UTILITY VEHICLES
drives ( a motor with an inverter ), a gear and friction drive wheels . The drive is transmitted by frictional coupling of the drive wheels with the rail . The drive wheels are pressed by a hydraulic cylinder , which presses the rocker arm towards the axis of the track through a lever . The gear is connected to the electric drive and the friction drive wheel is fixed in the rocker arm .
The braking system is used as a parking and emergency brake . Brakes are released after applying pressure to the brake release actuator , which moves the brake shoes away from the rail . The auxiliary unit includes an electric drive ( inverter motor ), which drives the hydraulic pump supplying the locomotive hydraulic controls .
The operation of the locomotive is controlled by the BWKS control box ( in the manoeuvring version ) or the control station in the operator ’ s cabin . Optionally , the battery locomotive can be additionally equipped with a wireless control and radio communication system as well as mobile lighting for passenger stations and material stations .
The VOLTER battery unit is an explosion-proof device in a flame-proof enclosure . A VOLTER lithium battery is used to power the locomotive drives . The battery unit includes systems intended for monitoring , protection , supervision and control of individual locomotive devices . The battery compartment is equipped with lithium cells grouped in 20 boxes . Each box contains eight cells , which are monitored in terms of voltage and temperature by individual control modules .
The control modules communicate with the supervisory part located in the apparatus box and are also responsible for the cell charging process and for sending operating parameters to the control system . The advantage of the VOLTER battery is the charger integrated with it ( installed in a special compartment of the battery enclosure ), to charge the cells directly from the mine power grid . The mine grid is connected through a quick connector installed in the flameproof enclosure which significantly speeds up the connection / disconnection process . The charging time is up to four hours . The drive system of the VOLTER locomotive enables operation with energy recuperation , ie energy recovery back to the battery when travelling on a decline or when braking .
The use of battery-powered machines brings the following benefits to the working environment – elimination of exhaust gases , which results in a smaller amount of air required to dilute them ; plus less noise and vibration improves the work comfort of the locomotive operators and the transported personnel . Operation of the locomotives does not interfere with the operation of fire safety systems ( CO sensors ) plus there is a big reduction of heat emission in comparison with diesel locomotives which has a significant impact on the improvement of climatic conditions in the excavations .
Summarising , the use of suspended VOLTER battery-powered locomotives brings the following technical and economic effects as well as benefits to the working environment in comparison with diesel locomotives : no exhaust emissions , low heat emission , quieter operation of the drive compared to a diesel drive , their operation does not interfere with the operation of fire safety systems ( CO sensors ), expensive logistics and diesel fuelling infrastructure are not required in the mine , plus they have lower operating costs . They also involve a shorter time for necessary maintenance , and has the possibility of charging the battery in excavations where electrical devices can operate in an explosion-proof enclosure , plus there is the possibility of charging directly from the mine power grid with a three-phase voltage of 500 V or 1,000 V .
Finally , VOLTER offers energy recovery when driving on a decline and when braking , monitoring of operating parameters and protections , remote control and data transmission , and optional radio control . Becker argues that battery-powered suspended locomotives , due to their advantages , are set to gradually replace diesel locomotives in the coming years .
PAUS introduces new MultiToolCarrier
German manufacturer Hermann Paus Maschinenfabrik GmbH told IM that it