Diesel-electric

Diesel Electric

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Diesel-electric

A number of vehicles use a diesel-electric powertrain

Powertrain

In a motor vehicle, the term powertrain or powerplant refers to the group of components that generate power and deliver it to the road surface, water, or air....
for providing locomotion

Motion (physics)

In physics, motion means a constant change in the location of a body. Change in motion is the result of applied force. Motion is typically described in terms of velocity, acceleration, Displacement , and time....
. A diesel-electric powerplant includes a diesel engine

Diesel engine

A diesel engine is an internal combustion engine which operates using the diesel cycle . Diesel engines have the highest thermal efficiency compared to any internal combustion or external combustion engine....
connected to an electrical generator

Electrical generator

In electricity generation, an electrical generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy, generally using electromagnetic induction....
, creating electricity

Electricity

Electricity is a general term that encompasses a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena such as lightning and static electricity, but in addition, less familiar concepts such as the electromagnetic field and electromagnetic induction....
that powers electric

Electric motor

An electric motor uses electrical energy to produce mechanical energy, nearly always by the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors....
traction motor

Traction motor

A traction motor is a type of electric motor used to power the driving wheels of a vehicle such as a railroad locomotive, electrical Multiple unit train , a tram, or an automobile....
s. Before diesel engines came into widespread use a similar system, using a petrol engine

Petrol engine

A Petrol engine or Gasoline engine is an internal combustion engine with spark-ignition engine designed to run on petrol and similar volatile fuels....
and called petrol-electric, was sometimes used.

This kind of power transmission

Power transmission

Power transmission is the movement of energy from its place of generation to a location where it is applied to performing useful Mechanical work....
is used by locomotive

Locomotive

A locomotive is a Rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin language loco - "from a place", Ablative case of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine,....
s (see that article for details), used for pulling or pushing train

Train

A train is a connected series of vehicles that move along a track to rail transport from one place to another. The track usually consists of two rail tracks, but might also be a monorail or magnetic levitation train guideway....
s.

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Encyclopedia

A number of vehicles use a diesel-electric powertrain

Powertrain

In a motor vehicle, the term powertrain or powerplant refers to the group of components that generate power and deliver it to the road surface, water, or air....
for providing locomotion

Motion (physics)

Diesel engine

Electrical generator

In electricity generation, an electrical generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy, generally using electromagnetic induction....
, creating electricity

Electricity

Electric motor

An electric motor uses electrical energy to produce mechanical energy, nearly always by the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors....
traction motor

Traction motor

Petrol engine

Power transmission

Power transmission is the movement of energy from its place of generation to a location where it is applied to performing useful Mechanical work....
is used by locomotive

Locomotive

Train

Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below water. It differs from a submersible, which has only limited underwater capability....
s and surface ship

Ship

A ship is a large watercraft that floats on water. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size. Ships may be found on lakes, seas, and rivers and they allow for a variety of activities, such as the ferry or cargo ships, fishing, cruise ship, Coast guard, and warship....
s and some land vehicles. In some high-efficiency applications, electrical energy may be stored in rechargeable batteries, in which case these vehicles can be considered as a class of hybrid electric vehicle

Hybrid electric vehicle

A hybrid electric vehicle is a hybrid vehicle which combines a conventional ground propulsion system with a rechargeable energy storage system to achieve better fuel economy in automobiles than a conventional vehicle....
.

Ships

The first diesel motorship was also the first diesel-electric ship, the Russian tanker Vandal from Branobel

Branobel

Branobel was the oil company set up by Ludvig Nobel and Robert Nobel in Baku, Azerbaijan. Founded in 1876 it was, during the late 19th century, one of the largest oil companies in the world....
, which was launched in 1903. Steamturbine-electric

Turbo-electric

A turbo-electric transmission uses electric generators to convert the mechanical energy of a turbine into electric energy and electric motors to convert it back into mechanical energy to power the driveshafts....
propulsion is in use at least since the 1920s (Tennessee class battleship

Tennessee class battleship

The Tennessee class battleships were a class of battleship of the United States Navy. Two of this class of battleships were built, the and the ....
s), the practice of using diesel-electric powerplants in surface ships has been a more recent development. The Finnish

Finland

Finland , officially the Republic of Finland , is a Nordic countries situated in the Fennoscandian region of northern Europe. It borders Sweden on the west, Russia on the east, and Norway on the north, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland....
"coastal defence ship

