Field of the Invention

The technical design pertains to the method of limiting the idling of diesel shunting and track locomotives, where idling is provided through an auxiliary power unit and control system with components with an aim to decrease the consumption, thus saving the diesel fuel consumed by the main combustion engine of shunting and track locomotives during the time, when it is idling, which is necessary for the time, when it is not driving, so that the operating temperature of combustion engine media (cooling water, lubrication oil, diesel fuel in the tank) and serviceability of auxiliary units (charged battery, air pressure in the brake system, ventilation of traction engines) is provided.

Background of the Invention

Idling of the main diesel combustion engines of the diesel shunting and track locomotives is necessary for the time it is not working due to mamtaining the steady temperature of working media - cooling water, oil, accumulator battery charging, air pressure in the brake pipe, and the like. The idling is characterised by consumption of diesel fuel and considerable emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) into the air. The level of diesel fuel consumption and volume of emissions is significantly higher, when it is necessary to increase the idling speed in order to maintain the required media temperature due to the low outside temperature and effect of air. The requirement for decreasing the consumption of diesel fuel during idling and requirements of standards concerning the decrease of emissions generated into the air have raised the requirement for limiting the idling of combustion engines of the diesel shunting and track locomotives. The existing solutions are characterised by installing an auxiliary device on the locomotive consisting of an auxiliary power unit (comprising a combustion engine, electric generator and accessories) with limited output, which provides electric and thermal heating of cooling water and oil in the engine and charging of the locomotive accumulator battery. The drawback of such solutions is that these devices do not have a directly integrated auxiliary compressor for resupply of air in the locomotive brake system; they do not provide the drive of traction engine cooling fans for this category of locomotives, in which they are driven by belt transmission from the cardan axle pulley of the main combustion engine. The failure to provide running of these fans immediately results in blowing of snow into the traction engines in winter conditions, dampening of windings and subsequent damage to the windings, whereby the traction power of shunting locomotives is decreased or even lost, as the case may be. Another drawback of these solutions is they do not provide heating and circulation of diesel fuel from the tank to such a temperature, so that a change of its properties and state would not occur at the ambient temperature of up to -40°C and under the effect of wind. In order for the solutions in question to provide these functions as well; power units would have to be installed with power higher than the power of the ones currently installed.

Disclosure of the Invention

The said deficiencies are eliminated by the method of limiting the idling of the diesel shunting and track locomotives as per the utility design, the basis of which is that it allows limiting the main combustion engine idling for optional time, and for that time it provides an alternative power drive of traction engine cooling fans by means of combined pulleys comprising clutches driven by three-phase induction engines that are supplied from a three-phase generator of the auxiliary power unit, while it allows limiting the main combustion engine idling for optional time, and for that time it provides the auxiliary heating of diesel fuel in the engine fuel tank by delivering the heated water in the auxiliary power unit by the pipe system to the water/diesel fuel exchanger, and its circulation by means of an auxiliary electric pump to the fuel circuit of the locomotive, parallel with the main fuel delivery pump, which is not functional during the limitation of idling.

The method allows limiting the main combustion engine idling for optional time, and for that time it provides the circulation of diesel fuel in the locomotive fuel system by means of the original locomotive electric fuel delivery pump, whose direct current engine is supplied from the auxiliary direct current source connected to the three-phase generator of the auxiliary power unit, or auxiliary compressor located in the appropriate area of the locomotive engine room provides the supply of compressed air to the main air jets and brake pipe system, which has to be bled at low ambient temperatures as well to prevent freezing of water condensed in the brake system. It also allows limiting the main combustion engine idling for optional time, and for that time it provides the auxiliary electric heating of engine driver's position, while it takes the power for this function from the generator of the auxiliary power unit. The proper functioning of the above processes is ensured by a single-purpose control system integrated in the separate switchboard located at the engine driver's position.

An advantage of the method according to the technical design is in the first place the fact it designs the separate drive of the front and rear locomotive truck traction engine cooling fan by auxiliary three-phase induction engines supplied from the auxiliary three-phase generator with the frequency of 60 Hz. The independence of the fan drive lies in the fact the fans are supplemented with new combined pulleys manufactured for the original drive from the main combustion engine, and at the same time, for the belt drive from the induction engine. The exceptionality of pulleys lies in the fact they contain a freewheel clutch allowing rotating the fans by the drive from the three-phase induction engine independent on the whole part of the belt transmission from the main combustion engine, which is not running then. The second function addressed by the technical design in question is the method of auxiliary controllable heating of diesel fuel based on feeding the heated water into the water/diesel fuel exchanger in the auxiliary power unit, and adding an auxiliary electric pump in the diesel fuel suction pipe - parallel with the gear fuel delivery pump - and its circulation through the main combustion engine and exchanger to the tank. The controllability of diesel fuel heating as per the technical design in question lies in the control of temperature and volume of hot water fed to the exchanger depending on diesel fuel being used and ambient temperature. The third function included in the technical design in question is adding of an auxiliary direct current source providing supply of the direct current engine driving the locomotive fuel delivery pump, which is out of operation when the main combustion engine is down. The auxiliary direct current source is supplied at the inlet from the three-phase generator using the power unit. The fourth function included in the technical design in question is adding a compressor driven by the three-phase induction engine to the brake circuit, which provides permanent supply of compressed air to the circuit, which has to be bled at low temperatures to prevent freezing of water condensed in the brake system. The fifth function as per the technical design in question is the method of electric heating of the engine driver's position when the main combustion engine idling is stopped and during the distribution of such power from the auxiliary power unit appropriately rated for the locomotive in question. The provision of power for all functions as per the technical design, for instance for the diesel shunting locomotive with an output of the main combustion engine of approx. 900 kW, requires the installed capacity of the auxiliary power unit with the value of 30 kVA.

