Managing Transport Energy

How can we provide clean, safe, sustainable energy supplies for transport systems in Britain, Europe and the world as a whole during the twenty-first century, despite rising population levels, increasing affluence and growing mobility? Managing Transport Energy reviews the effects of transport by focussing on the key factors which offer ways of decoupling transport from intensive energy use and shows how it is possible to analyse and model various scenarios. The overall approach is interdisciplinary - covering all aspects of managing ground transport energy. Technology driven issues, such as vehicle power-trains, fuels, future fuels are explained using extensive diagrams. ‘Softer’ issues such as car sharing, travel plans and mobility management are given equal coverage. Readers of this text should be to improve their understanding of the complex issues at stake as well as some of the potential solutions to reducing energy dependence in this growing field

Flywheel Energy Storage Systems for Rail

In current non-electrified rail systems there is a significant loss of energy during vehicle braking. The aim of this research has been to investigate the potential benefits of introducing onboard regenerative braking systems to rail vehicles. An overview of energy saving measures proposed within the rail industry is presented along with a review of different energy storage devices and systems developed for both rail and automotive applications. Advanced flywheels have been identified as a candidate energy storage device for rail applications, combining high specific power and energy. In order to assess the potential benefits of energy storage systems in rail vehicles, a computational model of a conventional regional diesel train has been developed. This has been used to define a base level of vehicle performance, and to investigate the effects of energy efficient control strategies focussing on the application of coasting prior to braking. The impact of these measures on both the requirements of an energy storage system and the potential benefits of a hybrid train have been assessed. A detailed study of a range of existing and novel mechanical flywheel transmissions has been performed. The interaction between the flywheel, transmission and vehicle is investigated using a novel application-independent analysis method which has been developed to characterise and compare the performance of different systems. The results of this analysis produce general ‘design tools’ for each flywheel transmission configuration, allowing appropriate system configurations and parameters to be identified for a particular application. More detailed computational models of the best performing systems have been developed and integrated with the conventional regional diesel train model. The performance of proposed flywheel hybrid regional trains has been assessed using realistic component losses and journey profiles, and the fuel saving relative to a conventional train quantified for a range of energy storage capacities and power-train control strategies

Hybrid vehicle assessment. Phase 1: Petroleum savings analysis

The results of a comprehensive analysis of near term electric hybrid vehicles are presented, with emphasis on their potential to save significant amounts of petroleum on a national scale in the 1990s. Performance requirements and expected annual usage patterns of these vehicles are first modeled. The projected U.S. fleet composition is estimated, and conceptual hybrid vehicle designs are conceived and analyzed for petroleum use when driven in the expected annual patterns. These petroleum consumption estimates are then compared to similar estimates for projected 1990 conventional vehicles having the same performance and driven in the same patterns. Results are presented in the form of three utility functions and comparisons of sevral conceptual designs are made. The Hybrid Vehicle (HV) design and assessment techniques are discussed and a general method is explained for selecting the optimum energy management strategy for any vehicle mission battery combination. Conclusions and recommendations are presented, and development recommendations are identified

Powering Future Transport in Scotland: A Review for the Scottish Association for Public Transport

