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OF“KERS”

KERS

PREPARED BY : AJ NARAYANKUTTY

GUIDED BY : B.K.P SIR

WHAT IS KERS

The KERS stands for Kinetic energy recovery system.

The device recovers the energy that is present in the waste heat created by the car’s braking process.

It stores that energy and converts it into power that can be called upon to boost acceleration

Electric and hybrid vehicles have a similar system called Regenerative Brake which restores the energy in the batteries.

KERS generally finds its place in F1 Races.

KERS PRINCIPLE The Kinetic energy recovery system(KERS) stood out as one

of the biggest changes in F1 history.

Due to high forces involved in formula 1,the cars contain a very large amount of waste energy ,especially under braking.

A KERS , however recovers a large proportion of this wasted kinetic energy from the brakes and stores in the batteries.

The energy in the batteries is then used to boost existing engine power to give the driver extra horse power.

kers layout

WHY WAS KERS INTRODUCED Kers made its F1 debut back in 2009 as a driver aid designed to

help both overtaking and defending position.

At the push of a button they can access a burst of 80 horsepower for 6.7 secs a lap,releasing it in a one go or at different points around the circuit.

Benefits to F1’s racers is a 10% increase in power which is worth 0.4 secs extra lap time ,which ultimately helps them in winning races.

Kers had another arguably more important role to play in F1 showcasing ‘green’ technology in a sport keen to improve its environmental credentials.

HOW KERS WORKS There are principally two types of system : Battery(electrical) and

Flywheel(mechanical).

Although F1 teams have so far all opted for the battery system.

Electrical systems use a motor generator incorporated in the car’s transmission which converts mechanical energy(kinetic energy) into electrical energy and vice versa.

Once the energy has been harnessed ,it is stored in battery and released when required.

Mechanical systems capture braking energy and use it to turn a small flywheel which can spin at upto 80,000 rpm.

When extra power is required ,the flywheel is connected to the car’s rear wheels.

In contrast to an electrical KERS the mechanical energy doesn’t change state and is therefore more efficient.

There is another option available i.e. hydraulic KERS, where braking energy is used to accumulate hydraulic pressure which is then sent to the wheels when required.

A standard KERS operates by a ‘charge cycle’ and a ‘boost cycle’ , as it slows for a corner an electric motor captures the waste energy from the rear brakes.

This collected kinetic energy is then passed to a Central Processing unit (CPU) and onto the batteries.

The batteries are located right underneath the drivers seat and are positioned centrally to minimize the impact on the balance of the car.

When the driver presses the ‘boost button’ on the steering wheel, the batteries transfer the stored energy back to the engine for a maximum of 6.67 secs per lap. This energy contributes around 80hp.

BMW STEERING WHEEL

ADVANTAGES F1 racing cars can reach speeds of up to 220mph and

produce tremendous amount of heat when they brake.

A Kers device recovers this energy and stores it.

This energy can be called upon to boost acceleration giving drivers a potential advantage.

The boost can be released in one go or at different points around a circuit.

DISADVANTAGES The main disadvantage was that the system adds up extra

weight to the cars.

Before its arrival in previous years teams had built their cars to be considerably lighter than the required limit & then used up to 70kg of ballast(heavy material provided for stability) to bring them upto the weight.

But after its arrival , the teams with kers had less ballast to move around their car and hence less freedom to vary the weight distribution.

Thanks RE!!!