Rail technology Bombardier Transportation celebrated the successful demonstration of a new silicon carbide (SiC)-equipped BOMBARDIER MITRAC TC1500 traction converter during an event held at Sweden’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology.
The achievement, the result of a Bombardier led research program that included many local partners, investigated the potential contribution SiC make towards more sustainable urban transit systems with lower energy consumption and noise levels.
Thore Sekkenes, Head of Bombardier Transportation Sweden said, “We are very proud of the great strides we are making in reducing energy consumption and are thankful for the strong collaboration with our partners that made this achievement possible. It’s not only evidence of our deep local engagement in Sweden, but it also illustrates how Bombardier Transportation is committed to innovating a greener and more sustainable transportation systems.”
Supported by the Swedish Energy Agency, the program saw Bombardier team up with customer and fleet owner, Stockholm County Council (SLL), fleet operator, MTR Tech, academic partner, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and the RISE / Acreo research institute. Following a pre-study phase to establish the potential benefits, a prototype was designed, built and tested at Bombardier’s engineering center in Västerås, Sweden. The BOMBARDIER MITRAC TC1500 traction converter equipped with SiC semiconductors was then tested on a C20 vehicle running on the Stockholm Metro.
After seeing successful passenger service on the Stockholm Metro Green line from December 2017 to March 2018, results show energy reductions of up to 35%, 19 dB lower noise emissions, a 51% reduction in size and 22% less weight in the propulsion system confirm the predictions for the Stockholm demonstration.
SiC demonstrators are not new to railways, but a move to mainstream adoption requires products that effectively transform technology into overall system benefits. The highly flexible and modular MITRAC 1500 propulsion range does this with its unique choice of eco-friendly solutions, including SiC. The MITRAC SiC ready design, installed with the solution or easily upgraded later, offers sustainable value at a sustainable cost to railway operators worldwide.
About Bombardier Transportation
Bombardier Transportation in rail technology and offers the broadest portfolio in the industry. It covers the full spectrum of rail solutions, ranging from trains to sub-systems and signalling. This also provides complete transport systems, e-mobility technology and maintenance services. As an innovation driver, Bombardier Transportation continuously breaks new ground in sustainable mobility. It provides integrated solutions that create substantial benefits for operators, passengers, and the environment. Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Bombardier Transportation employs around 39,850 people and its products and services operate in over 60 countries.
About Bombardier
With over 69,500 employees across four business segments, Bombardier in the transportation industry, creating innovative and game-changing planes and trains. Our products and services provide world-class transportation experiences that set new standards in passenger comfort, energy efficiency, reliability, and safety.
Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, Bombardier has production and engineering sites in 28 countries across the segments of Transportation, Business Aircraft, Commercial Aircraft and Aerostructures and Engineering Services. Bombardier shares are traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange (BBD). In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2017, Bombardier posted revenues of $16.2 billion US. News and information are available at bombardier.com or follow us on Twitter Bombardier.
Source: https://www.bombardier.com
