Información KERS:
Toda la informacion y rumores sobre el KERS, mostrada “paso a paso” de mayor a menor antiguedad (desde Julio hasta ahora). Por ahora en ingles, pero la traduciremos en breve:
>KERS battery costs USD$400,000 per installation and they’re lithium, have limited duty cycles ( only two-hour peak performance race and no more ). In other words, they need to be “thrown away” after each race.
“Thrown away” as in disposal by burning – at which point the batteries allegedly produce pure, unadulterated arsenic.
Teams will obviously aim to position the various constituent parts of KERS, which most agree will carry a penalty of 25 – 30 kg ( maybe Toyota battery – lightest of all ), as low and as close to the centre of the car as possible in order to minimise balance disruptions, and the obvious place to position batteries is under the fuel tank.
Safety is another issue. No safety procedures had been framed by the FIA.
The obvious hazard would be the 10 kilogram carbon fibre flywheels spinning at up to 60 000 rpm. While they were tested in crash test under controlled condition and managed to be contained, race conditions however can be completely otherwise.
“KERS is driven through the rear axle under braking,” he explained, “and once you’ve saturated the storage device to the permitted level then obviously the torque through the rear axle can change. That is potentially a tricky thing for the teams to manage, so the gain is maybe two or three tenths of a second, and the loss is the ballast or weight, and the packaging and the issue of torque management of the rear axle. It’s far from slam-dunk, as they say…”
Rules state:
With the exception of one fully charged KERS, the total amount of recoverable energy stored on the car must not exceed 300kJ. Any which may be recovered at a rate greater than 2kW must not exceed 20kJ.
The maximum power, in or out, of any KERS must not exceed 60kW (81bhp). Energy released from the KERS may not exceed 400kJ in any one lap. Measurements will be taken at the connection to the rear wheel drive train.
Any KERS may only be capable of increasing the stored energy whilst the car is moving on the track. Release of power from any such system must remain under the complete control of the driver at all times the car is on the track.
Cars must be fitted with homologated sensors which provide all necessary signals to the SDR in order to verify the requirements above are being respected.
Any components required as part of a KERS will be controled by the SECU
(remember that KW= KJ/s , that meansPower=Energy/s )
Hopefully in 2010 or 2011 there will be the possibility to use another KERS for the front axle, which will improve the boost power and at the same time reduce fuel comsuption. A win-win situation.
ABout BMW, yeah they are fully commited. You just need to take a look at their road cars lately. They are pioneering the car efficiency. With their “EfficientDynamics” they are making their car the less fuel-comsumers of their range (that means at equal power, the need less fuel than any rival). ANd they apply it to all their series.
They use stuff like active aerodynamics, brake energy regeneration (in reality its a automatically disengageable battery and pumps), autos start and stop, etc.
In the meantime, BMW tested KERS for the first time in a private track at Miramas for about 50 km. Apparently the test ran smoothly without any problems.
¨ It was very positive ¨, quoted from Mario Theissen. Asked cheeckily about whether the team had encountered similar fire at Redbull (fire on the factory due to battery failure), Mario responded, ¨No, no serious stuff ¨
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/69201
Q: There is a rumour that you tried a KERS system.
RK: “Myself, no. I didn’t try it.”
Later we learnt it was It was Marko Asmer.
During testing of the KERS car at the Jerez track this morning, there was an incident involving a mechanic.
When the car returned to the pits, he touched it and suffered an electric shock.
He sustained slight injuries to his left hand and grazing on his left arm.”
Theissen: ”The components that were tested at Miramas will have changed a lot come next year.”
On fitting in the system: ”With KERS there are two main challenges. On the one hand there’s the weight and the performance. On the other hand there’s the packaging – how am I to position all the single components ? These factors will decide whether there’ll be an advantage in laptime or not.”
On dividing the work between 2008 and 2009: ”We’re still working parallely. It seems that with regard to the design we’re mainly working on the new car, in terms of aerodynamics the work is balanced whereas on the testbenches we’re almost solely working on 2008, with the exception of singular components such as KERS.”
There were talks that Honda was to test a car that was completely compliant with the 2009 aerodynamic regulations. Is BMW Sauber planning on something similar ? ”No. As is customary we will present our car at the beginning of the year and will (only) then test it.”
