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| Flywheel (was Re: TAs Newest $16 Million Blunder) (699160) | |||
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Flywheel (was Re: TAs Newest $16 Million Blunder) |
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Posted by David on Tue Oct 28 21:14:53 2008, in response to Re: TAs Newest $16 Million Blunder, posted by JournalSquare-K-Car on Tue Oct 28 20:42:54 2008. In the mid-1970s, a pair of R-32s was retrofitted with a flywheel system built by the Garrett Corporation (the same company that made the propulsion system for the GT/E (Gas Turbine/Electric) LIRR cars that resembled M-1s). The flywheel essentially did what NYCT's newest cars do, which is to capture energy used in braking that is normally dissipated as heat. Apparently, however, rather than put the energy back into the third rail for use by other trains in the area as the R-142 and up cars do, the system would supply the energy to the car it came from for use in propulsion.According to the MTA 1976 annual report, the test was completed in January 1977 and was a success. However, NYCT never bought the system in quantity -- perhaps, given that this was the fiscal crisis era, there was simply no money to purchase it even though it apparently would have saved a great deal on propulsion power costs (19% overall during the test, up to 40% depending on where the test was done). David |
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