I Design A Hydrogen Aventra
This article on Rail News is entitled Alstom Moves Ahead With Bombardier Takeover.
This is a paragraph in the report, which is dated the eighteenth of last month.
n a statement issued last night, Alstom said it had ‘signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Bombardier Inc. and Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec in view of the acquisition of Bombardier Transportation. Post-transaction, Alstom will have a backlog of around €75bn and revenues around €15.5bn. The price for the acquisition of 100 per cent of Bombardier Transportation shares will be €5.8bn to €6.2bn, which will be paid via a mix of cash and new Alstom shares.’
That sounds pretty definite to me.
In the UK, Alstom will take over a company with the following projects.
- A large order book for building Aventras in the Litchurch Lane factory at Derby.
- Several support projects for existing train fleets.
- A joint design project with Hitachi to bid for the trains for High Speed Two. Alstom are also bidding for High Speed Two, as are CAF, Siemens and Talgo.
- Design and build the cars for the Cairo monorail.
- Bombardier have been offering train operating companies a bi-mode Aventra.
There are also rumours, that Bombardier are in the running for a large order for Southeastern.
What are Bombardier’s strengths in the UK?
- The Aventra is without doubt an excellent train, but with some software teething troubles.
- The company has the ability to turn out finished trains at a formidable rate.
- The company can make the carriage bodies in a high-tech plant.
- Could the bodies be built in a larger size?
- Or even a smaller size for a country like Australia, New Zealand, Nigeria or South Africa that uses a narrow gauge?
- The company has the ability to design complete trains to the UK’s smaller standards.
- The company can make trains in both European-sizes in Europe and UK-sizes in Derby.
- The company builds bogies for other train manufacturing companies.
On the other hand, Bombardier has the following weaknesses.
- It doesn’t make any diesel-powered trains, although it has successfully trialled battery-powered trains.
- It has dismissed hydrogen-powered trains.
- But above all the finances of the parent company are a basket case.
It appears to me that Alstom might bring much needed technology and finance to Bombardier UK. In return, they will acquire a modern design, that can be used in the UK and other countries, that use a smaller loading gauge.
Obviously, if the takeover goes through, more information should be forthcoming in the near to mid future.
The Future For Hydrogen Trains In The UK
I would suspect, that Alstom have designed a train in the Class 321 Breeze, that fits their view of what will work well in the UK train market.
- It is a sixty metre long train, for a couple, where most platforms are at least eighty metres long.
- It has a capacity similar to that of a modern two-car diesel multiple unit.
- The Renatus version of the Class 321 train has a modern and reliable AC-based traction package. Or that’s what a Greater Anglia driver told me!
- Eversholt Rail Group have already devised a good interior.
- I said I was impressed with the interior of the train in A Class 321 Renatus.
- The train can operate at 100 mph on a suitably electrified line, when running using the electrification.
- Adding an extra trailer car or two could be a simple way of increasing capacity.
I should say, that I think it will be a quieter train, than the Coradia iLint, which has a rather noisy mechanical transmission.
I feel that a Class 321 Breeze train could be a good seller to routes that will not be electrified, either because of difficulty, expence or politics.
With a 100 mph operating speed on electrification and perhaps 90 mph on hydrogen power, it may have enough performance to work a lot of routes fast, profitably and reliably.
I think, that the Alston Class 321 Breeze will prove whether there is a market for hydrogen-powered trains in the UK.
I would think, that use of these trains could be a big application.
Replacement Of Two-And Three-Car Diesel Multiple Units
There are a lot of these still in service in the UK, which include.
- 3 x three-car Class 150 trains
- 134 x two-car Class 150 trains
- 114 x two-car Class 156 trains
- 15 x three-car Class 158 trains
- 155 x two-car Class 158 trains
- 30 x three-car Class 159 trains
All of these are currently running services all over Great Britain and I have ignored those trains run by Chiltern Railways as they will logically be replaced by a dedicated batch of new trains, with possible full- or part-electrification of the route. Or they could be custom-designed hydrogen trains.
As there are only 105 Class 321 trains that can be converted, some other trains will be needed.
I suppose classes of trains like Class 365 trains and others can be converted, but there must come a point, when it will be better to build new hydrogen trains from scratch.
Components For Hydrogen Trains
This article on Rail Business is entitled Breeze Hydrogen Multiple-Unit Order Expected Soon.
It says this about the design of the Alstom Breeze train.
The converted HMUs would have three roof-mounted banks of fuel cells on each of the two driving vehicles, producing around 50% more power than the iLint. Two passenger seating bays and one door vestibule behind each cab would be replaced by storage tanks. The fuel cells would feed underfloor battery packs which would also store regenerated braking energy. The current DC traction package on the centre car would be replaced by new AC drives and a sophisticated energy management system. Despite the loss of some seating space, each set of three 20 m vehicles would provide slightly more capacity than a two-car DMU with 23 m cars which it would typically replace.
The following components will be needed for hydrogen trains.
One Or More Hydrogen Tanks
This picture shows the proposed design of the Alstom Class 321 Breeze.
Note how half the side of the front car of the train is blocked in because it is full of the hydrogen tank. As this Driver Car is twenty metres long, each hydrogen tank must be almost seven metres long. If it was one larger tank, then it could be longer and perhaps up to fourteen metres long.
Batteries
As the Rail Business article said, that the batteries are underfloor, I wouldn’t be surprised to see all cars having a battery pack.
I favour this layout, as if cars all are motored, it must cut the length of cabling and reduce electrical losses.
Effectively, it creates a train with the following.
- Faster acceleration
- Smooth, fast deceleration.
- Efficient braking
- Low energy losses.
It should also add up to a train with good weight distribution and high efficiency.
Hydrogen Fuel Cells
In the Class 321 Breeze, Alstom are quoted as having three banks of fuel cell on the roof of each driver car.
This would distribute the power derived from hydrogen to both ends of the train
Hydrogen For Hydrogen Trains
Alstom’s Coradia iLint trains do not have a custom-design of hydrogen system, but over the last few years green hydrogen systems have started to be supplied by companies including ITM Power from Rotherham. Recently, they have supplied the hydrogen system for the hydrogen-powered Van Hool Exqui-City tram-buses in Pau in France. A similar system could be used to refuel a fleet of Breeze trains.
It looks like we have a limited number of hydrogen-powered trains and their fuel could be made available, but not enough to replace all of the UK’s small diesel trains, if we rely on Class 321 Breeze trains.
So there will be a need to build some more.
My Design Of Hydrogen Train
I would start with the Aventra design.
- It is very much Plug-and-Play, where different types of cars can be connected together.
- Cars can be any convenient length.
- Some Aventras, like the Class 345 trains for Crossrail are even two half-trains.
- There are various styles of interior.
- The Aventra appears to be a very efficient train, with good aerodynamics and a very modern traction system with regenerative braking.
- Driver, pantograph, trailer and motor cars and third-rail equipment are available.
- Battery cars have probably been designed.