From automoto365:
Two days after the German Grand Prix, BMW had a major setback in their hybrid development program. During the first test of their KERS system in Jerez, a mechanic was struck down by a electrical power stroke when he touched the car. That is one of the biggest concerns of this new technology. The electric solution needs batteries with high voltage up to 600 volts If the cables are not perfectly isolated, there is a major risk for anybody who touches the car, as carbon transfers electric power quite well. BMW aborted the test immediately.
KERS análisis: http://www.itv-f1.com/Feature.aspx?Type=Mark_Hughes&id=43467
Teams fail to delay KERS: http://www.f1complete.com/content/view/9729/900/
BMW, Honda, Williams against delay: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/69689
Flavio Briatore has condemned the use of KERS.
Renault is believed to be not using the system next season ( high cost ).
Renault electric devices they are developing are more to do with batteries as they believed in electric vehicle as the best solution. Incidentally as with KERS, it included the development of high performance batteries, such as the lithium-ion.
Williams are intending to test KERS at Jerez 16-18 Setember.
Briatore furious at BMW and Williams: http://f1.automoto365.com/news/controller.php?lang=en&theme=default&month=8&year=2008&nextMode=GpNewsForm&news_id=32464
For Williams postponing KERS is not an option at all: ”We continue to develop the hybrid technique in full swing.”
The Grove based team puts its money on a variant with flywheels with integrated magnets that should act like a electo-engine. ”Yes, that’s the solution we concentrate on.”
So far there haven’t been technical problems, Michael: ”But we’re not as far with the developments as the others.”
Rosberg: ”Some teams can make it in time with KERS at Melbourne next year. But only very few. Perhaps three teams. And some will take a risk: in those cars the system will break down.”
some extra info about KERS:
…If you’re (the F1 Teams) willing to get the complete KERS package from Magneti-Marelli you have to pay € 2 million.
Before the Turkish GP Honda (Wurz) first tested KERS on track, it was at the dragster track of Santa Pod. It was merely a system/function test. Then Honda sent an entire car (old chassis) with KERS build-in to the development centre in Tochigi. There it was tested on a testbench where it was given a good shaking and proper ‘blows’. This procedure, in which the high kerbstones from Magny-Cours up to the bumps from Interlagos were all simulated, took several months. One of the primary goals was to make sure no parts would come loose energising the bodywork as a consequence. Then more recently Conway did a real test with the system at Silverstone.
Brawn: ”There will be some teams that won’t take KERS to the first oversee races at all. But at the very start (of the season) in terms of competitiveness it’s more important anyway how you’re going to cope with the new aerodynamics and the tyres. Only when the season progresses and the teams are getting closer to each other it will also be decisive who can benefit from the use of KERS and who can’t.”
”If somebody doesn’t get KERS to work it will only start to be an issue for him during the first tracktests. If you’re continually being hamperd by KERS when you want to find out how good the actual car is, then it becomes an issue.”
At Jerez number 1 mechanic of BMW Sauber’s test team, Antonio, got a shock when he touched the car. The batteries in the sidepod of the modified BMW Sauber were charged with 30 kW. Klien (who was driving the car) : ”The batteries discharge as soon as you press a button in the cockpit. But I’ve only done two installation laps. In the car I was earthed through the tyres. If Antonio had touched me…I don’t know what would have happened then…”
In the F1.07C there’s a warning light that indicates in which working mode KERS is. It was still on. ”He shouldn’t have touched the car so early, instead he should have waited till the engine was shut down and the electronics powered down. Perhaps that’s still necessary in this early phase of development.”
The team is still unsure as to what exactly caused the shock to the mechanic, Theissen: ”We’re still examinating it. We’re finding out about some interesting effects there, not just for F1 but also for roadcars.”
BMW Sauber is among those that so far have made the most progress but even Theissen has to admit: ”I’m not 100% if we’ll already be driving with it at the first race.”
Horner on the fire incident in Milton-Keynes: ”We had one single battery on the testbench. A cell in it broke down and as a chain reaction the same happened to all the others also. For the cooling the battery was standing in a waterbed. The fire was immediately extinguished but the smoke let the alarm go off.”
Ferrari struggling with KERS: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/70466
BMW to re test it soon: http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/69918
Whitmarsh on McLaren’s first outing on track with KERS at Jerez two weeks ago: ”We’ve had a very cautious approach to it all. Safety has priority. Our prototype was 18 kg’s heavier than what we aim to have next year.”
