The global challenges of transport in terms of climate change, securing mobility and managing the transition to a sustainable transport system are complex.
The ProCo project represents a holistic and integrated approach that aims to enable climate-friendly, resource-efficient and sustainable rail transport.
The ProCo Propulsion and Coupling project is based on the four cornerstones of energy, efficiency, economy and ecology:
Energy
The replacement of diesel trains for environmental reasons and the re-commissioning of decommissioned lines have raised the question of which hybrid drive concept is best suited for each individual non-electrified railway line. Battery and/or hydrogen trains enable the transition to environmentally friendly energy sources. Energy storage is the key to train concepts with hybrid drives. New intelligent solutions for hybrid energy supply concepts need to be investigated in order to optimise overall performance from cradle to grave. The aim is to develop and demonstrate a scalable, modular system kit for hybrid drive systems with standardised interfaces.
Efficiency
Advanced technologies such as low-loss traction must be investigated and applied to the requirements of railway applications, with the NGT family of trains serving as lead concepts and demonstrators. Accompanied by an extensive investment project, the full-size single-wheel bogie will be built and tested both on a rolling test rig and on track systems in order to advance and demonstrate the technological maturity of the implemented technologies.
Economy
It is essential for railway operators to realise economical operation. Potential for reducing life cycle costs in the rail system lies in the optimisation and automation of operational processes, e.g. through virtual coupling, in the reduction of energy requirements and in the reduction of wear and associated maintenance costs. The systematic and targeted organisation of their technical design and the corresponding technologies is necessary for the economical use of future rail vehicle drives that meet requirements. To make this possible, the intelligent use of methods and tools to determine the LCC and its development is indispensable.
Ecology
Reducing emissions and the carbon footprint in the mobility sector, particularly in rail transport, is a challenging task and plays an important role in increasing the acceptance of new technologies in society. The integrated consideration of energy supply and drive components and driving modes / manoeuvres will consistently reduce the environmental impact. Furthermore, the replacement of diesel traction is being driven forward, which is an important lever for reducing the CO2 footprint. The aim is to develop and optimise operating strategies and suitable tools to reduce energy requirements and emissions.
Subprojects
The ProCo project essentially comprises and develops vehicle-side technologies. The main areas of focus are
the continuation of the chassis development from the NGT-BIT project,
safe and efficient vehicle platforms using virtual coupling,
vehicle energy supply with hybrid drive concepts (hydrogen, battery) and
self-propelled bogies with integrated drive and energy supply for freight transport applications.
TP 1000: NGT chassis
The NGT single-wheel bogie is a new type of lightweight bogie with mechatronic track guidance and direct drive close to the wheels, which has been optimised for use in the NGT centre coach, particularly in terms of installation space. The aims of the work on the NGT running gear are
Raising the chassis technology to TRL 6,
using the large-scale NGT-FuN facility for verifications, demonstrations and further development,
researching innovative solutions with regard to materials and components, including fibre composite construction, as well as digital, data and model-based technologies (digital twin) for efficient, safe and sustainable maintenance and operation.
The intended result of the TP1000 is the world's first mechatronic lightweight single-wheel chassis with direct drive close to the wheel in TRL 6.
The sub-project 2000 Virtually Coupled Train Sets (VCTS) continues work from NGT BIT and from the Shift2Rail project X2RAIL-3 on the development and demonstration of a virtual coupling of rail vehicles. As part of the European Shift2Rail initiative, DLR has already carried out important work on VCTS concept development and analyses of feasibility and performance. It is therefore very well positioned not only in a national but also in a European context.
Automation and digitalisation are important key factors in making the railways more efficient and responsive to the rapidly increasing demands. In order to be able to act more flexibly, individual trains should be able to realise a virtual coupling during the journey. Track throughput is significantly increased when multi-unit trains are virtually joined and separated again. The system performance must be analysed holistically, as both train-to-train and train-to-infrastructure interferences and interactions occur in the functional areas of communication, electronics/electrics, mechanics, aerodynamics and train control.
The expected main outcome of TP2000 is to prepare the realisation of a VCTS demonstration by 2027.
Another important aspect is the precise and reliable self-localisation of the vehicles, which is also being developed for use on routes with tunnels with the help of magnetic field sensors. Initial interim results in terms of accuracy, availability and possible interference are being provided by analysing data from an extensive measurement campaign with DB's advanced TrainLab:
On 11 March 2021, scientists from the DLR Institute of Communication and Navigation, together with the spin-off Intelligence on Wheels (IoW), successfully completed a two-week series of tests on technologies for the safe, efficient and flexible train traffic of tomorrow. The aim of DLR's research is to bring more passenger and freight traffic onto the rails, to increase passenger comfort through fewer changes, to better secure necessary level crossings and to enable a more flexible composition of trains in order to optimise line capacities.
Video : Future technologies for rail transport - measurement campaign in the laboratory train, March 2021 (engl.)
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Video : Future technologies for rail transport - measurement campaign in the laboratory train, March 2021 (engl.)
On 11 March 2021, scientists from the DLR Institute of Communication and Navigation, together with the spin-off Intelligence on Wheels (IoW), successfully completed a two-week series of tests on technologies for the safe, efficient and flexible train traffic of tomorrow. The aim of DLR's research is to bring more passenger and freight traffic onto the rails, to increase passenger comfort through fewer changes, to better secure necessary level crossings and to enable a more flexible composition of trains in order to optimise line capacities.
Credit:
DLR
TP 3000: Fuel Cell and Hybrid Power Pack (FCHPP)
In the sub-project 3000 Fuel Cell and Hybrid Power Pack (FCHPP), a modular and scalable system kit for alternative rail vehicle drives is being developed and demonstrated. The aim of the FCHPP concept is to support the decarbonisation of the railways by offering alternatives to the diesel drives currently in use. FCHPP uses basic building blocks to provide energy supply systems and architectures for rail vehicles that meet requirements, using scalable subsystems as modules with defined interfaces.
The aim of ProCo TP 3000 (FCHPP) is to develop a system for designing a modular and scalable FC and battery hybrid power pack (FCHPP) that meets the requirements. The work within the project ranges from methods, concepts and technologies to design and demonstration as well as the subsequent energy distribution and cost optimisation (LCC).
Currently, either shunting locomotives or capital-intensive dual-mode locomotives are required for shunting and last-mile journeys. Especially in single wagonload transport (EWL), this requires complex logistical processes with many journeys by manned locomotives and consequently high fuel costs, high emissions, high time expenditure and low productivity of materials and personnel.
The aim of TP4000 is to develop powered bogies in order to make processes in rail freight transport more flexible and rationalise them, so that existing freight wagons can be upgraded with a self-sufficient driving capability. Depending on the requirements profile and the trade-off between costs and benefits in terms of battery capacity, drive power and payload, further routes can be covered and thus, if necessary, the "last mile" to the destination can be travelled autonomously or several wagons can be driven by one equipped wagon.
The aim is the conceptual design of a new type of fully integrated, powered freight wagon bogie in lightweight construction. This bogie is a plug-and-play solution that contains all the hardware for the autonomous operation of a freight wagon, including the drive unit, the energy storage unit and the computing units.
Beyond the boundaries of the ProCo project, there is close cooperation with other projects in the programme themes of rail transport (InTra, TraCo and RoSto), transport systems (Vmo4Orte) and road transport (FFAE). At European level, the ProCo project is closely linked to the Europe's Next Rail Joint Undertaking and the FCH2RAIL project funded by the Clean Hydrogen Partnership.