- For good performance, Aventras tend to have a high proportion of motored cars.
- Aventras have been designed, so that power components can be distributed around the train, so that as much space as possible is available for passengers.
This picture shows a four-car Class 710 train, which is an Aventra.
In the next sub-sections I will fill out the design.
Train Layout
Perhaps, a hydrogen-powered train could be five cars and consist of these cars.
- Driver Motor Car
- Trailer or Motor Car
- Hydrogen Tank Car
- Trailer or Motor Car
- Driver Motor Car
Equipment would be arranged as followed.
- I would put the hydrogen tank in the middle car. Stadler have been very successful in putting a power car in the middle and it could be the ideal car for some of the important equipment.
- As I said earlier, I would put batteries under all cars.
- Regenerative braking and electrification would be used to charge the batteries.
- I think, I would put the hydrogen fuel cells in Alstom’s position on the rear part of the roof of the driver cars.
- There would also be a need to add a pantograph, so that could go on any convenient car!
- I do wonder, if the middle-car could be developed into a mini-locomotive with a walkway through, like the PowerCar in a Stadler Class 755 train.
There’s certainly a lot of possibilities on how to layout the various components.
Passenger Capacity
The five-car hydrogen-powered Aventra, I have detailed is effectively a four-car Aventra like a Class 710 train, with a fifth hydrogen tank car in the middle.
So the passenger capacity will be the same as a four-car Aventra.
The Class 710 trains have longitudinal seating, as these pictures of the interior show.
They have a capacity of 189 sitting and 489 standing passengers or a total capacity of 678.
Greater Anglia’s Class 720 trains have transverse seating and a five-car train holds 540 sitting and 145 standing passengers.
Multiplying by 0.8 to adjust for the hydrogen car and the capacity would be 432 sitting and116 standing passengers or a total capacity of 548.
Seats in various UK four-car electric multiple units are as follows.
- Class 319 – 319
- Class 321 – 309
- Class 375 – 236
- Class 379 – 209
- Class 380 – 265
- Class 385 – 273
- Class 450 – 264
It would appear that a five-car hydrogen-powered Aventra, with one car taken up by a hydrogen tank and other electrical equipment can carry a more than adequate number of passengers.
Extra Passenger Capacity
Suppose to eliminate diesel on a route, a five-car Class 802 train were to be replaced with a six-car hydrogen-powered Aventra, which contained five passenger cars
- The capacity of the Class 802 train is 326 seats, which still compares well with the five-car hydrogen-powered Aventra.
- The extra car would increase the passenger capacity.
As Aventras are of a Plug-and-Play design, extra cars would be added as needed.
Maximum Length
Aventras tend to have lots of powered axles, as this improves accelerations and braking, so I suspect that trains with four or five cars on either side of the hydrogen car would be possible.
Nine-car trains could be ideal for replacing trains like Class 800 bi-mode trains to reduce the number of diesel trains. The Class 800 trains would then be converted to Class 801 electric trains or a new battery/electric version.
A Walkway Through The Hydrogen Car
These pictures show the walkway through the PowerCar in a Stadler Class 755 train.
I’m sure that an elegant design of walkway can be created.
In-Cab Digital Signalling
It goes without saying, that the train would be capable of being fitted with in-cab digital signalling.
Performance On Electrification
Bombardier have stated that they have a design for a 125 mph bi-mode Aventra. They might even have designed the trains to achieve 140 mph running on routes with full in-cab digital signalling.
These electrified lines are likely to be able to support 140 mph running with full in-cab digital signalling.
- East Coast Main Line
- Great Western Main Line
- Midland Main Line
- West Coast Main Line
As these hydrogen-powered Aventras may need to run on these high speed electrified lines, I would design the trains so that they could achieve the design speed of these lines, when using the electrification.
This would enable the trains to keep out of the way of the numerous 140 mph electric expresses.
Performance On Batteries And Hydrogen
Hydrogen-powered trains are essentially battery-electric trains, which have the ability to top up the batteries using hydrogen power.
I would suspect that a well-designed hydrogen/battery/electric train should have the same maximum speed on all modes of power, subject to the capabilities of the track and having sufficient power in the batteries to accelerate as required.
The Complete Package
As Hydrogen filling stations from companies like ITM Power and others, that can refuel hydrogen-powered trains are a reality, I’m certain, that it would be possible to create a package solution for a railway company that needed the complete solution.
Different Gauges
If you take a country like Malawi, Malawi Railways looks to need improvement.
They have a three-foot six-inch gauge railway, so could a package of narrower hydrogen-powered Aventras and a solar-powered hydrogen-generator be put together to improve Malawi’s railways?
In When Do Mark 2 Coaches Accept The Inevitable?, I discuss how British Rail Mark 2 coaches were converted from UK loading gauge to one that would work with New Zealand’s 1067 mm. gauge.
So I suspect that a design related to trains built for the UK could be modified for running on the narrow gauge lines of Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
Conclusion
I think it would be possible to design a hydrogen/battery/electric train based on an Aventra with the following characteristics.
- Up to eleven cars
- A hydrogen car with a hydrogen tank in the middle of the train.
- Ability to use 25 KVAC overhead or 750 VDC third-rail electrification.
- In-cab digital signalling
- 140 mph running where the route allows.
- Regenerative braking to batteries.
- Sufficient range on hydrogen power.
- Sophisticated computer control, that swaps mode automatically.
The train would be possible to run the following routes, if configured appropriately.
- Kings Cross and Aberdeen
- Kings Cross and Inverness
- Kings Cross and Cleethorpes via Lincoln and Grimsby
- Kings Cross and Redcar via Middlesbrough
- Kings Cross and Norwich via Cambridge
- Paddington and Penzance
- Paddington and Swansea
- Waterloo and Exeter via Basingstoke
Some routes might need a section of fill-in electrification, but most routes should be possible with a hydrogen fill-up at both ends.
Lightweight Trains And No Taboos In French Secondary Line Rescue Package
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette International.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Development of lightweight rolling stock is one of several proposals put forward by the government to try and ensure the survival of much of the remaining network of secondary lines, many of which carry very limited traffic.
This problem of secondary lines exists in other countries, like Germany, Italy and to a certain extent the UK.
I will argue that Vivarail, with their Class 230 train are following a similar plan to that proposed for France.
- Lightweight well-proven design.
- Battery-powered.
- Modern interior.
- Designed for short branch lines and secondary routes.
Will Vivarail be talking to the French? Probably not, as using old London Underground stock in rural France would see a large clash of national egos.
But the philosophy could be transplanted across the Channel.
Perhaps some smaller British designs like an Aventra could also be used on French rural routes, that are electrified?
National Trust Looks At Car Ban In Lake District
The title of this post is the same as that as that of this article in yesterday’s Sunday Times.
The secondary headline sums up the article.
Nearly 20m visitors a year are ‘loving the national park to death’, and officials are looking at excluding drivers.
So what is to be done?
Can The Railways Help?
