Analysis of measures to improve the energy efficiency of gas turbine locomotives

The article is devoted to one of the urgent problems in the activities of JSC “RZD“- increasing the energy efficiency indicators of locomotives, namely, new generation locomotives running on liquefied natural gas (LNG) - GT1h series gas turbine locomotives. The results are presented for the analysis of typical diagrams of traction work at hauling trains by the gas turbine locomotive on the Surgut - Voinovka section of the Sverdlovsk Railway. Measures are proposed to reduce the specific consumption of the fuel used for hauling operations for various running duties of a gas turbine locomotive (traction mode, idling, transient modes). The justification and description are given for the selected technical solutions to reduce fuel consumption by the “gas turbine engine-traction generator” system during gas turbine locomotive operation in idle and traction modes. The results of tests of the gas turbine locomotive during idling and in traction mode using the proposed technical solutions are presented. The comparative analysis of the results obtained is carried out and the economic assessment of the effectiveness of the selected measures is given when the gas turbine locomotive is operating in idle and traction modes. A mathematical model is proposed for the electric traction drive and the automatic control system of the gas turbine locomotive, developed using the Matlab Simulink environment and designed to study the operation and optimization of electromagnetic processes occurring in the electric traction drive of the gas turbine locomotive in various modes of its operation. Based on the results of modeling the algorithms for the operation of the automatic control system (CAP) allowing to provide energy-optimal loading paths for the “gas turbine engine - traction generator” system in the entire power control range, the economic assessment of the effectiveness of the CAP algorithms is given. The economic assessment is presented for the implementation of a set of proposed measures to improve the energy efficiency of gas turbine locomotives.