Database of traction consumption

evaluated

A database containing traction energy data can provide reliable information needed for planning and decision making processes in railways.

Technology field: Energy measurement and documentation

General information

Description

Energetic optimisation of railway operation requires reliable and easily available energy consumption data. The most convenient instrument is a database of energy consumption figures. Such a database is fed by data obtained either through on-board energy measurements or simulation of train runs.

A powerful database of consumption data has to take into account the dependence of energy consumption on a variety of parameters such as:

Train data (efficiency of traction components, train mass, aerodynamics, train configuration etc.)
Train service (speed, distance between stops, timetable)
Track data (topography, curvature etc.)
Influence of driving style
Influence of traffic situation (unscheduled stops etc.)

A database can then help to answer questions such as:

What is the energy consumption of one particular vehicle series compared to another one?
How much energy could be saved by using loco-hauled or MU stock on a particular service?
How much energy could be saved by applying constructive changes on a vehicle (aerodynamic shielding, demand-operated motor ventilation etc.)?
What is the energy saving potential of energy efficient driving for different timetable designs?

A database for energy consumption figures can be fed by data obtained by extensive on-board measurements or through simulation.

The following table gives advantages and drawbacks of the two approaches.

	On-board measurements	Simulation
Advantages	Very precise data for individual train run possible Driving style of drivers can be assessed (energy efficient driving, use of recuperation brakes)	Less equipment, personnel and time needed Suited for forecasts
Drawbacks	Generalisation to other situations difficult Cost-intensive installation of metering equipment on vehicles Not suited for forecasts Additional costs for collection, transmission and processing of large data volumes	Influence of several additional parameters and disturbances difficult to evaluate (traffic situation etc.) Calculation of energy demand of real train runs very difficult

Source: IZT, Meinlschmidt, Seibt et al. 2001

General criteria

Status of development: in use

(no details available)

Time horizon for broad application: now

(no details available)

Expected technological development: basically exploited

Simulation programmes offer minor optimisation potential by taking more parameters (track conditions, traffic situation etc) into account.

Motivation:

Availability of reliable energy consumption data for billing and other purposes

Benefits (other than environmental): medium

Availability of energy consumption data for billing purposes (as long as no energy meters are deployed).

Barriers: low

Costs for IT and personnel are moderate since a database is a central instrument for the entire company.

Success factors:

(no details available)

Applicability for railway segments: high

Type of traction: electric - DC, electric - AC, diesel

Type of transportation: passenger - main lines, passenger - high speed, passenger - regional lines, passenger - suburban lines, freight

(no details available)

Grade of diffusion into railway markets:

Diffusion into relevant segment of fleet: not applicable

Share of newly purchased stock: not applicable

(no details available)

Market potential (railways): not applicable

(no details available)

Example:

Database for traction energy consumption at DB AG

At German DB, a database for traction energy demand of rolling stock has been developed. The content of the database is generated by simulations of train runs. The database is used to calculate impacts of alternative alignments, new vehicle conceptions or changed operation modes on the energy demand of all related trains in order to facilitate an environmental and economic assessment of such measures.

Environmental criteria

Impacts on energy efficiency:

Energy efficiency potential for single vehicle: not applicable

Energy efficiency potential throughout fleet: (no data)

A reliable database of the energy consumed by individual trains provides valuable information for decision making in vehicle, infrastructure and operation strategies. The effect on actual energy consumption is difficult to quantify.

Other environmental impacts: neutral

(no details available)

Economic criteria

Vehicle - fix costs: none

(no details available)

Vehicle - running costs: not applicable

(no details available)

Infrastructure - fix costs: low

Costs of IT for database are low since only one database is required for the entire company.

Infrastructure - running costs: unchanged

Operation costs of database are mainly for personnel and are low since only one database is required for the entire company.

Scale effects: not applicable

(no details available)

Amortisation: (no data)

(no details available)

Application outside railway sector (this technology is railway specific)

Overall rating

Overall potential: promising

Time horizon: short-term

The development of a reliable database for traction energy demand can provide valuable information for decision-making processes in railways. Barriers and costs are low. Consumption data generated by simulation should be seen as a powerful instrument to predict the effect of different measures. Empirical consumption data from on-board measurements can be used to verify and refine simulations.

References / Links: Meinlschmidt et al. 2001

Attachments:

Related projects:

Contact persons:

date created: 2002-10-09