This report discusses energy costs and emissions associated with transport in Scotland and reviews options for future power sources for different modes of public transport. Transport provides a major contribution to greenhouse gas and other harmful emissions worldwide and efforts to reduce these are important for all forms of public transport, as well as for private cars and for the movement of freight. The effects of transport policy decisions are recognised, increasingly, as being very important for the electricity supply industry at national and local levels, largely because of the growth in the numbers of electric and hybrid road vehicles. Moving from oil to low carbon energy for transport raises important issues for electrical power generation and distribution systems in addition to challenges already being faced by the electrical power industry as the proportion of generating capacity involving renewables increases. The report starts by considering current energy costs and emissions for different forms of passenger transport and then outlines some current developments in areas such as internal combustion engine technology, battery storage systems and hydrogen fuel cells. Systems involving short-term energy storage and recovery of energy that would otherwise be dissipated as heat during braking are also discussed. Such systems generally involve the use of super-capacitors, flywheels or hydraulic devices. References are provided to the sources of data used in the analysis carried out for this review and, also, to sources of information about relevant developments in science and engineering. For all the new developments mentioned, there is a brief review of some transport applications in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. The possible impact of autonomous vehicles on future car ownership is still not known and the effects of this technology on public transport remain uncertain. As well as discussing autonomous road vehicles, the report makes brief mention of the potential of autonomous systems and increased automation for rail transport and for tramway operations. The benefits of further conventional railway electrification are reviewed in terms of energy usage, costs and emissions and the advantages of a more integrated approach to the provision of public transport in Scotland are emphasised. The value of using mathematical modelling and simulation methods to explore options in transport systems developments and planning is discussed, and the importance of testing simulation models in ways that are appropriate for the intended application is emphasised. This review presents the first results from a continuing study which was started in 2018 and is intended to provide information that should be relevant for those involved in decision-making in Scotland at the time of publication. The quantitative information contained within it clearly needs to be updated on a regular basis. The review concludes with recommendations for the Scottish Association for Public Transport about possible priorities for its efforts to increase public awareness about transport issues and is intended to be the first of a series of publications on transport and energy issues in the Scottish context. The references form an important part of the report and provide a potentially important bibliography which must be augmented and updated regularly

Carbon Free Boston: Transportation Technical Report

Part of a series of reports that includes: Carbon Free Boston: Summary Report; Carbon Free Boston: Social Equity Report; Carbon Free Boston: Technical Summary; Carbon Free Boston: Buildings Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Waste Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Energy Technical Report; Carbon Free Boston: Offsets Technical ReportOVERVIEW: Transportation connects Boston’s workers, residents and tourists to their livelihoods, health care, education, recreation, culture, and other aspects of life quality. In cities, transit access is a critical factor determining upward mobility. Yet many urban transportation systems, including Boston’s, underserve some populations along one or more of those dimensions. Boston has the opportunity and means to expand mobility access to all residents, and at the same time reduce GHG emissions from transportation. This requires the transformation of the automobile-centric system that is fueled predominantly by gasoline and diesel fuel. The near elimination of fossil fuels—combined with more transit, walking, and biking—will curtail air pollution and crashes, and dramatically reduce the public health impact of transportation. The City embarks on this transition from a position of strength. Boston is consistently ranked as one of the most walkable and bikeable cities in the nation, and one in three commuters already take public transportation. There are three general strategies to reaching a carbon-neutral transportation system: • Shift trips out of automobiles to transit, biking, and walking;1 • Reduce automobile trips via land use planning that encourages denser development and affordable housing in transit-rich neighborhoods; • Shift most automobiles, trucks, buses, and trains to zero-GHG electricity. Even with Boston’s strong transit foundation, a carbon-neutral transportation system requires a wholesale change in Boston’s transportation culture. Success depends on the intelligent adoption of new technologies, influencing behavior with strong, equitable, and clearly articulated planning and investment, and effective collaboration with state and regional partners.Published versio

Unfulfilled Promise: Electrification and the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad

During the late nineteenth century and early twentieth century electricity made inroads into American life. Industry used electricity to power machines. Homemakers utilized electric appliances such as irons and washing machines to perform household chores. Electric lighting was used in homes, factories, railroad stations, advertising, and on city streets. The promise of electricity transformed everyday life. Electricity also held the promise of making it easier to transport freight and passengers on steam railroads. Despite electricity\u27s superiority to steam, a few railroads decided to electrify because it was necessary. Only one railroad, the Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul, electrified a major portion of its lines for economic reasons

Report on energy efficiency potentials in the transport sector

This report illuminates potentials for energy saving within the transportation sector in the EU/EFTA area through energy efficiency measures for bringing about a modal shift from energy-demanding to more energy-efficient modes of transportation and reducing the movement of persons and goods