Coastal defence ship

Coastal defence ships were warships built for the purpose of coastal defence, mostly in the period 1860?1920. They were small cruiser-sized warships which sacrificed speed and range for armour and armament, built by nations which could not afford battleships or which needed specially-suited shallow-draught vessels small enough to operate cl...
" Ilmarinen, laid down in 1929, was among the first surface ships to use diesel-electric transmission. Later the technology was used in diesel powered icebreaker

Icebreaker

An icebreaker is a special-purpose ship or boat designed to move and navigate through ice-covered waters. Although the term usually refers to icebreaking ships, it may also refer to smaller vessels ....
s.

Some modern ships, including cruise ships and icebreakers, use electric motors in pods called azimuth thruster

Azimuth thruster

An azimuth thruster is a configuration of ship propellers placed in pods that can be rotated in any horizontal direction, making a rudder unnecessary....
s underneath to allow for 360° rotation, meaning that the ships are far more maneuverable.

Some vehicles also use gas turbine

Gas turbine

A gas turbine, also called a combustion turbine, is a rotary engine that extracts energy from a flow of combustion gas. It has an upstream compressor coupled to a downstream turbine, and a combustion chamber in-between....
s in the same way. In fact, some use a combination: the Queen Mary 2 has a set of diesel engines in the bottom of the ship plus two gas turbines mounted near the main funnel. All are used for generating electrical power, and none of the ship's propellers are directly connected to any engines.

Submarines

When the diesel engine was first installed in submarines before the First World War, it revolutionized submarine tactics because its range (or operating time) far surpassed that of the gasoline engine, and the lower volatility fuel meant that fuel and vapors were far less prone to catch fire or explode if they leaked into a submarine cabin. The fuel was also easier to stow. In submarines, the engine is connected to generators to produce electric energy that is stored in batteries

Battery (electricity)

In electronics, a battery or voltaic cell is a combination of one or more electrochemical cell Galvanic cells which store chemical energy that can be converted into electric potential energy, creating electricity....
for running underwater where oxygen

Oxygen

Oxygen no O2 produced; 2) O2 produced, but absorbed in oceans & seabed rock; 3) O2 starts to gas out of the oceans, but is absorbed by land surfaces and formation of ozone layer; 4-5) O2 sinks filled and the gas accumulates]]...
is not available to feed the engines. It had been standard for them to use a driveshaft directly connecting the diesel engine, generator and propeller

Propeller

A propeller is a type of fan which transmits power by converting rotational motion into thrust. It can be used to drive an fixed-wing aircraft, ship, or the fluid within a pump....
s. There were a variety of clutch

Clutch

A clutch is a mechanism for transmitting rotation, which can be engaged and disengaged. Clutches are useful in devices that have two rotating shafts....
mechanisms for various connections as well. However, the long driveshaft has often been a source of trouble, also producing noise

Noise

In common use, the word noise means unwanted sound or noise pollution. In electronics noise can refer to the electronic signal corresponding to acoustic noise or the electronic signal corresponding to the noise commonly seen as 'Noise ' on a degraded television or video image....
and vibration

Oscillation

Oscillation is the repetitive variation, typically in time, of some measure about a central value or between two or more different states. Familiar examples include a swinging pendulum and Alternating current power....
.

Some Soviet submarines had three propellers, and could be used in a variety of ways: each running on its diesel engine; either the central one or the outer two could each be connected to a diesel engine with or without the other propeller running on electric; or the engines could via snorkel be recharging the batteries while the central propeller was quietly running on its electric motor; or all three could be running on electric motors.

The diesel engine performance was critical for a conventional submarine's success. Navies imported and copied successful designs. The Germans had some excellent diesel designs for their U-boats, but they also had some designs which were not so good. The Americans had a similar history; their last diesel engine design was radial in form, its driveshaft axis angled vertically. These designs were subsequently abandoned. Older submarines had to be cut in half through the engine room and proven engines installed in a lengthened hull section to replace the unreliable but space-efficient designed engine. Since the correction, European submarine diesels have shown advances.

