Diesel-powered drive systems compatible with standard mining locomotives

The disadvantages of battery-electric mining locomotives are high costs for batteries and charging stations and low capacity of the batteries. Therefore the suitability of diesel-powered drive concepts for use with the modular standard mining locomotive of the German hard coal mining industry is investigated. The construction of diesel-powered hydrodynamic, hydrostatic and electric energy converters is described including mine-relevant design features. For a systematic comparison of these power transmissions the characteristics of tractive force and transmission efficiency versus vehicle speed are generated using results from experimental studies. Because of lacking measured load cycles the fuel demands for these drives are calculated presupposing a synthetic haulage cycle. It covers acceleration, steady-state operation and deceleration — each with loaded and with empty trailers. Although the resulting fuel demands are within a narrow interval, the study points out a significant potential for lowering of the fuel consumption with hydrostatic and with diesel-electric drives.