Energy Harvester Tie for Serving the Needs of the Railroad Industry to Access Electric Power in Remote Locations

This study proposes various methods to harvest the mechanical energy present in railcar suspensions and railroad tracks to generate low-power electricity that is suitable for onboard or trackside electronics, using electromagnetic generators. A compact electromagnetic energy harvester that can be installed onboard railcars or wayside on railroad tracks is designed, fabricated, and tested. The design integrates a mechanical motion rectifier (MMR) with an embedded one-way clutch in the bevel gears, to convert the bi-directional mechanical energy that commonly exist in the form of vibrations into a unidirectional rotation of the generator. The ball-screw mechanism is configured such that it has reduced backlash and thus can more efficiently harvest energy from low-amplitude vibrations. A prototype harvester is fabricated and tested expensively in the laboratory using a suspension dynamometer and, in the field, onboard a railcar and on a test track. The harvester design is further integrated into a conventional railroad tie for ease of field installation and improving the efficiency of harvesting the mechanical energy at the rail. A prototype smart tie is fabricated for laboratory testing, including a power management system with an energy storage circuit.

• Record URL:
  • https://www.unlv.edu/sites/default/files/media/document/2024-10/RailTeam-FinalReport-EnergyHarvesterTie.pdf
• Record URL:
  • https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/78527
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This document was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation, University Transportation Centers Program.
• Corporate Authors:

  Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg

  Center for Vehicle Systems and Safety
  3103 Commerce Street
  Blacksburg, VA  United States  24061

  University Transportation Center on Improving Rail Transportation Infrastructure Sustainability and Durability

  University of Nevada, Las Vegas
  Las Vegas, NV  United States  89154

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Ahmadian, Mehdi
  • 0000-0003-1171-4896
  • Pan, Yu
• Publication Date: 2024-5

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 104p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Electric power generation; Electromagnetic devices; Energy conversion; Prototype tests; Railroad ties; Railroad tracks
• Subject Areas: Design; Energy; Railroads; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01937465
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: VT-7
• Contract Numbers: 69A3551747132
• Files: UTC, NTL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: Nov 20 2024 10:20AM