Modern diesel-electric submarines don't have a direct connection of the diesel engine to the propeller anymore: The usually single propeller is driven directly by an electric motor. Two or more diesel-generators provide electric energy for loading the batteries and/or driving the electric motor. This mechanically insulates the noisy engine compartment from the outer pressure hull and reduces the acoustic signature

Acoustic signature

Acoustic signature is used to describe a combination of acoustic emissions of ships and submarines....
of the submarine. Even some nuclear

Nuclear marine propulsion

Nuclear marine propulsion is propulsion of a ship powered by a nuclear reactor. Naval nuclear propulsion is propulsion that specifically refers to naval warships ....
submarines decouple their reactor room this way, e.g. all French

France

France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
classes, like the Rubis

Rubis class submarine

The Rubis type is a class of first-generation nuclear attack submarines of the French Navy. They are the most compact nuclear attack submarines to date....
and Redoutable

Redoutable class submarine

The Redoutable class submarine is a ballistic missile submarine class of the French French Navy, the oceanic part of the Force de frappe....
and the Chinese

China

China is a Culture of China, an ancient civilization, and, depending on perspective, a national or multinational entity extending over a large area in East Asia....
Type 093

Type 093 submarine

The Type 093 is a nuclear powered attack submarine class deployed by the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy. These boats are expected to replace the older Type 091 SSNs currently in service....
class, have turbo-electric

Turbo-electric

Locomotives

In the 1920s, diesel-electric technology first saw limited use in switcher

Switcher

A switcher or shunter is a small Rail transport locomotive intended not for moving trains over long distances but rather for assembling trains ready for a road locomotive to take over, disassembling a train that has been brought in, and generally moving railroad cars around - a process usually known as Shunt ....
s (or shunters), locomotives used for moving trains around in railroad yards and assembling and disassembling them. One of the first companies to offer "Oil-Electric" locomotives was the American Locomotive Company

American Locomotive Company

The American Locomotive Company, often shortened to ALCO or Alco , was a builder of railroad locomotives in the United States....
. The ALCO HH series

ALCO HH series

The ALCO HH series were an early series of switcher diesel-electric locomotives built by the American Locomotive Company of Schenectady, New York between 1931 and 1940, when they were replaced by the S series; the ALCO S-1 and S-3 and ALCO S-2 and S-4....
of diesel-electric switcher entered series production in 1931. In the 1930s, the system was adapted for streamliner

Streamliner

A streamliner is any vehicle that incorporates streamline to produce a shape that provides less air resistance. The term is most often applied to certain high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor "high-speed trains"....
s, the fastest trains of their day. Diesel-electric powerplants became popular because they greatly simplified the way motive power was transmitted to the wheels

Traction motor

Fuel efficiency

Fuel efficiency, in its basic sense, is the same as thermal efficiency, meaning the efficiency of a process that converts chemical potential energy contained in a carrier fuel into kinetic energy or Mechanical work....
and had greatly reduced maintenance requirements. Direct-drive transmission

Transmission (mechanics)

Using the principle of mechanical advantage, transmissions provide a speed-torque conversion from a higher speed motor to a slower but more forceful output or vice-versa....
s can become very complex, considering that a typical locomotive has four or more axle

Axle

An axle is a central shaft for a rotation wheel or gear. In some cases the axle may be fixed in position with a bearing or bushing sitting inside the hole in the wheel or gear to allow the wheel or gear to rotate around the axle....
s. Additionally, a direct-drive diesel locomotive would require an impractical number of gears to keep the engine within its powerband; coupling the diesel to a generator eliminates this problem. Some attempts were made

List of CD Classes

Cesk? dr?hy Motive Power....
at using hydraulic fluid

Hydraulic fluid

Hydraulic fluids, also called hydraulic liquids, are a large group of liquids used as the motive medium in hydraulic machinery. Liquid types include synthetic compounds, mineral oil, water, and water-based mixtures....
as a transmission medium, and it proved to be somewhat more efficient than diesel-electric technology. However, the complexity of both the direct-drive and hydraulic systems meant that breakdowns were more common.

Buses

The batteries, carried generally on top of the bus (although some hybrid models are indistinguishable from conventional models, as shown to the right), are charged both by the diesel engine and by capturing energy from braking action. Diesel-electric hybrid buses are generally quieter than conventional (only-petroleum) diesel buses.

