, and arrangedto be driven by, the energy accumulator when each of the accumulator members isrotating with an angular velocity equal to, or greater than, the predeterminedvelocity. The load device can be an electric generator or other device.