Running 3 phase 780s on single phase power

[Sridhar Ayengar]

John Honniball wrote:
>> I just recall a friend who worked at KSC during Apollo where NASA had  
>> something like a 2-4 ton flywheel to be power the critical launch  
>> systems in the event of a power failure (to give time for the backup  
>> generators to kick in).
> 
> I saw one of these when my father took me to his workplace,
> Paxman Diesels in Colchester, in the 1970s.  He explained that
> it was for an airport, to keep the landing lights on during a
> power failure.  The flywheel was turned by an electric motor,
> and stored enough energy to keep the lights on just long
> enough to start the diesel engine.
> 
> He called it a "no-break set", i.e. a generating set with
> no break in the supply.

A similar system is used in flywheel-mechanical-hybrid powertrains for 
motor vehicles.  I participated in the design of one such system.

Peace...  Sridhar