1. A SEMINAR ON
KINETIC ENERGY
RECOVERY
SYSTEM
(KERS)
Presented By:
Ashwini Kumar
10104EN053
Electrical Engineering Part 4
Critic:
Shruti Agarwal
10104EN004
Electrical Engineering Part 4

2. WHAT IS KERS?




The acronym KERS stands for Kinetic Energy
Recovery System.
Kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) store
energy when the vehicle is braking and return it
when accelerating.
During braking, energy is wasted because kinetic
energy is mostly converted into heat energy or
sometimes sound energy that is dissipated into the
environment.
Vehicles with KERS are able to harness some of
this kinetic energy and in doing so will assist in
braking.

3. BASIC ELEMENTS OF KERS



First, a way to generate power from this
breaking energy, and then return energy to the
power train.
Second, a place to store this energy.
Third, a control unit which manages the entire
mechanism.

4. WORKING PRINCIPLE


Basically, it’s working principle involves storing the
energy involved with deceleration and using it for
acceleration.
A standard KERS operates by a ‘charge cycle and
a ‘boost cycle’.

6. TYPES OF KERS

There are two basic types of KERS systems:
 Electrical
 Mechanical

The main difference between them is in the way they
convert the energy and how that energy is stored within
the vehicle.

7. ELECTRICAL KERS
Components1. Motor Generator Unit (MGU)
2. Power Control Unit (PCU)
3. Battery

In electrical KERS, braking rotational force is
captured by an electric motor-generator unit
(MGU) mounted to the engines crankshaft.

8. MGU (Motor-Generator Unit)



Takes the electrical energy and stores it in
batteries.
Works in 2 modes.
Weighs around 7-8 Kg.

9. PCU (Power Control Unit)

1.
2.

Serves 2 purposes:
To invert and control the switching of current
between battery and MGU.
Monitoring individual cells in battery.
As with all KERS components the PCU needs
cooling.

10. 
Batteries become hot due to multiple chargingdischarging in races.

Super-capacitors can also be used to store
electrical energy instead of batteries; they run
cooler and are debatably more efficient.

11. WORKING PRINCIPLE

12. MECHANICAL KERS

The concept of transferring the vehicle’s kinetic energy
using
flywheel
energy
storage
was
postulated
by
physicist Richard Feynman in the 1950.

Uses flywheel as the Energy Storage device.

Unlike electrical KERS, this method of storage prevents the need
to transform energy from one type to another.

To cope with the continuous change in speed ratio between the
flywheel and road-wheels, a continuously variable transmission
(CVT) is used.

CVT to control the braking and acceleration rates.

15. ADVANTANGE OF MECHANICAL
KERS OVER ELECTRICAL KERS


Battery-based electric hybrid systems require
a number of energy conversions each with
corresponding efficiency losses. On
reapplication of the energy to the driveline, the
global energy conversion efficiency is 31–34%.
The mechanical hybrid system storing energy
mechanically in a rotating fly wheel eliminates
the various energy conversions and provides a
global energy conversion efficiency exceeding
70%, more than twice the efficiency of an
electric system.

16. ADVANTAGES OF KERS
This potential advantages and features of this technology in the field of
automobiles are:










High power capability
High speeds attained in lesser time
Overtaking and defence improved in F1
Fuel Consumption to be reduced
Light weight and small size
Long system life
A truly green solution
High efficiency storage and recovery
Low embedded carbon content
Low cost in volume manufacture

17. DRAWBACKS OF KERS






Storage capability
Weight, particularly important in F1 cars
Explosion in batteries
Electric shocks
Incidents regarding gearbox locking
Teams not ready to spend millions for
developing the technology

18. CONCLUSION






It’s a technology for the present and the future because it’s environmentfriendly, reduces emissions, has a low production cost, increases efficiency
and is highly customizable and modifiable.
Adoption of a KERS may permit regenerative braking and engine
downsizing as a means of improving efficiency and hence reducing fuel
consumption and CO2 emissions.
The KERS has major areas of development in power density, life, simplicity,
effectiveness and first and foremost the costs of the device. Applications
are being considered for small, mass-production passenger cars, as well as
luxury cars, buses and trucks.
It is the need of the hour, as we want to bring back the engineering part in
Formula 1.
Hope it can be brought to roads, with the continuously increasing fuel costs.
Will be particularly useful in urban areas, where breaking is more frequent.

19. REFERENCES



http://f1.wikia.com/wiki/Kinetic_Energy_Recovery_System
Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems for Racing Cars, byAlberto
Boretti
autosport.com
Paper: Sorniotti, Aldo, and Massimiliano Curto. "Racing Simulation
of a
Formula 1 Vehicle
with Kinetic Energy Recovery
System." SAE Digital Library. SAE International. Web. 25 Sept.
2009.
Published by SAE International with a Product Code of PT-159, ISBN
of 978-0-7680-7994-4, and 56 pages in a softbound binding.Cross,
Douglas. "Optimization of Hybrid Kinetic Energy Recovery Systems
(KERS) for Different Racing Circuits." SAE Digital Library. SAE
International. Web. 25 Sept. 2009.


‘DESIGN AND ANALYSIS OF KINETIC ENERGY RECOVERY SYSTEM IN
BICYCLES’, International Journal of Innovative Research in Science,

20. 
http://formula1.about.com/od/drivers/a/Driver_Weights.htm

http://seminarprojects.com/Thread-kinetic-energy-recovery-system-fullreport#ixzz2kKsNsWbV

http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2009/01/11/kers-explained-how-a-mechanicalkinetic-energy-recovery-system-works/

http://www.racecar-engineering.com/articles/f1/flywheel-hybrid-systemskers/
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090611003743AAxdsXj



http://www.formula1.com/inside_f1/understanding_the_sport/8763.html
http://www.sportinglife360.com/index.php/the-advantages-anddisadvantages-of-kers-in-a-formula-one-car-6650/