In 2015, I spent Three Days in Preston and explored the area by train.
These problems were apparent on the trains and at the stations.
- The capacity, quality and frequency of the trains to Windermere is pitiful.
- The capacity, quality and frequency of the trains along the Cumbrian Coast Line is inadequate.
- Bus information and interchanges could be better.
- Getting a train to Penrith North Lakes station was difficult.
The only line with an acceptable train service is the West Coast Main Line.
Everything else needs major improvements.
These are some random thoughts.
Could Carlisle Become The Rail Tourism Centre For The Borderlands And The Lakes?
These rail lines and services are already or will be connected to Carlisle Citadel station, within the next few years.
- Virgin services on the West Coast Main Line between London and the South and Glasgow and Edinburgh in Central Scotland.
- TransPennine Express services on the West Coast Main Line between Liverpool and Manchester in the South and Glasgow.
- Possible Grand Union services on the West Coast Main Line between London and Stirling for the North of Scotland.
- High Speed Two services between London and the South and Glasgow and Edinburgh in Central Scotland.
- ScotRail services on the Glasgow South Western Line between Carlisle and Glasgow via Dumfries and Kilmarnock.
- ScotRail services on an extended Borders Railway between Carlisle and Edinburgh via Hawick and Galashiels.
- Northern services on the Tyne Valley Line between Carlisle and Newcastle via Hexham and the Metro Centre.
- Northern services on the Settle and Carlisle Line between Carlisle and Leeds.
- Northern services on the Cumbrian Coast Line between Carlisle and Carnforth via Workington, Whitehaven and Barrow.
Carlisle sits at the centre of a network of some of the most scenic rail lines, anywhere in the world.
Rail services in the area with the exception of the through services, provided by Virgin and TransPennine Express are probably considered by their operators to be a pain.
- They are generally not used by commuters.
- There are regular operational problems like floods and landslips.
- They are overcrowded at some times of the year and need expensive new rolling stock.
- Rail tourists from aboard probably complain like mad.
But above all the services probably lose money hand over fist.
What Is The Ideal Train For Scenic Routes?
Two possible trains for scenic routes are now in service in the UK.
The Scottish Solution – Inter7City
ScotRail are now introducing four- and five-car InterCity 125 trains on routes between the seven cities in Scotland.
They will probably do a good job and they have the following.
- Large windows to enjoy the views.
- Many seats have tables.
- An on-board buffet and trolley service.
- Wi-fi and power sockets for phones and laptops.
- The trains should be reliable, as there is a vast knowledge base about running these trains.
- The trains can be easily lengthened, by adding extra cars.
- The trains were 125 mph trains and are probably slower in this application.
But the trains are forty years old and have two enormous diesel engines on each end.
The Swiss Solution – Class 755 train
Greater Anglia are introducing three- and four-car Class 755 trains on rural routes in East Anglia.
They appear to be doing a good job with high passenger satisfaction and they have the following.
- Large windows to enjoy the views.
- A number of seats have tables.
- Space for bicycles.
- Wi-fi and power sockets for phones and laptops.
- The trains have level access between train and platform.
- Hopefully, the trains will be reliable, as they are brand new and Stadler has been making similar trains for over ten years.
- The trains can use 25 KVAC overhead electrification, where it is available.
- The trains can work in multiple formations.
- The trains can be easily lengthened, by adding extra cars.
- The trains are 100 mph trains.
But the trains still have a diesel power-pack in the middle for operation independently.
In future, these trains will be used to run new services between London and Lowestoft, which is a distance of 118 miles of which 59 miles is electrified.
Similar trains will be fitted with batteries for the South Wales Metro.
Could a train be built with the best of all the features?
I believe the Class 755 train is a pretty good start, but it would have the following extra features.
- Ability to run at up to 125 mph on 25 KVAC overhead or 750 VDC third rail, where the track allows.
- A well-designed buffet.
- 50 mile battery range.
- A stand-by generator.
- The ability to fast-charge the battery at a station stop.
I also think that Hitachi could make a five-car AT-300 train and Bombardier could make an Aventra, that met this specification.
What would a fleet of battery-electric trains do for the rail lines around Carlisle?
- Hopefully, they would become a tourist attraction in their own right and encourage visitors to corm by train.
- Frequencies would be at least two trains per hour on all routes.
This could be a starting point for making the area easier to access.
Should Stations Around The Lakes Be Developed With Bus Interchanges?
I’ve seen the bus interchange at Windermere station, but are other stations around the Lakes as well provided with comprehensive bus routes?
The objective surely should be that if a family wanted to have a day out in the Lakes from their home in Liverpool or Manchester, they should be able to get a train to a convenient station and a bus to their final destination.
Surely, if there is a sensible alternative, then visitors might use it.
Could The Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway Be Reopened?
The Cockermouth, Keswick and Penrith Railway was finally closed in the 1970s and according to Wikipedia, the track-bed has been used for roads and other developments.
I doubt that the railway could be reopened, but a modern light rail route would probably be a very valuable tourist asset.
But Would Good Train And Bus Routes Cut The Traffic In The Lakes?
I doubt it!
If someone has spent £40,000 or more on an expensive car, they feel they have bought the right to drive it anywhere they want!
The Dutch once talked about road pricing for every vehicle and that government lost the next election.
Conclusion
Traffic congestion in the Lakes, is a problem that threatens other areas, where tourists want to go.
So will as the National Trust are suggesting have to ban cars to restore some sanity?
I suspect so!
But it won’t be popular!
HS2 Way Out In Front In Tunnel Design For High-Speed Rail
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Engineer.
The article describes how Arup and Birmingham University are using physical and computer modelling to obtain the ultimate profiles of both tunnel portal and train nose to both increase train performance and reduce train noise as the trains enter tunnels.
They are even using a huge shed at the former British Rail Research Centre in Derby!
The biggest problem, is that there are aerodynamic effects, as the trains enter the tunnels at very high speeds, which result in what are inevitably called sonic booms, that disturb the local residents.
Because the new trains and tunnel portals are being developed together, there must be a greater chance, they will meet the objectives.
Collateral Benefits
Get the design right and there will be other benefits.
Lower Power In The Cruise
In How Much Power Is Needed To Run A Train At 125 mph?, I said this.
I have found this on this page on the RailUKForums web site.
A 130m Electric IEP Unit on a journey from Kings Cross to Newcastle under the conditions defined in Annex B shall consume no more than 4600kWh.
This is a Class 801 train.
- It has five cars.
- Kings Cross to Newcastle is 268.6 miles.
- Most of this journey will be at 125 mph.
- The trains have regenerative braking.
- I don’t know how many stops are included
This gives a usage figure of 3.42 kWh per vehicle mile.
This figure is not exceptional and I suspect that good design of the train’s nose will reduce it, especially as the design speed of High Speed Two will be 360 kph or 224 mph.
Reduced Noise
Stand on a Crossrail platform at say Southall or West Drayton stations and listen to the Class 801 trains passing.
