Western Railroad Discussion > Device could harvest energy of a passing train.

Here is the link to the web article. scrol down to the last article.

http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/futureoftech/3-d-printed-gun-fires-6-shots-then-falls-apart-1C7404226#/technology/futureoftech/device-harvests-energy-train-tracks-1C7333667



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/12 07:44 by czuleget.

I love the photo caption...

"A new device could harvest energy from the rumble of passing trains, such as this coal train in Huron, S.D., reducing carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired electricity generation."

Yep, that's right, coal train. Looks suspiciously like grain hoppers and tanks.

Pump

The people who write these articles should get out in the real world from time to time.

Ray

Ray_Murphy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The people who write these articles should get out
> in the real world from time to time.
>
> Ray

Well said.

Posted from Android

Train crews always say they are going to 'beans'...
this could be the aftermath....

I've always had the theory that you could harvest energy to run the train from
those first three coal cars on the front of the train and that caboose thing on
the back. Sniff enough carbon emissions and you'll agree with me.

If there is enough energy from ground motion, due to a passing train, to generate any meaningful amount of electricity, then stand by for the derailment.

The energy used to build such an apparatus would probably outweigh the energy such an installation would generate. I am reminded of the time someone asked a representative of the So. Calif. Edison Co. about the possibility of using tumbleweeds as an energy source; as I recall the inquiry came from the Antelope Valley area, where vacant areas grow a lot of "wumble weeds". The power supply engineer who answered the question replied that tumbleweeds had very low "energy density" and that more energy would be expended in gathering them that would be gained from burning them.

Looks like it's used as a power source for trackside equipment. Not for widespread application. Kinda like the solar panels used now.

Seems pretty reasonable, though it's odd they didn't compare the cost of this device with the cost of a solar installation.

Ted in OR

For discussion, assume a 1" low track support.
Put a bell crank under it to a high-ratio gear to turn a generator as the track pumps up and down.

Assuming a train of 60' 100T cars at 25MPH, this will generate a theoretical 9HP while the train is passing. Given mechanical inefficiency, it would probably be more like 5HP.
Assuming a 100 car train at 25MPH, this would last for about 3 minutes.
This is about 3.5KW for 3 minutes, or a whole 175 watt-hours, which isn't very much.

You might be able to power roadside signal equipment with this. But the maintanance on it would probably be more than on a solar panel, and the solar panel can generate a significantly higher average power, since it will be generating over a longer period. Also, the mechanical power isn't "free" - the engine consist is generating it, and you are just tapping off a bit of that power.