DRISHTI

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Possible steps to reduce energy consumption by railways



1. Wagon manufacture= Even thinking about the Indian railways brings into our minds the heavy, hefty and robust iron made wagons. Even the doors weigh in 100’s of kg. The new wagons must be designed based upon the metro rail make which are made up of aluminum alloy thereby reducing the overall weight by 40% for the same strength.


2. Regenerative braking= the energy dissipated in the braking of one train can be harnessed into electricity and used by a following train on the same line. This technology is called regenerative braking. It has been effectively used in Japan since 1970. It’s very handy in the Indian context where the rail traffic is enormous by any standards.



Hydraulic Regenerative Braking
An alternative regenerative braking system is being developed by the Ford Motor Company and the Eaton Corporation. It's called Hydraulic Power Assist or HPA. With HPA, when the driver steps on the brake, the vehicle's kinetic energy is used to power a reversible pump, which sends hydraulic fluid from a low pressure accumulator (a kind of storage tank) inside the vehicle into a high pressure accumulator