They are only doing about 100 mph and they are certainly not quiet! Noise comes from a variety of sources including aerodynamics, overhead wires and running gear.
Could the nose and profile of high speed trains also be designed to minimise noise, when cruising at high speeds?
Reduced Pantograph Noise
Travelling at up to 360 kph, pantograph noise could be a serious problem.
The only way to cut it down, would be to lower the pantograph in sensitive areas and run the train on battery power.
But if the trains energy consumption could be cut to a much lower level, it might be possible for the cruise to be maintained on battery power alone.
Consider a journey between Euston and Birmingham.
- The train would accelerate away from Euston and go in a tunnel to Old Oak Common.
- Batteries could be charged whilst waiting at Euston and in the run to Old Oak Common.
- Accelerating away from Old Oak Common would bring the train to 360 kph as fast as possible.
- It would now cruise virtually all the way to Birmingham Interchange at 360 kph.
- At the appropriate moment the pantograph would be lowered and the train would use the kinetic energy to coast into Birmingham Interchange.
- There would probably be enough energy in the batteries to take the train into Birmingham Curzon Street station after the stop at Birmingham Interchange.
One technology that will massively improve is the raising and lowering of the pantograph at speed.
So could we see much of the long non-stop intermediate section being run on batteries with the pantograph down. If power is needed, it would raise to power the train directly. If the raising and lowering was efficient, then it might be able to use the pantograph only in tunnels.
Could It Be Possible To Dispence With Wires Outside Of Tunnels?
Probably not on the first phase of High Speed Two, but consider.
- High Speed Two is designed to have a lot of tunnels.
- Arup and Birmingham may come up with even better aerodynamic designs.
- Pantograph raising and lowering will get faster and extremely reliable.
- Battery technology will hold more electricity for a given weight and volume.
- Dispensing with visible wires could reduce the problems of getting planning permissions.
- Noise and visible intrision will be reduced.
I believe there will come a time, when high speed railways could be built without visible overhead electrification.
The only places, where electrification would be used would be in tunnels and stations.
Are There Any Other Applications Of This Research?
These are a few thoughts.
Hitachi Trains For The Midland Main Line
I’m suspicious, that the research or similar research elsewhere, might have already produced a very handy result!
In an article in the October 2019 Edition of Modern Railways, which is entitled EMR Kicks Off New Era, more details of the new Hitachi bi-mode trains for East Midlands Railway (EMR) are given.
This is said.
The first train is required to be available for testing in December 2021 with service entry between April and December 2022.
The EMR bi-modes will be able to run at 125 mph in diesel mode, matching Meridian performance in a step-up from the capabilities of the existing Class 80x units in service with other franchises. They will have 24 metre vehicles (rather than 26 metres), a slightly different nose to the ‘800s’ and ‘802s’, and will have four diesel engines rather than three.
Could the new nose have been designed partly in Birmingham?
Consider.
- Hitachi’s bi-modes for EMR InterCity could be running at up to 225 kph in a few years.
- The Midland Main Line between Derby and Chesterfield goes through a number of tunnels in a World Heritage Site.
- Hitachi have collaborated with UK research teams before, including on the Hyabusa.
- Hitachi and Bombardier are submitting a joint bid for High Speed Two trains, which is based in Birmingham.
It should be noted that when the Tōkaidō Shinkansen opened in 1964 between Tokyo and Osaka average speed was 210 kph.
So are Hitachi aiming to provide EMR InterCity with almost Shinkansen speeds on a typical UK main line?
Arup and Birmingham University, certainly have the capability to design the perfect nose for such a project.
Aventras
Did the research team also help Bombardier with the aerodynamics of the Aventra?
I’m pretty certain, that somebody did, as these trains seem to have a very low noise signature, as they go past.
Talgo
Tsalgo are building a research centre at Chesterfield.
Will they be tapping in to all the rail research in the Midlands?
Conclusion
It looks to me, that there is some world-class research going on in Birmingham and we’ll all benefit!
The Batteries For Bombardier Electrostars
This article on the Railway Gazette is entitle Bombardier And Leclanché Sign Battery Traction MoU.
This is the second paragraph.
According to Bombardier, Leclanché will deliver ‘imminently’ its first performance demonstrator battery systems, after which it will be in line to supply traction equipment worth in excess of €100m for use in more than 10 rolling stock projects.
In Stadler’s New Tri-Mode Class 93 Locomotive, I investigated who was providing two large suitcase-sized batteries for Stadler’s new Class 93 locomotive.
In the related post, I said this about the batteries in the Class 93 locomotive, which I describe as a hybrid locomotive.
The Class 93 Locomotive Is Described As A Hybrid Locomotive
Much of the article is an interview with Karl Watts, who is Chief Executive Officer of Rail Operations (UK) Ltd, who have ordered ten Class 93 locomotives. He says this.
However, the Swiss manufacturer offered a solution involving involving an uprated diesel alternator set plus Lithium Titanate Oxide (LTO) batteries.
Other information on the batteries includes.
- The batteries are used in regenerative braking.
- Batteries can be charged by the alternator or the pantoraph.
- Each locomotive has two batteries slightly bigger than a large suitcase.
Nothing is said about the capacity of the batteries, but each could be say 200 litres in size.
I have looked up manufacturers of lithium-titanate batteries and there is a Swiss manufacturer of the batteries called Leclanche, which has this data sheet, that describes a LT30 Power cell 30Ah.
- This small cell is 285 mm x 178.5 mm x 12 mm.
- It has a storage capacity of 65 Wh
- It has an expedited lifetime of greater than 15,000 cycles.
- It has an energy density of 60 Wh/Kg or 135 Wh/litre
These cells can be built up into much larger batteries.
- A large suitcase is 150 litres and this volume would hold 20 kWh and weigh 333 Kg.
- A battery of 300 litres would hold 40 kWh. Is this a large Swiss suitcase?
- A box 2.5 metres x 1 metre x 0.3 metres underneath a train would hold 100 kWh and weigh 1.7 tonnes
These batteries with their fast charge and discharge are almost like supercapacitors.
, It would appear that, if the large suitcase batteries are used the Class 93 locomotive will have an energy storage capacity of 80 kWh.
I wonder how many of these batteries can be placed under a Bombardier Eectrostar.
It looks rather cramped under there, but I’m sure Bombardier have the detailed drawings and some ideas for a bit of a shuffle about. For comparison, this is a selection of pictures of the underneath of the driver car of the new Class 710 trains, which are Aventras.
It looks like Bombardier have done a big tidy-up in changing from Electrostars to Aventras.
In Battery Electrostars And The Uckfield Branch, I came to the conclusion that Class 387 trains were the most likely trains to be converted for battery operation.
I also developed Excel spreadsheets that model the operation of battery trains on the Uckfield Branch and the Marshlink Line.
Feel free to download and examine.
Size Of Batteries Needed
My calculations in the two spreadsheets are based on the train needing 3 kWh per vehicle-mile to cruise between stations.