McLaren’s test served to collect basic, but yet fundamental data and knowledge on the system. How does the cooling of the batteries and control electronics work ? How does the system react to vibrations ? How can total safety can be guaranteed ? ”In our case the unit rests in a specially made casing in the side of the car.” In the event of a crash the battery would disintegrate in many small cells in order to reduce the risk on fire or an electric shock.
Honda appears to be the furthest with the system. At Jerez Wurz did another 201 laps with a modified RA106. Occasionally Honda stored more than 50% of the maximally allowed 82 bhp. Wurz went through various scenario’s pressing the button on the straights, whilst accelerating out of slow corners as well as out of fast ones. Though the Austrian wasn’t allowed to press the powerbutton each lap because the control unit always threatened to overheat.
”When you come out of a slow corner, the car should be in a straight line before you switch on the system. The extra power is really enormous. In corners that you take in fourth or fifth gear you can already activate the extra power whilst going through the corner.” The straights ? ”Unfortunately they’re too short at Jerez to make use of the power for a full 6,8 seconds.”
At any time the driver is aware how much more time he has left till the end of the lap to recharge the system. ”In the display (on the steering wheel) there’s a area that indicates in percentages how much of the power can still be called up.”
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>And a explanatoy video of mechanical KERS with CVT at [pl.youtube.com]
WIlliam’s electro-mechanic KERS:
For Williams the ‘KERS-era’ started last Tuesday with rookie Clos completing 75 laps in a Williams FW30B without problems. Then it was Nakajima’s turn to cover race distances in the two days that followed. Michael confirms: ”There haven’t been serious problems at all.”
Williams’ flywheel system is so strong that it would take an hour for it to come to a standstill in case it would be started and not touched afterwards. At the push of a button the stored energy is released to the drivetrain via an electro-engine.
But Williams isn’t that far yet. The first tests served for charging the system. ”We go step by step. We cannot afford having a big accident. That would setback a small team like ours by months.”
With a big accident an electric shock is meant that hits a mechanic or the driver itself. Also without a battery in the car, there’s the danger of the chassis getting electrically charged through the short-circuit that’s being formed by the flywheel and the electro-engine. ”(This chance) may be smaller than with a completely electronical solution, we’ve nevertheless been driving in a safety mode at Jerez. This has limited the voltage. It was mainly about checking out the cabling and the control systems.”
The advantages of the flywheel concept lie in the weight, the required space as well as the recovery of the energy. Williams mounted the casing, in which the flywheel and electro-engine are built-in, in a vat in the fueltank. The system still weighs around 40 kg. Michael doesn’t think many teams will start the 2009 season with KERS on board, and not just because the system may not be ready at that point.
”Those that need a lot of ballast to balance the car, will abstain from using KERS at the start. You gain more laptime by an optimal weight distribution than with the 80 extra bhp that you get for 7 seconds.”
The slow laptimes from Williams at Jerez have nothing to do with KERS. Williams was already testing the 2009 rearwing and diffusor. The rearwing will be 75 instead of 100 cm wide and 95 instead of 80 cm high. This results in a downforce loss at the rear of around 20 %. Williams didn’t just test the interim-wing to collect data:
”Because of the KERS system we’ve already been driving with the 2009 gearbox and the new rearsuspension. The current rearwing doesn’t fit on there at all. The wing is mounted above the gearbox.’
words from Mario about KERS:
“We see a big chance in KERS because in F1 we have an unrivalled development speed. We are pushing the envelope on a weekly basis and we can explore unknown territory in a much quicker and more efficient way than a complex road car project. We are very sure that KERS will contribute in a big way to future powertrain concepts for road cars.
“KERS, in its current form, is not something which goes beyond the capacity of current hybrid vehicles but the individual components will have a performance that is much improved compared to current road car solutions. In terms of the power-to-weight ratio or power-to-volume ratio, these components are already four to five times better than their road car equivalents. That is the real progress.
“Once these components have been proven successful in F1, we can use them and develop them for future road cars. Already, our road car colleagues are knocking on our doors because they can see with KERS we are making progress in all areas. KERS only makes sense in F1 if we shrink it and reduce its weight way beyond what is currently available. And this is what makes it so interesting for the road car project.
“In principle we hope KERS is just the start of a number of new efficient technologies in the sport. But we have to be careful not to do things which do not make sense. It has to pay off on the road car side as well. It needs to be efficient in terms of environmental impact and also the effort it takes.
