Modular energy recovery system for railway carriages with CVT-controlled generator unit for grid-side feed-in

Abstract

Energy storage and recovery system for railway carriages, comprising: • a railway carriage with a container for storing electrical energy, • at least three of the four wheel axles of the vehicle are each coupled with - a right-angle gear (90° gear), - a continuously variable transmission (CVT), - and an electric generator, • the generator is driven by the rotation of the respective wheel, • the CVT transmission is arranged between the bevel gear and the generator, • and the generated electrical energy is converted from AC to DC via a converter unit and stored in the battery, characterized in that the system is operated exclusively by the roll-induced rotation of the railway carriage and recovers electrical energy without active propulsion.

Description

Technical area:

[0001] The invention relates to a system for recovering and storing electrical energy in rail vehicles, in particular by utilizing the rolling motion on non-electrified railway lines. State of the art:

[0002] The current state of the art includes regenerative braking systems (e.g., in electric locomotives or railcars) that temporarily recover and store braking energy or feed it back into the grid. However, a solution for continuous energy recovery during travel on passive, non-powered railway cars is lacking. Furthermore, no systems are known that can be retrofitted modularly to existing cars and are independent of the train's drive system. Object of the invention:

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide a self-sufficient system that: • electrical energy generated by the movement of a railway carriage, • stores this energy and makes it available flexibly, • can be retrofitted with minimal structural effort, • can be used for grid feedback or local use (e.g. charging infrastructure). Summary of the invention:

[0004] The invention comprises a railway carriage on which a battery container and several mechanically coupled generator units are installed. Three wheels of the carriage are each connected via a right-angle gear to a CVT transmission, which transmits the drive speed to an AC generator. The generated power is converted into direct current by an AC / DC converter and stored in the battery storage unit.

[0005] A control unit continuously monitors the generator's speed and regulates the CVT transmission to achieve optimal efficiency and prevent overspeed. Once the battery capacity is reached, the car can be uncoupled at predefined points (e.g., train stations or city stations), and the stored power can be fed into the power grid or a local network (e.g., e-vehicle charging stations) via a feed-in unit. Example:

[0006] A freight car is equipped with a high-performance battery container (e.g., 200 kWh capacity). Three wheelsets are equipped with a CVT-driven generator system. During train travel, the wheel rotates → transfers the motion to the 90° gearbox → regulates the speed via the CVT → drives a 3-phase generator → power is stored in a DC system. An intelligent control system handles charging management, CVT control, and activates the feed-in unit when needed.

[0007] Advantages of the invention: • Can be retrofitted to existing towing vehicles • No intervention in existing drive systems required • Energy generation without CO2 emissions • Flexible use of energy (grid feed-in or local) • Supporting the energy transition and relieving the burden on the electricity grid component 1 AC / DC converter 2 battery (power storage) 3 cars 4 Generator 5 CVT transmissions 6 90° gearbox (differential)

Claims

[1] Energy storage and recovery system for railway carriages, comprising: • a railway carriage with a container for storing electrical energy, • at least three of the four wheel axles of the vehicle are each coupled with - a right-angle gear (90° gear), - a continuously variable transmission (CVT), - and an electric generator, • the generator is driven by the rotation of the respective wheel, • the CVT transmission is arranged between the bevel gear and the generator, • and the generated electrical energy is converted from AC to DC via a converter unit and stored in the battery, characterized by that the system is operated exclusively by the roll-induced rotation of the railway carriage and recovers electrical energy without active propulsion. [2] System according to claim 1, characterized bythat the CVT transmission is automatically controlled by a control unit which continuously monitors the speed of the generator and adjusts it to an optimal operating speed if necessary. [3] System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the energy generated is stored in a high-performance battery container that is modularly mounted on the vehicle frame. [4] System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that when the maximum storage capacity is reached, the energy is fed into the public electricity grid via a feed-in unit at external feed-in points, such as in railway stations or municipal energy distributors. [5] System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the car has a modular design and can be coupled to any freight or passenger train using standardized coupling systems. [6] System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the control unit is additionally equipped with sensors to monitor wheel speed, battery charge level and generator voltage to ensure safety functions and efficiency control. [7] System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that when a defined speed limit is exceeded, the CVT transmission automatically reduces the gear ratio to prevent mechanical overload of the generator. [8] System according to one of the preceding claims, characterized by that the stored electricity can alternatively be used locally to supply electrical consumers, in particular charging infrastructure for electric vehicles.

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