Transit IDEA TR81 developed a cost-effective, locomotive-scale, exhaust gas simulator to fine-tune waste heat recovery systems (WHRS) customized for operation at locomotive conditions. The project found that WHRS optimized for non-invasive locomotive retrofitting can reduce locomotive operating cost and support compliance of emission standards applied to old and recently manufactured locomotives.
Transit IDEA TR81 accomplishments include the successful implementation of a scaled Extended Combustion Chamber (ECC) to enable low-cost testing of various High-Pressure Heat Exchangers (HiPHEX) configured to non-invasively retrofit locomotive equipment. Data collected from the ECC coupled to different HiPHEX configurations was used to increase the accuracy of computer codes to estimate the HiPHEX effectiveness when operated under various dimensional, operational, and thermodynamic constrains characteristic of different locomotive models. The locomotive scale ECC resulting from this investigation is capable of reaching in excess of 5 MW of thermal energy represented by the locomotive exhaust gases.