“But I think we are on the right track. In the future my expectation is that the powertrain will change from what we have today with the combustion engine and the gearbox to a complex unit incorporating a smaller combustion engine, an electric motor generator, an electric storage unit, control electronics and probably a very different type of transmission. The true innovation will lie in the adaptation of these individual components and the integration into a more efficient powertrain. I think F1 can take the lead in that.”
More on KERS:
There needs to be unanimity within the FOTA in case regulations are to be changed at short notice (so 10 votes out of 10 instead of the more usual 7 votes out of 10 I think in this case). All the teams have agreed to postpone KERS by a year, only BMW Sauber is against this.
This implies that the teams will have to keep on spending lots of money on the development of KERS. Dennis has told his colleagues that McLaren Mercedes has already invested € 30 million on the project. Honda would have spent three times as much. Michael laughs at these figures: ”So far our system has cost € 2 million. We have ten people that are working on the flywheel solution.”
Especially the small teams are peeved with BMW. Berger explains: ”Their veto will cost us € 6 million a season. We have to buy the system externally.” Briatore is far from being happy either: ”For a lot of money everyone is developing their own system, and in the end we assert that in terms of laptimes there will hardly be any difference. Then I wonder: why do we squander so much money for something that doesn’t bring anything ? We’ve had the same idiocy with the seamless gearboxes. Now everyone has one and we’re all a couple of million euros poorer.”
However, in 2009 KERS could be the decisive factor. Toyota wants to do without it (they in any case won’t be introducing it any earlier than the middle of the season). Honda, BMW and Mercedes have made reasonable progress. Ferrari (+ STR and Force India) and Renault (+ RBR) are dependent on Magneti Marelli and so far have a problem. The first version of the electro engine was a flop. The KERS project is going to be tight for both manufacturers in case it turns out that in December the second version isn’t working either.
Symonds: ”Our car is build for employing KERS. At the moment we’re laminating the first prototypes of the R29 chassis. It has been designed for KERS. We’d have to change the chassis design in case, in December, we’re forced to decide whether or not to completely do without KERS. Then before the start of the season we’d at most be able to complete the manufacturing of three chassis’. We’d then have to push on with two other chassis’ as quickly as possible. But that would all cost a pretty penny.”
Most of the teams will store the battery, electro engine and the control electronics in front of the engine, underneath the tank. You may be able to easily build-in and out the unit, but then what do you do with the space that becomes available in case you don’t use the system ? Symonds: ”We may fill it up with ballast, but do we really want to have weight at that place ?”
Brawn explains the dilemma the engineers are in that are working on the recovery system. The unit is to way in between 30 and 40 kg. ”We’re forced to put the basic weight distribution in the car in such a way that we’re (still) able to balance the car with the little amount of ballast that remains. With regard to the usage of the tyres that is eminently important. Slicks demand a different weight distribution than grooved tyres. Those that do without KERS completely will obviously have more freedom there.”
Of course abstaining from KERS brings along disadvantages also. You’re allowed to charge the system on the warm up lap prior to the race already. During first metres at the start the extra power won’t come into play because it’s only allowed to be released when the accelerator is pushed for more than 90%. Brawn: ”It’s not allowed to modulate the acceleration by using KERS.” Therefore KERS could be an advantage at tracks that are wide and where the distance to the first corners is long (Barcelona or Fuji). At Valencia or Monaco the system is hardly beneficial.
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The Germany company Bosch will develop a KERS for several motorsport series, among those is Formula 1.
Bosch would be in contact with at least one Formula 1 team. More details are to come from a Motorsport show in Cologne.
The question is who?
Williams Hybrid power: http://www.williamshybridpower.com/
- Ferrari’s KERS increases the cooling demands of the car by 30%. The big vent on top of the sidepod is only a temporary solution but the overall cooling of the F2009’s is probably going to be the most critical point… Anyway the second version of Magneti Marelli’s electro engine is now on the testbench (the same goes for Renault (and Red Bull (?))) and is being tested thoroughly. Maybe KERS will be in the car at Jerez but I’m yet to see it…
- BMW Sauber is well advanced with KERS but not everything’s going flawless. The engine braking doesn’t fulfill its function whenever the energy is recovered and stored. The engine braking doesn’t ‘hold back’, instead the V8 ‘pushes’ the brakes additionally at the moment the energy is to be stored. KERS works like a reversed reverse thrust.
- Williams didn’t test KERS at Barcelona. The flywheel solution doesn’t require as much cooling as the battery variant but the Grove based team still has to work on the reliability of the system. In December it is due to be back on track.
