Air Compressor Systems for Passenger Rail Applications

摘要

Passenger transit rail systems rely on compressed air for brake and suspension systems. These applications pose design challenges for the compressor system not usually faced by industrial applications. The air supply is packaged as a self-contained system generally containing a compressor, electric drive motor, air dryer system, and controls.The air system supplier initially furnishes the system to a car builder under contract to a transit authority. Both the car builder and the transit authorities publish specifications for package size, materials, and workmanship constraints making each compressor system custom designed for the application.General trends in the industry include the extension of overhaul and maintenance on the air system. In order to meet these new requirements, it was necessary to determine exactly how these systems operate in the field in terms of running time and cycle rate. To this end, air supply systems were instrumented with simple logging systems to monitor compressor operation. A summary from field studies from various locations is presented.