KERS is Coming to Portland’s TriMet Light Rail System

Oregon’s upcoming TriMet Portland-Milwaukie light rail system line will be one of the first in the nation designed to capture heat energy from braking trains and convert it into electricity that can be used to power other trains accelerating in different parts of the system.

The Siemens Sitras SES system that’s set to be installed in the trains doesn’t work with batteries like other hybrid trains, though. It uses a massive supercapacitor to store the recaptured energy that would, otherwise, be lost as heat during braking. The proposed supercapacitor is able to quickly absorb and release energy, which will help the system to meet ever-changing power demand and reduce the frequent voltage peaks commuter trains experience under acceleration. If multiple trains are accelerating at the same time (which happens at rush hour all across the city) the voltage demands could exceeds the available supply of electric power – which is what’s currently happening at peak hours and the primary problem the Siemens system was built to address.

While the KERS trains are already in use across Europe, the Portland TriMet system is set to be the first application of the Siemens Sitras SES system in the US. In Philadelphia, though, there is a similar regenerative braking system mounted to the trains running on the Market-Frankford line which sends braking energy “back down the third rail” to an array of batteries. There, the transit authority, uses some of that power, and sells the rest of it back to local utilities. Siemens’ supercapacitors are due to be installed on the TriMet trains this October, with the TriMet’s 7.9-mile Portland-Milwaukie line is scheduled to open in 2015. No word, yet, on who gets the system next. I hope it’s Chicago!

Source: Wired.

New Maglev Train Debuts In Japan

Central Japan Railway has tested the newest Maglev L0 Train, and the results are promising. The train is expected to carry 1,000 passengers and can travel up to 311 MPH, allowing the new train to travel over 200 miles from Tokyo to Nagoya in 40 minutes.

Maglev trains are basically trains held up by magnets. Maglev is derived from magnetic levitation with Maglev referring to the vehicle and the “track” system. The train does not sit on a track but rather hovers in the air and this cuts down on friction, wear and tear on the train, sound, and you get an increase in speed. Maglev trains are also referred to more commonly as bullet trains.

So why do we not have these space aged trains everywhere? Well, they require a lot of safety monitoring, the systems are expensive, and it turns out consumers get a little freaked out traveling on a floating platform at over 300 miles per hour.

Japan was the first country to introduce Maglev trains and use them as a tool of mass transportation. The Japan’s first use of this technology was during the 1964 Olympics and the train traveled at 130 miles per hour. China uses Maglev trains and currently the Chinese Maglev train has a top speed of 286 miles per hour. That means when the new Japanese system in up in running around 2027 it should be the fastest train in the world with a top speed of 311 miles per hour.

Meanwhile, America struggles to get trains to go over 100 mph. At this rate it will only take us another 50 years to catch up with Japan.

Source: phys.org