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The results of the experiments were obtained in May 2011 and here is the summary. Stable and steady starting of the diesel engine was validated. The events of starting at first try were recorded when the battery was heavily discharged and when it was incapable of providing for the needed voltage. Just these facts only excited great interest of the railwaymen to the product developed by JSC ELTON.

The electrochemical capacitors on which the locomotive engine’s starting capacitor system is based are commonly tagged supecapacitors. The supercapacitors have high stored energy, they operate in a wide range of temperatures – from minus 50 to +70C°, their cycle life amounts to 1 million charge-discharge cycles (which has been recurrently confirmed by testing).
Here are some comments of the experts of the Insk station’s depot on the operation of the supercapacitors:

“The testing of the capacitor starting systems based on the capacitor modules manufactured by JSC ELTON and installed in TEM18DM diesel locomotives has produced positive results – during the operation in the winter time there was not even a single failure of the starting of the diesel locomotive’s engines, due to the fact that the starting system is incapable of ensuring the needed parameters. In particular, it should be noted that in the test starting system the required starting currents of the starter are provided by the capacitor modules only”.

“A steadier starting has been noted (cranking of the diesel engine with higher rotations). A two-fold reduction of the starting current drawn from the battery shall have a positive effect on the battery’s cycle life – its approximately two-fold growth may be expected. The employed modules based on capacitors of EC402 series allowing for a short-time discharge of the capacitor assembly to 15 -20 V shall protect the system from its failure during accidental discharges which are lower than the rated level”.
When the results of the conducted experiment were obtained, the experts of the operation and maintenance services of the depot came to quite interesting conclusions. The tested starting capacitor system makes it possible to turn off the diesel engine during idling in warmer seasons of the year when there is no need in the engine’s warming-up. According to some preliminary estimates, over the period of 140 days of operation at the air temperature above +10C°, the saving of the fuel due to the diesel engine’s cut-off during process down-time shall be 3.5 t and higher. Furthermore, the engine oil’s consumption is reduced, service life of the diesel engine is increased, and the regular battery’s maintenance costs are cut while the battery’s service life grows twice as much.

The introduction of the capacitor starting system as a standard packaging in the electric power supply in the diesel locomotive shall require some additional investments. At the same time, such move shall be considered as a real action to enhance energy efficiency and shall help achieve the objectives set forth in the Federal Law of November 23rd, 2009 # 261-FL “On energy saving and on increasing energy efficiency and on introducing amendments in certain legal acts of the Russian Federation”. The similar objectives are set forth in the Government Program of the Russian Federation “Energy saving and increasing energy efficiency in the period up to 2020”, approved by the Directive of the Government of the Russian Federation of December 27th , 2010 #2446-r.
The experts have made the following calculations: annual economic effect from the use of the starting capacitor system in one shunting locomotive shall produce a tangible result. The payback period of the capacitor starting system (CSS) for the serial manufacture shall be a bit more than two years. And the economic effect from the introduction of each starting capacitor system for the entire service life of the diesel locomotive shall be over 1.7 million Rubles. Taking into account the fact that OAO Russian Railways has a fleet of about 6000 shunting diesel locomotives, the annual economic effect only for the railwaymen may amount to over 420 million Rubles due to the mass introduction of CSS. The environmental aspects have not been disregarded either. The starting capacitor system shall provide for a significant reduction of greenhouse gases’ emissions.

The measurements of the fuel consumption taken during the testing showed a 40% reduction of this indicator as compared with a modern bus having a gas engine. The tests have also confirmed that due to the use of the electrochemical capacitors there are, in fact, no harmful substances (such as СО, CH, NOx) in the exhausts of the bus. The environmental characteristics of this vehicle have exceeded Euro 6 standard. Low noise and vibration is another advantage.

The measurements were taken in Route Е2 going through the main street of the city – Krasnaya street – which is usually congested by vehicles and which connects Depot #1 with the railway station.

The first Russian hybrid buses (Ecobuses) were manufactured at a facility of Trolza (Saratov region) in 2010. The principle of their operation is as follows: methane is fed from the cylinders into the gas micro turbine which supplies electric energy to the electric motor and charges the capacitor energy storage device. Additional energy is generated during electric braking (braking by the electric motor), which makes it possible to recuperate extra energy and store it in the energy storage device and subsequently use it for acceleration of the bus.

“Frequent repetition of the “acceleration-braking” cycle causing considerable consumption of fuel and contamination of air by harmful exhausts is a specific feature of operation of public transit vehicles”, – says Mikhail Rodionov, Business Development Director, JSC ELTON. – “The use of electrochemical capacitors makes it possible to effectively resolve the both issues”.
The electrochemical capacitors are capable of quickly storing and delivering the energy in the volumes which by an order of magnitude exceed the similar characteristics for conventional capacitors. Unlike the batteries, they have high specific power, cycle life of not less than a million charge-discharge cycles; they are maintenance-free and reliable in operation at extreme temperatures. These products are used not only in hybrid vehicles but also in the starting and start-stop systems of internal combustion engines, power engineering.
Russia is a world leader in the field of development and production of electrochemical capacitors. The products of JSC ELTON have been exported abroad since 1998 and manufacturing of these products under a license of the Russian company has been recently launched in the United States.