Accounting of energy consumption of passenger electric locomotives in locomotive operational depots

Abstract

Energy efficiency of transportation process is constantly in the center of attention of specialists and managers of Russian Railways. Some of the new electric locomotives purchased under the investment project have shown unsatisfactory results on electric power consumption. According to the management of the JSC “Russian Railways”, electric locomotives EP20, designed for two types of current, have the highest specific energy consumption. These are modern electric locomotives with powerful asynchronous traction motors. Electric locomotives typically operate in passenger traffic. The purpose of the research was to analyze the accounting of energy consumption of passenger electric locomotives in the locomotive operating depots. The article provides results of a comparative statistical analysis of primary materials on the energy consumption of passenger electric locomotives EP20 and other series of electric locomotives such as EP2K DC and EP1M AC. According to the primary materials from the locomotive operational depots, it was found that passenger electric locomotives with trains of double-decker passenger cars have the highest specific energy consumption. Comparison of specific electric power consumption by electric locomotives with single-type passenger cars showed that with DC electric traction, the consumption level of the EP20 significantly exceeds the consumption of the electric locomotives EP2K; with an AC electric traction, the flow rate of the EP20 is almost equal to the specific electric power consumption of the EP1M electric locomotives. A comparative analysis of the load of EP20 electric locomotives during the maintenance of passenger trains allocated for it in the Moscow — Adler section showed that the electric locomotive was underloaded, which causes a decrease in its efficiency and, as a result, over-consumption of electricity. The use of high-power brake resistors will lead to energy consumption, which must be taken into account in the life cycle cost of EP20 electric locomotives.