• Central solution for comprehensive thermal management in battery-powered rail vehicles
• System is space-saving, energy-efficient, and weight-optimised
• Combined device available with natural refrigerant

Pioneering thermal management for rail transport: At this year's InnoTrans in Berlin, technotrans presents a mobile combined device for cooling the battery and power electronics of electrically powered rail vehicles. With this new solution, technotrans offers customers a space-saving and energy-efficient complete system with only one central interface. Additionally, the company will showcase its proven battery cooling system, zeta.rail. Both devices are available in an identical design with the natural refrigerant R290 (propane).

“With this solution, we offer manufacturers highly precise thermal management for all liquid-cooled components in a battery-powered rail vehicle. And all in just one central device with one interface – compact and optimally integrable,” says Bastian Thiel, Business Development Manager at technotrans. The mobile combined device cools not only the traction battery but also the vehicle's power electronics, such as converters, motors, and inverters. “It doesn’t matter whether it’s a purely battery-powered train, a bi- or trimodal one. We cover a broad range of applications and develop customized versions on request,” Thiel emphasizes.

The new system can be installed in a space-saving manner and is lighter and more economical due to a reduced number of components. In the combined device, two separate cooling circuits operate at different, application-specific temperature levels: one circuit with active cooling for the battery and one with passive cooling for the power electronics. Simultaneously, the fans are arranged so that cold air circulates throughout the entire device, thus flowing through both heat exchangers. This increases the system’s energy efficiency, as the generated cooling capacity is optimally utilized. An extension of the battery circuit provides even higher energy efficiency: optionally, this can be equipped with additional passive cooling to fully cool the vehicle with ambient air in winter.

Environmentally Friendly Operation with Natural Refrigerant

In addition to the new product, technotrans will also present the proven series battery cooling system zeta.rail at the trade fair. Thanks to an active and passive cooling circuit and power-regulated components, the device operates particularly energy-efficiently. Depending on the target temperature of the batteries, the system independently decides whether to cool or heat them – this intelligent control ensures a constant temperature profile at all times.

Both zeta.rail and the new combined device are available in an identical design with the natural refrigerant R290 (propane). The new combined solution is already successfully used in several pilot projects in the R290 variant. The refrigerant is characterized by a low Global Warming Potential (GWP) and is thus a long-term, environmentally friendly solution for thermal management systems. “Propane also has the advantage of being frequently used in vehicle air conditioning systems, so operators only need to store one refrigerant,” explains Thiel.

technotrans will exhibit at this year’s InnoTrans in Berlin from 24 to 27 September 2024 in Hall 14.1, Stand 300.

Further Informationen under: www.technotrans.com