To handle the Uckfield Branch, it appears that 290.3 kWh is needed to go South and 310.3 kWh to go North.
I said this earlier.
A box 2.5 metres x 1 metre x 0.3 metres underneath a train would hold 100 kWh and weigh 1.7 tonnes.
So could we put some of these batteries under the train?
The Effect Of More Efficient Trains
My calculations are based on the train needing 3 kWh per vehicle-mile, but what if the trains are more efficient and use less power?
- 3 – 290.3 – 310.3
- 2.5 – 242.6 – 262.6
- 2 – 194.9 – 214.9
- 1.5 – 147.2 – 167.2
- 1 – 99.4 – 119.4
Note.
- The first figure is Southbound and the second figure is Northbound.
- More power is needed Northbound, as the train has to be accelerated out of Uckfield station on battery power.
The figures clearly show that the more efficient the train, the less battery capacity is needed.
I shall also provide figures for Ashford and Ore.
- 3 – 288
- 2.5 – 239.2
- 2 – 190.4
- 1.5 – 141.5
- 1 – 92.7
Note that Westbound and Eastbound energy needs are the same, as both ends are electrified.
I obviously don’t know Bombardier’s plans, but if the train’s energy consumption could be reduced to around 2 kWh per vehicle-mile, a 250 kWh battery on the train would provide enough energy storage for both routes.
Could this be provided by two of Leclanche’s batteries designed to fit a space under the train?
These would be designed to provide perhaps 250 kWh.
What Would Be The Ultimate Range Of A Class 387 Train On Battery Power?
Suppose you have a four-car Class 387 train with 25 kWh of battery power that leaves an electrified station at 60 mph with a full battery.
How far would it go before it came to a lifeless stop?
The battery energy would be 250 kWh.
There would be 20 kWh of kinetic energy in the train.
Ranges with various average energy consumption in kWh per vehicle-mile are as follows.
- 3 – 22.5 miles
- 2.5 – 27 miles
- 2 – 34 miles
- 1.5 – 45 miles
- 1 – 67.5 miles
Obviously, terrain, other traffic and the quality of the driving will effect the energy consumption.
But I do believe that a well-designed battery-electric train could easily handle a fifty mile electrification gap.
What Would Be The Rescue Range On One Battery?
One of the main reasons for putting batteries on an electrical multiple unit is to move the train to a safe place for passenger evacuation if the electrification should fail.
This week, there have been two electrification failures in London along, one of which was caused by a failing tree in the bad weather.
I’ll assume the following.
- The train is a Class 387 train with one 125 kWh battery.
- The battery is ninety percent charged.
- The train will be moved at 40 mph, which has a kinetic energy around 9 kWh.
- The energy consumption of the train is 3 kWh per vehicle-mile.
The train will use 9 kWh to accelerate the train to line speed, leaving 116 kWh to move the train away from the problem.
With the energy consumption of 3 kWh per vehicle-mile, this would be a very useful 9.5 miles.
Regenerative Braking To Battery On Existing Trains
This has been talked about for the Class 378 trains on the London Overground.
Regenerative braking to batteries on the train, should cut energy use and would the battery help in train recovery from the Thames Tunnel?
What About Aventras?
Comparing the aerodynamics of an Electrostar like a Class 387 train with an Aventra like a Class 710 train, is like comparing a Transit van with a modern streamlined car.
Look at these pictures some of which are full frontal.
It should be noted that in one picture a Class 387 train is shown next to an InterCity 125. Did train designers forget the lessons learned by Terry Miller and his team at Derby.
I wonder how much electricity would be needed to power an Aventra with batteries on the Uckfield branch?
These are various parameters about a Class 387 train.
- Empty Weight – 174.81 tonnes
- Passengers – 283
- Full Weight – 2003 tonnes
- Kinetic Energy at 60 mph – 20.0 kWh
And these are for a Class 710 train.
- Empty Weight – 157.8 tonnes
- Passengers – 700
- Full Weight – 220.8 tonnes
- Kinetic Energy at 60 mph – 22.1 kWh
Note.
- The Aventra is twenty-seven tonnes lighter. But it doesn’t have a toilet and it does have simpler seating with no tables.
- The passenger weight is very significant.
- The full Aventra is heavier, due to the large number of passengers.
- There is very little difference in kinetic energy at a speed of 60 mph.
I have played with the model for some time and the most important factor in determining battery size is the energy consumption in terms of kWh per vehicle-mile. Important factors would include.
- The aerodynamics of the nose of the train.
- The turbulence generated by all the gubbins underneath the train and on the roof.
- The energy requirements for train equipment like air-conditioing, lighting and doors.
- The efficiency of the regenerative braking.
As an example of the improvement included in Aventras look at this picture of the roof of a Class 710 train.
This feature probably can’t be retrofitted, but I suspect many ideas from the Aventra can be applied to Electrostars to reduce their energy consumption.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bombardier push the energy consumption of an Electrostar with batteries towards the lower levels that must be possible with Aventras.
Riding Sunbeams Deploys Solar Array
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
These are the introductory paragraphs.
Riding Sunbeams Ltd has installed a 30 kWp solar test unit with around 100 panels near Aldershot which is directly supplying electricity to power signalling and lighting on Network Rail’s Wessex Route.
This will enable data to be gathered to assess how much larger solar arrays could be used to power trains.
Note that kWp is peak kW. On a very sunny day, 30 kW is the highest power level that will be supplied.
This page on the Energy Saving Trust is entitled Costs and Saving and this is said.about solar generation in the South of England.
A 4kWp system in the south of England can generate around 4,200 kilowatt hours of electricity a year – that’s the same amount of electricity as it takes to turn the London Eye 56 times. It will save around 1.6 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.
For comparison, they say this about solar generation in Scotland.
A 4kWp system in Scotland can generate about 3,400 kilowatt hours of electricity a year – that’s the same amount of electricity as it takes to turn the Falkirk Wheel 2,200 times. It will save approximately 1.3 tonnes of carbon dioxide every year.
I’d be interested to know, the two locations, where they measured the sunlight.
It was a lovely sunny day recently, when I passed through Aldershot station, so I’ll use the Southern England figures.
- Uprating the Energy Saving Trust figures by 30/4 gives a yearly output of 31,500 kWh,
- The daily output is 86.3 kWh.
- The hourly output based on a 0600-2200 sixteen hour day is 5.4 kWh
There would probably be a battery to make the most of the electricity generated.
Powering Feeder Stations For Third-Rail Electrification
As the Railway Gazette article says, the trial installation at Aldershot station will be used to power signalling and the station, which will then give figures to assess how trains can be powered.
In the September 2017 Edition of Modern Railways, there is an article entitled Wires Through The Weald, which discusses electrification of the Uckfield Branch in Sussex, as proposed by Chris Gibb. This is an extract.
He (Chris Gibb) says the largest single item cost is connection to the National Grid, and a third-rail system would require feeder stations every two or three miles, whereas overhead wires may require only a single feeder station for the entire Uckfield Branch.
