Rail vehicle system

• US 8,371,230 B2
• Filed: 04/01/2010
• Issued: 02/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/27/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: GE Global Sourcing LLC (Westinghouse Air Brake Technologies Corporation)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Kumar, Ajith Kuttannair
• Primary Examiner(s): MCCARRY JR, ROBERT J
• Application Number:
  US12/752,309
• Publication Number:
  US 20100186619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 105/26.05, 105/26.1, 105/27, 105/31, 105/34, 105/162, 105/329.1, 105/330, 105/342, 104/287, 104/289
• US Class Current: 105/35
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/2045 for optimising the use of energy
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/20 DC electrical machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2260/28 Four wheel or all wheel drive
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/15 with additional electric power supply with capacitors charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/40; with batteries charged by engine-driven generators B60L50/61
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/30 using propulsion power stored mechanically, e.g. in fly-wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/51 characterised by AC-motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/53 in combination with an external power supply, e.g. from overhead contact lines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/06 for vehicles propelled by ac motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/12 for vehicles propelled by dc motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/14 for vehicles propelled by ac motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 7/22 Dynamic electric resistor braking, combined with dynamic electric regenerative braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 9/005 Interference suppression
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 9/02 using dc motors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 9/16 using ac induction motors
• CPC Class Codes: B61C 7/04 : Locomotives or motor railcars with two or more different kinds or types of engines, e.g. steam and IC engines
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 : Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 : Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 : Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 : Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 30/00 : Transportation of goods or passengers via railways, e.g. energy recovery or reducing air resistance
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]

Abstract

A rail vehicle system includes a locomotive and a plurality of load units (freight cars) attached to the locomotive for movement along a railroad track. The load units may be tanker cars, box cars, and/or flatbed cars. Each load unit includes a traction motor (connected to one or more wheels of the load unit), an electrical energy storage system onboard the load unit for providing electrical power to the load unit traction motor; and a load unit engine onboard the load unit that provides charging electric energy to the electrical energy storage system. (Alternatively or in addition, the electrical energy storage system may be charged through dynamic braking.) In a train formed of only the locomotive(s) and load units, all rail vehicles of the train, even freight cars, provide tractive effort.

Claims

1. A rail vehicle system comprising:

at least one locomotive each comprising;

an engine system for generating electrical power;

at least one locomotive traction motor driven by the electrical power; and

a plurality of wheels driven by the at least one locomotive traction motor for moving the locomotive along a route; and

a plurality of load units each being an individual rail vehicle for carrying freight, the load units being sequentially detachably connected to one another and to the locomotive for moving together along the route, wherein each load unit comprises;

a structure for supporting freight to be carried on the load unit, wherein a total freight volume of the load unit is at least fifty percent of a maximum volume of the load unit;

a plurality of load unit wheels rotatably attached to the structure for support of the load unit as it travels along the route;

a load unit traction motor onboard the load unit and coupled to at least one of the load unit wheels for moving the load unit along the route;

an electrical energy storage system onboard the load unit for providing electrical power to the load unit traction motor; and

a load unit engine onboard the load unit that provides charging electric energy to the electrical energy storage system.

2. The rail vehicle system of claim 1 wherein each load unit is a box car, a tanker car, or a flatbed car.

3. The rail vehicle system of claim 1 wherein the total freight volume of each load unit is at least 70 percent and up to about 85 percent of the maximum volume of the load unit.

4. The rail vehicle system of claim 1 wherein the total freight volume of each load unit is at least 50 percent and up to about 99 percent of a maximum volume of the load unit.

5. The rail vehicle system of claim 1 wherein for each load unit, the load unit traction motor operates in a dynamic braking mode of operation to generate dynamic braking electric energy, the dynamic braking electric energy being provided to the electrical energy storage system for storage therein.

6. A train comprising a rail vehicle system as recited in claim 1, wherein each of a plurality of rail cars that together constitute all the rail cars of the train is either one of said at least one locomotive or one of said load units.

7. The train of claim 6 wherein each and every wheel of the train is driven by a traction motor, and an adhesion between each wheel and a track on which the train runs is about two percent.

8. A rail vehicle system comprising:

at least one locomotive each comprising;

an engine system for generating electrical power;

at least one locomotive traction motor driven by the electrical power; and

a plurality of wheels driven by the at least one locomotive traction motor for moving the locomotive along a route; and

a plurality of load units each being an individual rail vehicle for carrying freight, the load units being sequentially detachably connected to one another and to the locomotive for moving together along the route, wherein each load unit is a box car, a tanker car, or a flatbed car comprising;

a structure for supporting freight to be carried on the load unit;

a plurality of load unit wheels rotatably attached to the structure for support of the load unit as it travels along the route;

a load unit traction motor onboard the load unit and coupled to at least one of the load unit wheels for moving the load unit along the route;

an electrical energy storage system onboard the load unit for providing electrical power to the load unit traction motor; and

a load unit engine onboard the load unit that provides charging electric energy to the electrical energy storage system;

wherein a total possible freight volume of each load unit is at least 50 percent and up to about 99 percent of a maximum possible volume of the load unit.

9. The rail vehicle system of claim 8 wherein the total freight volume of each load unit is at least 70 percent and up to about 85 percent of the maximum volume of the load unit.

10. The rail vehicle system of claim 8 wherein for each load unit, the load unit traction motor operates in a dynamic braking mode of operation to generate dynamic braking electric energy, the dynamic braking electric energy being provided to the electrical energy storage system for storage therein.

11. A rail vehicle system comprising:

at least one load unit, each load unit being an individual rail vehicle for carrying freight, wherein each load unit is a box car, a tanker car, or a flatbed car comprising;

a structure for supporting freight to be carried on the load unit;

a plurality of load unit wheels rotatably attached to the structure for support of the load unit as it travels along a route;

a load unit traction motor onboard the load unit and coupled to at least one of the load unit wheels for moving the load unit along the route;

an electrical energy storage system onboard the load unit for providing electrical power to the load unit traction motor; and

an engine onboard the load unit that provides charging electric energy to the electrical energy storage system;

wherein a total freight volume of each load unit is at least 50 percent and up to about 99 percent of a maximum volume of the load unit.

12. The rail vehicle system of claim 11 wherein each load unit further comprises a charging electric energy source onboard the load unit that provides the charging electric energy to the electrical energy storage system.

13. The rail vehicle system of claim 12 wherein for each load unit, the load unit traction motor operates in a dynamic braking mode of operation to generate dynamic braking electric energy, the dynamic braking electric energy being provided to the electrical energy storage system for storage therein.

14. The rail vehicle system of claim 11 wherein for each load unit, the load unit traction motor operates in a dynamic braking mode of operation to generate dynamic braking electric energy, the dynamic braking electric energy being provided to the electrical energy storage system for storage therein.

15. The rail vehicle system of claim 11 wherein the total freight volume of each load unit is at least 70 percent and up to about 85 percent of the maximum volume of the load unit.