Mechanical torsion spring energy storage device

Can mechanical spring systems be used for energy storage in elastic deformations?

Energy storage in elastic deformations in the mechanical domain offers an alternative to the electrical, electrochemical, chemical, and thermal energy storage approaches studied in the recent years. The present paper aims at giving an overview of mechanical spring systems’ potential for energy storage applications.

Should a torsion spring be used for energy storage?

The concept of using a torsion spring as a means of mechanical energy storage before the energy conversion to electricity has the substantial benefit of being able to directly capture and accumulate all input motion, even in the event of sudden impacts, and then convert this mechanical energy through a motor to provide a smoothed electrical output.

How does a tensioned torsion spring work?

The tensioned torsion springs can store elastic energy equivalent to up to 80 units of thermal energy; this energy can be maintained by locking the arm in position with a DNA duplex, formed by additional ssDNA extensions on the arm and base plate that can bind to each other.

Can a spring-based mechanical energy storage system be used as a power supply?

However, the spring-based mechanical energy storage system has been rarely used as an active power supply for mechanical systems, largely due to its low energy density (around 0.14 kJ kg −1 or 0.04 Wh kg −1 for steel spring [ 19]) and the additional conversion from mechanical energy to electricity.

How much mechanical energy can be stored in a molecular torsion spring?

From this value, we further estimated the mechanical energy that can be stored in such a molecular torsion spring. For instance, when the joint is twisted by 3.8 turns, corresponding to half its median RoM at 200 V, an energy of 194 kJ mol −1 or 78 kBT (where kB is the Boltzmann constant) would be stored.

How does a molecular torsion spring work?

It contains a molecular torsion spring constituted by two single stranded DNA segments winding around each other. On a coarse level, the behaviour of the system can be understood using a simple mechanical picture that balances the electrically generated torque with the restoring torque of a Hookean torsion spring.