It would appear that 750 VDC rail-based direct current electrification needs many more feeder stations, than 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
Could a solar system from Riding Sunbeams supply power in the following situations?
- Places where there was space for a solar array.
- Remote locations, where a connection to the grid is difficult.
- Places, where the power supply needed a bit of a boost.
How large would an individual solar feeder station need to be?
Consider a feeder station on a rail line with these characteristics.
- Third-rail electrification
- Four-car trains
- Each train uses three kWh per vehicle mile.
- Two trains per hour (tph) in both directions.
- Electrification sections are three miles long.
- Trains run from six in the morning to ten at night.
- Trains pass at speeds of up to 100 mph.
The hourly electricity need for each section would be 144 kWh or 2304 kWh per day and 841 MWh for the whole year.
The Energy Saving Trust says this.
A 4kWp system in the south of England can generate around 4,200 kilowatt hours of electricity a year.
Using these figures says that a solar array of 800 MWp will be needed to provide the power for one feeder station.
Consider.
- The largest solar array in the UK is Shotwick Solar Farm, which has a capacity of 72 MWp.
- Shotwick covers 730 acres.
Am I right to question if that enough electricity to create a feeder station to power trains, can be produced reliably from a solar array and a battery?
I’d love to have the electricity usage and bill for one of Network Rail’s typical third-rail feeder stations. Not that I’d want to pay it!
How Would Station Stops Be Handled?
When a modern electrical multiple unit stops in a station, there is a three-stage process.
- The train decelerates, hopefully using regenerative braking, where the braking energy is returned through the electrification to hopefully power nearby trains.
- The train waits in the station for a minute or so, using power for air-conditioning and other hotel functions.
- The train accelerates away using track power.
Would a Riding Sunbeams system provide enough capacity to accelerate the train away?
In What Is The Kinetic Energy Of A Class 710 Train?, I calculated the kinetic energy of a very full Class 710 train, which is just about as modern and probably efficient, as you can get.
These were my results.
- 50 mph – 15.3 kWh
- 60 mph – 22.1 kWh
- 90 mph – 49.4 kWh – Operating speed of a Crossrail Class 345 train.
- 100 mph – 61.3 kWh – Operating speed of many electric multiple units.
These kinetic energy values are low enough to make it possible that a modern electric multiple unit can run using on-board batteries.
- Regenerative braking would be captured in the batteries.
- Hotel power in the station can be provided by batteries.
- Batteries can cruise the train through sections of line without electrification or with a poor electrical supply.
Suppose there is a twenty mile gap between two stations; A and B, where trains cruise at 90 mph.
- The train arrives at station A, with a battery that has been charged on previous parts of the journey from the electrification.
- Regenerative braking energy will be stored in the battery on braking.
- Acceleration to 90 mph will need 49.4 kWh of electricity from the battery.
- Using my 3 kWh per vehicle mile figure, going from A to B, will need 4 cars * 20 miles * 3 = 240 kWh of electricity.
It looks like a battery with a capacity of 300 kWh would handle this situation
Could this be fitted into a four-car train, like an Aventra?
In this article in Global Rail News from 2011, which is entitled Bombardier’s AVENTRA – A new era in train performance, gives some details of the Aventra’s electrical systems. This is said.
AVENTRA can run on both 25kV AC and 750V DC power – the high-efficiency transformers being another area where a heavier component was chosen because, in the long term, it’s cheaper to run. Pairs of cars will run off a common power bus with a converter on one car powering both. The other car can be fitted with power storage devices such as super-capacitors or Lithium-ion batteries if required. The intention is that every car will be powered although trailer cars will be available.
Unlike today’s commuter trains, AVENTRA will also shut down fully at night. It will be ‘woken up’ by remote control before the driver arrives for the first shift
This was published over eight years ago, so I suspect Bombardier have refined the concept.
If 424 kWh can be fitted under the floor of a two-car Class 230 train, I’m sure in a train designed for energy storage at least 500 kWh or maybe as high as 1000 kWh could be fitted to a four-car Aventra.
A 500 kWh battery would give a battery range of just under forty miles, whilst a 1000 kWh battery would give a ninety-five mile range.
Obviously, the battery would need to be charged, but in many cases the range would take the train between two existing electrified lines. Think Ipswich -Cambridge, Newcastle-Carlisle, the Fife Circle Line, the Uckfield Branch and Ashford-Hastings!
Conclusion
Riding Sunbeams may be suitable for providing local power for signalling and stations, but batteries on trains looks like it could be a better way of powering trains.
Is There Nothing A Class 319 Train Can’t Do?
If a train every goes into orbit round the world, it will be highly-likely that it will be a Class 319 train!
Electric Trains In North-West England
The fleet of eighty-six trains entered service in 1987 on Thameslink and now twenty-seven are plying their trade on the electrified routes around the North-West of England.
- You don’t hear many complaints about them being called London’s cast-offs.
- Passengers fill them up in Blackpool, Liverpool, Manchester and Preston.
- They still do 100 mph where possible.
- They seem to be reliable.
- They are not the most attractive of trains.
But handsome is as handsome does!
Drivers have told me, that although the suspension may be a bit soft for the bumpy route across Chat Moss, the trains do have superb brakes.
Bi-Mode Class 769 Trains
Nearly thirty of the trains are being converted into bi-mode Class 769 trains for working partially-electrifired routes and although these are running late, they should be in service this year.
Rail Operations Group
Two Class 769 trains have been ordered to be fast logistics trains by Rail Operations Group.
Wikipedia says the trains will be used to transport mail.
But if you read the history of the Rail Operations Group, they make the assets sweat and I’ve read the trains will still have seats, so they might do some other rail operations.
The Hydrogen-Powered Class 799 Train
And now comes the Class 799 train!
This is a demonstrator to prove the concept of conversion to hydrogen power.
The fact that the train now has it’s own number must be of some significance.
Alstom are converting Class 321 trains into Class 321 Breeze trains.
- The conversion will reduce passenger capacity, due to the large hydrogen tank
- It will have a 1,000 km range.
- It will have regenerative breaking.
- It will have a new AC traction package
- It will probably have the interior of a Class 321 Renatus train.
The conversion will obviously build on Alstom’s experience with the Alstom Coradia iLint train and Eversholt’s experience with the Renatus.
When it comes to the Class 799 train, the following will apply.
- Porterbrook have all the experience of creating the bi-mode and dual-voltage Class 769 train.
- Birmingham University’s Birmingham Centre For Railway Research And Education (BCRRE) are providing the expertise to design and convert the Class 319 train to hydrogen power.
- I also wouldn’t be surprised to find out, that the BCRRE has applied some very extensive mathematical modelling to find out the performance of a hydrogen-powered Class 319 train or HydroFLEX train.
- The conversion could be based closely on Class 769 experience and sub-systems,
Could the main purpose be to demonstrate the technology and ascertain the views of train operators and passengers on hydrogen power?
