The first tests of electric locomotives with a new traction motor began in February 2019 at Tula Plant of Mining Equipment. Being the development of Novosibirsk State Technical University scientists, the motor could solve the problem of import substitution. Additionally, it has increased the productivity of new machines by 50% compared to previous generations locomotives, since it is equipped with energy-efficient lithium-ion battery produced by "Liotech" (the project of "RUSNANO"). The efficiency of the traction electric drive with a valve magnetoelectric motor increased by 10-20 % compared to the electric drive of the previous generation. Electric machines designed according to this technology can find numerous applications, e.g. in general industry (machines, ventilation systems) and in specialized electric drive (for the automotive industry, aviation, electric submersible pumps, etc.). They can also be used as inverter generators.
The first in Russia synchronous motor with permanent magnets for mine electric locomotives has been developed at the Electromechanics Department of Mechatronics and Automation Faculty of Novosibirsk State Technical University. The engineers were able to significantly increase the performance of the electric locomotives owing to the use of this motor. The new technologies which formed the basis of the magnetic system design and the special winding inside the motor allowed to significantly (two to three times) reduce the mass of active materials and increase the motor efficiency by 10-20% compared to classical asynchronous motors and DC motors.
The first tests of the development showed that the new technology allowed not only to reduce the weight and dimensions of the traction motor, but also to increase its load capacity owing to the higher torque. Besides, the locomotive has become more energy-efficient since the motor losses were reduced, which lead to the motor efficiency increase to 90%. At the same time, the discharge of the battery decreased and the operating time of the electric locomotive increased.
The developed electric motor was installed on an electric locomotive which is designed for transportation of trolleys with coal and rock, materials and equipment delivery and other operations in the mines. In addition to the innovative motor, the locomotives will use new batteries. Electric locomotives of previous generations used lead-acid or alkaline batteries which required frequent refilling of aggressive acids or alkalis.
There were increased requirements for ventilation to the sites for old batteries types charging because explosive hydrogen is released during the process. All this led to an increased expenses for additional personnel, sufficient ventilation, etc. The "Liotech" solution (RUSNANO project) is devoid of these shortcomings: a lithium-ion battery with a total energy capacity of 70 kW / h can be charged within 2-4 hours, depending on the degree of its discharge. There is no gas emission both during discharge and during charging at normal operation of a lithium-ion battery.
The request for the development of the domestic electric motor was received in February 2018 from Tula Plant of Mining Equipment. By the end of the summer, Novosibirsk engineers had prepared the design documentation and were able to produce the first prototype at the premises of "REM" company. According to the developers, the first tests of the motor took place in NSTU and demonstrated that the factual power turned out to exceed the stated value.
The second stage of the development tests took place in Tomsk where the engineers of Research and Production Firm "Mechatronica-Pro" designed the motor control system. In the plant's conditions, the electric motor has confirmed its improved power performance in comparison with the motors of previous generations.
Now the new electric locomotive is at the stage of real work conditions tests for acceptance in mines. The electric motor must be explosion-proof, which is required to ensure the work safety in mines. A special shell does not allow the explosion to go beyond the motor. If the tests are successful, the new electric motors will be put to serial production.
"We managed to implement the technology used in the electric motor for mining equipment in many objects: the electromechanical power steering for "Lada" cars (over 1.5 million sets were produced at OAO "Avtoelektronika" in Kaluga), motors for submersible oil pumps, a series of general industry motors, wind turbines, precision servo drives and other developments. Professor Alexander Shevchenko, the head of Electromechanics Department is the mastermind of the new machines generation. He made a great contribution to the development of the theory, put into practice these electric machines and is now considered the leading expert in the country", — said Dmitry Toporkov, Candidate of Technical Sciences, Associate Professor of Electromechanics Department, NSTU and one of the development authors.
Previously, at the end of January, NSTU scientists together with the residents of the Academpark "Tornado Modular Systems", "Unisoft Plus", and research and production company "Avtomatika" created and launched a prototype of an automated system for monitoring the energy efficiency of industrial enterprises. The Process Audit Platform (PAP) program will distantly process terabytes of information in order to see the challenging areas of production that can lead to energy losses, accidents or environmental damage.
