35% Lower Energy Consumption with SiC-Based Propulsion Technology
Bombardier Transportation celebrated the successful demonstration of a new silicon carbide (SiC)-equipped Bombardier MITRAC TC1500 traction converter during an event held at Sweden’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology. The achievement, the result of a Bombardier-led research program that included many local partners, investigated the potential contribution SiC make towards more sustainable urban transit systems with lower energy consumption and noise levels.
Thore Sekkenes, Head of Bombardier Transportation Sweden said, “We are very proud of the great strides we are making in reducing energy consumption and are thankful for the strong collaboration with our partners that made this achievement possible.
“It’s not only evidence of our deep local engagement in Sweden, but it also illustrates how Bombardier Transportation is committed to innovating a greener and more sustainable transportation systems,” Sekkenes concluded.
Supported by the Swedish Energy Agency, the program saw Bombardier team up with customer and fleet owner, Stockholm County Council (SLL), fleet operator, MTR Tech, academic partner, KTH Royal Institute of Technology and the RISE / Acreo research institute.
Following a pre-study phase to establish the potential benefits, a prototype was designed, built and tested at Bombardier’s engineering center in Västerås, Sweden. The Bombardier MITRAC TC1500 traction converter equipped with SiC semiconductors was then tested on a C20 vehicle running on the Stockholm Metro.
After seeing successful passenger service on the Stockholm Metro Green line from December 2017 to March 2018, results show energy reductions of up to 35%, 19 dB lower noise emissions, a 51% reduction in size and 22% less weight in the propulsion system confirm the predictions for the Stockholm demonstration.
SiC demonstrators are not new to railways, but a move to mainstream adoption requires products that effectively transform technology into overall system benefits. The highly-flexible and modular MITRAC 1500 propulsion range does this with its unique choice of eco-friendly solutions, including SiC. The MITRAC SiC ready design, installed with the solution today or easily upgraded later, offers sustainable value at sustainable cost to railway operators worldwide.
