Power smoothing using a switched reluctance machine driving a flywheel

In this paper, a power smoothing system, based on a switched reluctance machine (SRM) driving a flywheel, is presented. The SRM is controlled to operate as a motor or generator storing/or retrieving energy from a rotating flywheel. The control is based on a two-dimensional (2-D) look-up table. Experimental results obtained from a small prototype of 2 kW are presented, showing the high level of performance obtained with the proposed power-smoothing scheme.