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State of the art sustainable mobility solutions.
Green label technologies
The value CAF places on R+D has provided the company with their own personal technology, which contributes to improving safety, comfort and energy efficiency during the product's whole service life.
CAF provides the market with state of the art advances which they have developed over the last few years to provide railways with the best possible sustainable, clean and ecological public transport.
This technology is used from the design stage right up to the development and production of equipment and systems, control operations and comprehensive train maintenance.
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1. EcoDesign: Optimised energy saving methods
In the design process, CAF's engineering area applies state of the art analysis tools and simulation and testing systems to define and configure the optimum values for each train, to minimise energy consumption during operation, to perfect operation and to extend service life.
The shapes, space, materials and energy distribution systems are essential to achieve maximum energy efficiency and quality standards. For this reason, the environmental features dominate train built-in equipment and design.
CAF is well aware of significantly relevant factors such as traction energy consumption at fast speeds. Thanks to the creation of an aerodynamic design with a great deal of attention paid to detail (amongst other measures), the resistance to forward motion during operation has fallen and the demand for required energy has also dropped.
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2. New materials: Light and recyclable
CAF carefully chooses all the materials used in production, paying special emphasis to recyclability, as this avoids the consumption of natural resources. Also, preventing irreversible joins between parts of different materials, dismantling at the end of the train’s service life is facilitated, and subsequent re-use is more likely.
The trains are designed to reduce the mass and weight, which is an efficient method of optimising energy demands. These parameters are applied both to the carbody structure as well as to all the additional, insulating items equipment, etc. These guarantee maximum safety standards.
The traction energy consumption is reduced by using lighter, more resistant materials. For this reason, during the production process, the vehicle mass is analysed in each stage, to ensure the optimum envisaged weight is not exceeded.
Also in the new designs a balance is searched for between the procurement of the maximum transport capacity and the users’ comfort. Energy is also saved by creating spacious passenger areas and optimising the number of seats per unit.
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3. Vibration and noise free trains
The main train noise sources are generated by the equipment, the rolling items and wind contact. Apart from effects on humans, the noise can also affect nature, altering animals' habitat and the ecosystems.
To reduce interior and exterior sound emission, CAF's technical team has performed an in depth analysis of the causes of these sounds and have adopted the most efficient measured to reduce them. Preliminary tests and calculations, the use of insulant and absorbent materials, aerodynamic shapes, studies regarding wheel-rail interaction and contact, etc.
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4. Regenerative brake (AER): An efficient solution to recover energy
Braking energy recovery is essential in railway network operation, as it contributes to optimising operations and achieving high efficient rates. CAF's trains are specifically designed so that the regenerative brake has priority over the rheostatic and friction brakes. As a result, the catenary receives the energy recovered in the braking process, which can be used by the train or returned to the electrical grid.
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5. State of the art equipment
CAF’s trains are fitted with systems to obtain maximum performance from the energy consumed during travel, both when accelerating and when braking, and even regarding signalling and interlocking. To this end, using highly efficient traction equipment allows the energy losses to be minimised and consumption to be optimised.
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6. Auxiliary systems consumption reduction
To achieve maximum energy consumption reduction, comprehensive measures must be taken which also consider the train’s auxiliary equipment, operation control and conservation status.
Auxiliary converter
In each project, the capacity of the auxiliary converter is analysed to calculate the balance of all the charges that must be supplied. As a result, possible oversizing can be avoided which could result in a higher consumption and weight than that recommended.
Energy consumption control at a standstill
To reduce energy consumption during stops, another of CAF’s priorities is to provide an advance definition of the conditions the auxiliary equipment must be in. Individual controls per car, rather than per train, allow only the equipment of specific units to be active, according to the requirements of each case. This measure achieves a significant energy saving.
HVAC in optimum conditions
The HVAC equipment requires a high energy supply for operation. In reducing this consumption, CAF uses more efficient coolants and takes measures to optimise the train HVAC conditions. To reduce the energy losses resulting from heat transfer between the interior and exterior, the train design will attempt to minimise thermal conductivity and thus achieve highly effective insulation.
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7. Vehicle and fleet efficient driving
The driving mode has a decisive effect on the train’s energy consumption. Using the train's control system, the performance level which minimises energy consumption can be calculated in real time, according to the route time and characteristics. This information allows driving optimisation with regards to energy.
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8. Reduction of route times
CAF’s technological development has introduced new advantages for the general reduction of train energy consumption. Systems such as All-Round Tilt (SIBI) allow the trains to travel as faster speeds without a decrease in comfort when negotiating curves on the route and the route times can be reduced by 30%.
Also, reductions in speed limits on curves, reduces the need to modify the train speeds, whereby greater energy efficiencyis achieved..
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