The last function as per the utility design in question is adding a single-purpose control system located on the main switchboard attached on the power unit, which provides trouble free and technologically optimum functioning of the above processes.

Brief Description of the Drawings

Fig. 1 - Arrangement of traction engine auxiliary ventilation components and electric heating of the cab in the locomotive

Fig. 2 - Schematic diagram of locomotive traction engine cooling fan drive during operation of the main combustion engine

Fig. 3 - Schematic diagram of locomotive traction engine cooling fan drive during limitation of combustion engine idling

Fig. 4— Arrangement of auxiliary heating components of diesel fuel from the locomotive tank and auxiliary compressor implemented in the auxiliary power unit

Fig. 5 - Schematic diagram of auxiliary heating of diesel fuel from the locomotive fuel tank Fig. 6 - Schematic diagram of connection and components for provision of diesel fuel circulation in the locomotive fuel circuit

Example of Technical Realisation

A particular example of the utility design execution for a 6-axle diesel shunting locomotive with an output of the main combustion engine of 900 kW is shown in Fig. 1 to 6. The output of 30 kW of the auxiliary power unit combustion engine is required for limiting the idling of the locomotive in question in extreme climatic conditions.

The diesel shunting locomotive 100 provided with the main combustion engine 110, main generator 120, traction engine cooling fans 130, 131. engine driver's position 140, and auxiliary power unit 200. The main combustion engine 110 with the injection pump 111, main gear fuel delivery pump 112, fuel tank 113, connected with the locomotive 100 water/diesel fuel exchanger 114, where the exchanger 114 is fitted with the diesel fuel overflow pipe 115 feeding the fuel to the exchanger 114, and with the heated diesel fuel overflow Π6 from the water/diesel fuel exchanger 114 to the locomotive 100 fuel tank 113. The supply pipe of heated water entering into the water/diesel exchanger 114 is supplemented with the check non-return valve 223. The main generator 120 is provided with the pulley 121 on the front and drives the locomotive 100 traction engine cooling fan 130, while the fans 130, 131 attached on the shaft 133 are connected with the combined pulleys 132 and freewheel clutches 212 through the V-belt transmission 213. The electric heater 240 is supplied from the switchboard 230 containing the control system.

The auxiliary power unit 200 with accessories is located in the locomotive engine room immediately in front of the position 140. The electric contact components and controls together with the single-purpose control system are located on the separate switchboard 230 mounted on the front wall of the engine driver's position 140. The three-phase induction engines 210, 211 of the traction engine cooling fan 130, 131 drive are located on brackets at the fans 130, 131 and drive the combined pulleys 132 through shafts 133 of fans 130 and 131, containing the freewheel clutches 212, by means of the V-belt transmission 213. The cold diesel fuel from the fuel tank 113 is delivered by the auxiliary electric pump 220, connected parallel with the main gear fuel delivery pump 112, to the water/diesel fuel exchanger 114, where it is heated by hot water from the water circuit of the pipe 221 heated by the electric and thermal energy generated in the auxiliary power unit 200. The pipe 221 is connected to the main pipe 222 with water heated in the auxiliary power unit 200. In locomotives, where it is not possible to add the auxiliary electric pump 220 due to the lack of space, the circulation of diesel fuel in the fuel system of the locomotive is provided by means of an auxiliary direct current source supplying the direct current engine of the main gear fuel delivery pump 112, and thus it provides the circulation of cold diesel fuel. The auxiliary current source is supplied at the inlet from the three-phase generator of the power unit. The electric output of the auxiliary power unit 200 is rated so that it allows supplying the three-phase induction engine 210 of the compressor 250, which can be located as a joint unit in the appropriate area of the locomotive engine room. The outlet of the compressor 250 is connected to the brake pipe system. The single-phase electric heater 240 with the output of 2 kW, supplied from the auxiliary power unit 200, is located at the engine driver's position 140, and it provides the heating of the position 140 even at the ambient temperature up to -40°C, when the heating unit originally ceases to be effective.

Industrial Applicability

The method of limiting the idling of diesel shunting and track locomotives as per the utility design may be utilized on all diesel shunting and track locomotives characterized by long idling having the designed drive of traction engine cooling fans derived from the main combustion engine, and which are operated in the climatic conditions requiring permanent resupply of compressed air in the brake system, heating of diesel fuel in the tank, and auxiliary heating of the engine driver's position.