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Rotation energy is a type of kinetic energy resulting from the rotation of matter around a center of rotation. It can be converted into other forms of energy and has similarities to linear kinetic energy. The moment of inertia and angular rate are important factors in determining rotational energy. Flywheel batteries are a practical application of rotational energy storage.
Rotation energy is the component of kinetic energy resulting from the rotation of a body. It results when any form of matter rotates around a center of rotation. It can be converted into other forms of energy, most typically translational and thermal energy. There are many similarities between rotational kinetic energy and linear kinetic energy. There are some practical applications for rotational energy, such as energy storage in a rotating flywheel.
The law of conservation of energy states that the total amount of energy in an isolated system must remain constant over time. Energy losses of one kind must translate into energy gains of another kind. Energy transfer between types often occurs through the exchange of momentum between atomic particles of matter. Examples of different forms of energy include chemical, potential, and thermal, as well as rotational. Rotation energy, then, is one of many possible ways that matter can hold energy.
There are many similarities between rotational energy and linear kinetic energy. Instead of mass, rotational systems have a moment of inertia. The moment of inertia can be thought of as the resistance to angular acceleration: it is similar to how mass is the resistance to linear acceleration. Moments of inertia increase as matter is further away from the center of rotation. This is because it is more difficult to spin a system if its matter is far from the center.
Similarly, rotational systems have an angular rate instead of a linear rate. Angular velocity is measured in radians per second, which is approximately 57.3 degrees per second. Both high moment of inertia and high angular velocity correspond to high rotational energy. According to the law of conservation of energy, the same amount of rotational energy can be obtained by reducing the moment of inertia of a system as the angular velocity increases.
A practical application of rotational energy is the use of flywheel batteries. Just as a standard battery stores electrical energy, a flywheel battery stores rotational energy. In a flywheel battery train, the linear kinetic energy of the moving train can be transferred to the rotational energy of the onboard flywheel. The effect of this transfer will be a reduction in train speed. If none of the energy is lost into heat, all of the energy from the train’s motion can be stored in the flywheel and later used to accelerate the train back up to speed.
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