More on KERS:
Apperantly there are also problems second version of Magneti Marelli’s electro engine (also bad for Renault and Red Bull). For this reason Ferrari has tied up with a second partner. The alternative solution is already running on the testbench. Integrating it in the old car would have cost too much time. Colajanni confirms Costa’s words: ”We will first test KERS in our new car.”
The development of KERS is costing Ferrari more than expected because the two systems are being pressed ahead with parallelly. If problems arise during the first tests in January then Ferrari might have to do without KERS in Australia, eventhough this is/was not the aim. A Williams engineer illustrates the problem: ”The planned testrestrictions for 2009 hurt the teams that have problems with KERS.”
Before the first GP next year there are only four big possibities to test. Not a lot to get KERS race-ready, taking into account that so far it has only been bench tested.
It’s said that the team principles will once again ask for a postponement of KERS during their meeting with Mosley tomorrow (when they will present him with everything that’s been agreed on last week during the FOTA meeting). Unity is not to be expected though. BMW Sauber insists on having KERS and Mosley won’t be giving in either, KERS is his contribution in making modern Formula 1 socially acceptable.
Kubica expects KERS to hamper him: http://www.formula1.com/news/interviews/2008/12/8787.html
We have heard that only now Magneti Marelli is starting to get to grips with the problems relating to the electro-engine and the control unit. That’s why, some time ago, Ferrari parallelly started a KERS development on their own (so not with another company as was previously suggested), also using Magneti Marelli components (but obviously working in a different direction). KERS will be in the car on Monday (MM’s version) but the alternative solution is to be tested on track in January also.
If you don’t have KERS in the car in Melbourne then you won’t be using it for the rest of the season either. Testing in the in-season has been done away with and no-one is going to sacrifice the Friday practice sessions to work on the development of the hybrid system. The test restrictions force the teams to reassess their working methods. Costa: ”We had to structure our working procedures. There’s just one week left to solve a problem.”
Simon: ”At the end of February we will have to commit ourselves as to whether or not we’ll be using KERS. We can only use it in qualifying and at the start of the race.”
Renault and Toyota are also dependent on Magneti Marelli. Unlike Ferrari they don’t have a standby system. In turn, Red Bull and Toro Rosso are dependent on their ‘life-lines’: their engine suppliers. The chance is small that these four teams will be able to solve the problems that BMW Sauber is still struggling with after 10 trackdays with KERS in the car. At Jerez two chassis’ were damaged. Overheated bearings in the area of the fueltank burned a hole in a carbon channel of the interim F1.08.
Williams is still waiting for a functioning electro-engine too. In addition there’s also trouble with the energy storage unit. During tracktesting the flywheel was put to rotate by the use of computer signals but rotated along whilst the car was moving. At 20,000 rpm the bearings start to overheat while the system is (expected) to be operated at 40,000 rpm.
The costs of a new development (for which it would be too late now anyway) would be high in the two-digit millions range. Toyota is rumoured to be building two chassis’: one with and one without KERS. Others say the Cologne based team has developed a chassis that can be equipped with KERS without any difficulty.
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I think some part of KERS is inevitably going to be very close to the fuel tank, in actual fact, in some cases it forces the designers to make the capacity of the fuel tank smaller in order to be able to fit it all in the car properly (I believe over 20 litres in Ferrari’s case).
Mclaren to use electro mechanical KERS:
Q. Some of your competitors have said they have got a handle on KERS, and other have said they haven’t. Where do McLaren stand on this technology? Have you got to grips with it?
Ron Dennis: We think we are very strong. We spent a lot of time analyzing which particular technology we would follow. In the end, we decided to follow an electro-mechanical system. So far, the work that has been done by Mercedes-Benz High Performance Engines and ourselves has gone very well. We have had very few real difficult parts of the programme. It is all extremely challenging, and it is cutting edge technology. There is nowhere you can buy this technology. You have to invent, develop, design and prove out everything, because whilst the principles of energy recovery are well known to everybody, actually the execution of it in high performance vehicles is virtually unknown. We think we are in a strong position but only time will tell. Certainly the first grand prix will give an indication, but as always in grand prix racing it will be two or three races before a pattern starts to emerge.
SO actually its similar to WIlliams system. No batteries for them either, unlike BMW
Escrito por Jaime-Ruben 
Escrito por Jaime-Ruben 
Escrito por Jaime-Ruben 