The most important question, is whether the Class 799 train, will have the same passenger capacity as the original Class 319 train?
If it does, then BCRRE must have found a way to store the hydrogen in the roof or under the floor.
It should be noted, that it was only in September 2018, that the contract to develop the Class 799 train was signed and yet less than a year later BCRRE and Porterbrook will be demonstrating the train at a trade show.
This short development time, must mean that there is not enough time to modify the structure of the train to fit a large hydrphen tank inside, as Alstom are proposing.
A smaller hydrogen tank could be placed in one of three places.
- Underneath the train.
- On the roof.
- Inside the train, if it is small enough to fit through the train’s doors.
Note.
- I doubt that anybody would put the tank inside the train for perceived safety reasons from passengers.
- On the roof, would require substantial structural modifications. Is there enough time?
So how do you reduce the size of the hydrogen tank and still store enough hydrogen in it to give the train a useful range?
In Better Storage Might Give Hydrogen The Edge As Renewable Car Fuel, I indicated technology from Lancaster University, that could store four times as much hydrogen in a given size of tank.
This reduced tank size would make the following possible.
- The hydrogen tank, the fuel cell and the batteries could be located underneath the four-cars of the Class 319 train.
- The seating capacity of the Class 799 train could be the same as that of a Class 319 train.
Clever electronics would link everything together.
If BCRRE succeed in their development and produce a working hydrogen-powered Class 799 train, how would the technology be used?
Personally, I don’t think we’ll see too many hydrogen-powered Class 799 trains, running passengers on the UK network.
- The trains are based on a thirty-year-old train.
- The interiors are rather utilitarian and would need a lot of improvement, to satisfy what passengers expect.
- Their market can probably be filled in the short-term by more Class 769 trains.
But I do believe that the technology could be applied to more modern trains.
A Hydrogen-Powered Electrostar
Porterbrook own at least twenty four-car Electrostar trains, which have been built in recent years.
Six Class 387 trains, currently used by c2c, may come off lease in the next few years.
Could these trains be converted into a train with the following specification?
- Modern train interior, with lots of tables and everything passengers want.
- No reduction in passenger capacity.
- 110 mph operating speed using electrification.
- Useful speed and range on hydrogen power.
- ERTMS capability, which Porterbrook are fitting to the Class 387 trains to be used by Heathrow Express.
It should be born in mind, that a closely-related Class 379 train proved the concept of a UK battery train.
- The train was converted by Bombardier.
- It ran successfully for three months between Manningtree and Harwich.
- The interior of the train was untouched.
But what was impressive was that the train was converted to battery operation and back to normal operation in a very short time.
This leads me to think, that adding new power sources to an Electrostar, is not a complicated rebuild of the train’s electrical system.
If the smaller hydrogen tank, fuel cell and batteries can be fitted under a Class 319 train, I suspect that fitting them under an Electrostar will be no more difficult.
I believe that once the technology is proven with the Class 799 train, then there is no reason, why later Electrostars couldn’t be converted to hydrogen power.
- Class 387 trains from c2c, Great Northern and Great Western Railway.
- Class 379 trains, that will be released from Greater Anglia by new Class 745 trains.
- Class 377 trains from Southeastern could be released by the new franchise holder.
In addition, some Class 378 trains on the London Overground could be converted for service on the proposed West London Orbital Railway.
A Hydrogen-Powered Aventra
If the Electrostar can be converted, I don’t see why an Aventra couldn’t be fitted with a similar system.
Conclusion
A smaller hydrogen tank, holding hydrogen at a high-density would enable trains to be converted without major structural modifications or reducing the passenger capacity.
The development of a more efficient method of hydrogen storage, would open up the possibilities for the conversion of trains to electric-hydrogen hybrid trains.
Chester To Liverpool Via Runcorn
This new service between Chester and Liverpool Lime Street stations via Runcorn station and the Halton Curve, started a couple of weeks ago.
I took these pictures of the journey.
Note.
- The service was busy, as everybody seemed to be going to Liverpool to prepare for the evening’s match.
- The Class 150 train kept up a good speed, which indicates that Network Rail didn’t cut quality on the link.
- Runcorn is about the halfway point of the journey.
- The route is electrified between Runcorn and Liverpool Lime Street stations.
- The Class 150 train was a bit tired.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see a hybrid train working this route.
- Transport for Wales have ordered some electro-diesel Class 769 trains.
- Alstom are converting Class 321 trains into hydrogen-powered Class 321 Breeze trains at nearby Widnes.
- Porterbrook are converting Class 350 trains into Battery/FLEX trains.
- Hitachi are talking to ScotRail about Class 385 trains with batteries.
- I’m also sure Bombardier have a battery-electric Aventra.
Operation would be as follows.
- All these trains work be capable of 100 mph using 25 KVAC overhead electrification between Liverpool Lime Street and Runcorn stations.
- Power changeover would be at Runcorn station.
- Between Runcorn to Chester stations is only about fourteen miles.. This will be well within battery range in a few years.
Transport for Wales will be obtaining trains from a crowded market.
More Halton Curve Services
Under Planned Improvements in the Wikipedia entry for Transport for Wales, this is said.
Introduction of a new hourly Liverpool to Llandudno and Shrewsbury service, and a new two-hourly Liverpool to Cardiff Central service from December 2022.
Adding these to the current hourly service, this would mean that two trains per hour (tph) would normally run between Liverpool Lime Street and Chester stations, with three trains in every alternate hour.
I think that, there would be a marketing advantage in running hybrid trains on these routes. Hydrogen would be ideal, as these would not need recharging like battery trains after a long trip.
To go through the single-track Halton Curve appears to take trains about five minutes, so up to eight tph could probably be feasible, which would mean four tph between Liverpool and Chester via Runcorn in both directions.
If Trains for Wales are going to compete with the Merseyrail electric services, they need a four tph frequency in both directions.
Flexible Ticketing
Currently, if you want to buy a ticket between the Chester and Liverpool Lime Street, you have to buy an appropriate ticket for your chosen route.
Surely, tourists and others might like to do the out and back journeys by a different route.
If London Underground and some train companies can share ticketing, then surely Merseyrail and other train companies can do the same.
Conclusion
This new service will be surprisingly well-used and needs an iconic hybrid train.
- Diesel is not appropriate for the long term, although in Northern Connect Between Chester And Leeds To Start In May, I did report a rumour that Class 769 trains might be running between Chester and Leeds.
- Hydrogen is non-polluting and has a longer range, that could make services between Liverpool and Holyhead possible.
- Battery will probably need a charging infrastructure.
My money is on hydrogen power.
What Is The Kinetic Energy Of A Class 710 Train?
I finally got a good look at a Class 710 train at Gospel Oak station this morning.
The picture shows the plate on the end of a DMS car.
- The weight of the train is 157.8 tonnes. Note that the four-car Class 378 trains weigh 172.1 tonnes.
