United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Railroad Administration
Abstract
693JJ618C000018ThermaDynamics Rail LLC (TDR) developed the Locomotive-Waste Heat Recovery Systems (L-WHRS) formed by high-pressure heat exchangers coupled to a closed-loop Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). The L-WHRS can be configured to be non-invasively retrofitted onto different types of locomotive engines to recover and convert locomotive waste thermal energy into conditioned, pollutant-free, electrical power. Under the sponsorship of the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), TDR successfully completed a series of demonstration phases that increased the technology readiness level to a full-scale operational system. Full-scale L-WHRS testing involved static tests using simulator and dynamic over-the-road locomotive tests under various operational conditions. This report describes the design and testing of the L-WHRS electrical system configured to supply electric power to selected locomotive electrical loads and to an advanced Energy Storage System (ESS). These tests demonstrated feasibility to utilize the L-WHRS as an electric generator that can simultaneously supply power to the ESS and locomotive electrical loads