- 700 passengers at 90 Kg each with baggage, bikes and buggies would be 63 tonnes.
- That would be a total weight of 220.8 tonnes.
- The operating speed is shown as 75 mph., which is the same as the Class 315 train, that many Class 710 trains will replace.
Using the Omni Kinetic Energy Calculator gives a kinetic energy of 34.5 kWh.
For completeness these are the figures for different speeds.
- 50 mph – 15.3 kWh
- 60 mph – 22.1 kWh
- 90 mph – 49.4 kWh – Operating speed of a Crossrail Class 345 train.
- 100 mph – 61.3 kWh – Operating speed of many electric multiple units.
Note that the amount of energy is proportional to the square of the speed.
What Do The Kinetic Energy Figures Show?
These are a few of my thoughts.
What Is Regenerative Braking?
A full Class 710 is travelling along at 75 mph, ihas 34.5 kWh of kinetic energy. Whenit needs to stop at a station, this energy has to be dissipated.
With normal friction brakes, the energy will be converted into heat and wasted.
But with regenerative braking, the traction motors are used in reverse to generate electricity.
This electricity is generally handled in one of three ways.
- It is passed through resistors on the roof of the train and turned into heat and wasted.
- It is fed back into the electrification and used by nearby trains. This needs special transformers feeding the electrification.
- It is stored in a battery or other energy storage device on the train.
The last method is the most efficient, as the stored energy can be used to help restart the train and regain line speed.
Can The Lea Valley Lines Electrification Handle Regenerative Braking?
This question must be asked, as if the lines can’t then running trains with batteries could be the best way to handle regenerative braking and improve efficiency and reduce the electricity bill.
It should be noted, that the Chingford and Enfield Town routes are not shared with any other trains, so running Class 710 trains on these routes may have advatages in the maintenance of the electrification, if the trains handle the regenerative braking.
On the Cheshunt route, there are also some Greater Anglia services, but these will generally be run by Class 720 trains, which are also Aventras.
On the other hand, the electrification on the Gospel Oak to Barking Line has probably been installed to handle the reverse currents.
Do Class 710 Trains Have Regenerative Braking?
Search the Internet for “Class 710 train regenerative braking” and you find little in addition to my ramblings.
But other Aventras, like Crossrail’s Class 345 trains have been stated to have regenerative braking.
I also repeated my views in an article in Rail Magazine, which I described in I’ve Been Published In Rail Magazine.
No-one has told me that they disagree with my views and I was talking rubbish!
So I will assume that Class 710 trains do have regenerative braking!
The Aventra’s Electrical Systems
In this article in Global Rail News from 2011, which is entitled Bombardier’s AVENTRA – A new era in train performance, gives some details of the Aventra’s electrical systems. This is said.
AVENTRA can run on both 25kV AC and 750V DC power – the high-efficiency transformers being another area where a heavier component was chosen because, in the long term, it’s cheaper to run. Pairs of cars will run off a common power bus with a converter on one car powering both. The other car can be fitted with power storage devices such as super-capacitors or Lithium-ion batteries if required.
This was published eight years ago, so I suspect Bombardier have refined the concept.
But even in 2011, Bombardier were thinking about energy storage on the train.
How Much Storage Would A Class 710 Train Need?
As I said earlier, I train would need sufficient energy storage to store the kinetic energy of a train.
As my calculations show that a full train travelling at the maximum speed of 75 mph, then the energy storage for this version of a Class 710 train must be able to store at least 34.5 kWh, at all times.
The size of the on board energy storage could be around 40-50 kWh, which is readily available in a lithium ion battery, that has been designed for transport use.
Where Would The Energy Storage Be Placed?
The extract above says that two cars hold the electrical systems.
These pictures show the pantograph car and driver car next to it.
Note that underneath the pantograph car is a transformer.
So are these, the pair of cars, the extract describes? They certainly could be!
This is a selection of pictures of the underneath of the driver car.
Note.
- There are two large boxes with latches under both driver cars.
- Next to these boxes is a smaller box. At the pantograph end of the train, it is open and looks like a cooling system for the two boxes
- At the other end of the train, the smaller box appears to have a blanking plate, so perhaps the boxes are empty.
The only sensible use I can think of for the boxesis to store the batteries or capacitors.
I
I would estimate that each of the four large boxes.
- Is about a metre wide.
- Is about 0.3 metres high.
- Is sized to fit within the 2.7 metre width of the train. Perhaps 2.5 metres.
These give a column of 0.75 cubic metres.
Bombardier used to manufacture a Primove 50 kWh battery, which was built to power trams and trains, that had the following characteristics.
- A weight of under a tonne.
- Dimensions of under two x one x half metres.
Were these boxes under the floor of the driver cabs of the Class 710 train designed to hold a Primove 50 kWh or similar battery?
Four batteries could give the train as much as 200 kWh of energy storage.
But surely for trundling along the Gospel Oak to Barking Line. a smaller battery capacity would be sufficient. I suspect that you fill the boxes with how many batteries you need and the computer does the rest.
Perhaps, just one 50 kWh battery would be enough! This could explain, why the cooling system appears to be blanked off at one end of the train.
Could The Batteries Be Used To Power The Class 710 Train?
In an article in the October 2017 Edition of Modern Railways, which is entitled Celling England By The Pound, Ian Walmsley says this in relation to trains running on the Uckfield Branch, which is not very challenging.
A modern EMU needs between 3 and 5 kWh per vehicle mile for this sort of service.
So a 50 kWh bsttery would give the following ranges with these consumption rates for a four-car Class 710 trains.
- 3 kWh – 4.2 miles
- 4 kWh – 3.1 miles
- 5 kWh – 2.5 miles
It looks to me, that battery power would be possible over the extension to Barking Riverside station, which is about a mile long.
Battery power would also other uses.
- Moving the train to a safe place for passenger evacuation, when the overhead electrification fails.
- Moving the train in a depot or sidings, without overhead power.
- Running innovative on-board services for maintenance and train preparation, when the train is parked overnight.
Reliable battery power has a lot of uses on a train.
West London Orbital Railway
The West London Orbital Railway would have less than ten miles of lines without electrification, with several electrified miles on either side.
I believe that Class 710 trains with the right amount of batteries could bridge the gap and make a massive difference to rail transport in North and West London.
I think that jumping a gap of a few miles on battery power, may well be easier than doing an Out-and-Back service..
A Flexible System
As it appears, each Class 710 train has got four battery boxes, I suspect that batteries can be installed as to the needs of the route.
- Standard operation on Gospel Oak to Barking, Watford DC Lines and Lea Valley Lines could be one or two batteries to handle regenerative braking.
- Out-and-Back to Barking Riverside station ,might need two batteries.
- West London Orbital services might need three or four batteries.
These battery boxes also could be designed to allow an easy and quick change of battery, as batteries on buses have given Transport for London trouble in the past.
Conclusion
Bombardier’s design of the Aventra has been designed with battery operation in mind, which opens up lots of possibilities!