Hybrid systems

The two main providers of hybrid systems for diesel-electric transit buses include Allison Transmission

Allison Transmission

Allison Transmission is the premier global provider of commercial duty automatic transmissions and hybrid propulsion systems. Allison products are specified by over 250 of the world?s leading vehicle manufacturers and are used in many market sectors including bus, refuse, fire, construction, distribution, military and specialty applications....
and BAE Systems

BAE Systems

BAE Systems plc is a British defense contractor and aerospace company headquartered in Farnborough, Hampshire, Hampshire, England, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc....
. Allison provides the EP40 and EP50 parallel hybrid

Hybrid vehicle drivetrain

Hybrid Vehicles are vehicles with two or more power sources in the drivetrain. There are many different types of hybrid vehicles, although only the gasoline-electric hybrid is currently commercially available....
systems, while BAE Systems provides the HybriDrive series hybrid

Hybrid vehicle drivetrain

New Flyer Industries

New Flyer Industries Inc. is a bus manufacturer in North America, headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Manitoba, Canada. It also has factories in Crookston, Minnesota and St....
, Gillig Corporation, and North American Bus Industries

North American Bus Industries

North American Bus Industries, commonly known as NABI, is a major transit bus manufacturing company based in Anniston, Alabama. NABI was founded in 1992 when the Hungary firm Ikarus Bus, a key bus supplier to Eastern Europe, spun off a majority share of their American operations to American/Hungarian investors amid financial instabiliti...
are major customers for the Allison EP hybrid systems, while Orion Bus Industries

Orion Bus Industries

Orion International, previously Orion Bus Industries and Ontario Bus Industries in Canada and Bus Industries of America in the United States is a Mississauga, Ontario, Canada-based bus manufacturer established by the government of Ontario in 1975....
is a major customer for the BAE HybriDrive system.

Main electricity

Some hybrid buses are designed to receive most of their operating energy from electricity. Also, a driver may be able to choose to use only the battery system instead of the diesel engine. Some hybrid vehicles only use the electric battery when accelerating or idle

Idle

Idle is a term which generally refers to a lack of motion and/or energy....
, but otherwise operating on diesel.

Trucks

Big mining machines like the Liebherr T 282B
Liebherr T 282B

The Liebherr T 282B is a large earth-hauling dump truck designed by Liebherr Group, a Germany manufacturer of heavy equipment, household appliances, microelectronics, car parts, tool machines and aerospace components....
dump truck or LeTourneau
LeTourneau

LeTourneau can refer to several things:*R.G. LeTourneau, U.S. businessperson, inventor and academic.** LeTourneau University, university founded by R....
L-2350
L-2350

The L-2350 loader from LeTourneau holds the Guinness World Record for Biggest Earth Mover. Designed to center-load haul trucks with capacities of up to 400 tons, the L-2350 provides an operating payload of 160,000 pounds, a 24-foot lift height, and an 11.5-foot reach....
wheel loader are powered that way.
Also NASA
NASA

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an agency of the Federal government of the United States, responsible for the nation's public list of space agencies....
's huge Crawler-Transporter
Crawler-Transporter

The crawler-transporter is a Caterpillar track vehicle used to transport the Saturn V rocket, the Saturn IB rocket during Skylab and Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, and now the Space Shuttle, from NASA's Vehicle Assembly Building along the Crawlerway to Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39....
s are propelled diesel-electrically.
Mitsubishi Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid
Mitsubishi Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid

The Mitsubishi Fuso Canter Eco Hybrid is a hybrid diesel-electric commercial truck made and sold by the Mitsubishi Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation in Japan....
is a diesel-electric commercial truck.
International DuraStar Hybrid diesel-electric truck.
Dodge
Dodge

Dodge is a United States-based brand of automobiles, minivans, sport utility vehicles, and trucks, manufactured and marketed by Chrysler LLC in more than 60 different countries and territories worldwide....
is conducting fleet tests of a diesel-electric version of the Dodge Sprinter.

See :Category:Hybrid trucks

Cars

Citroën C-Cactus
Citroën C-Cactus

The Citro?n C-Cactus is a Citro?n C-Cactus concept car that debuted at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show. The car is named for its low consumption, much like the cactus plant....
is a diesel-electric hybrid car
Robert Bosch GmbH is also supplying hybrid diesel-electric technology to Peugeot 308
Peugeot 308

The Peugeot 308 is a small family car produced by the France automaker PSA Peugeot Citro?n. It was unveiled on June 5, 2007 and is the first car of the 008 generation of Peugeot models....
.
Zytek
Zytek

Zytek Group Ltd is a British automotive engineering company founded in 1981 in Fradley, United Kingdom. Initially designing Engine Control Unit for production and racing applications, the company has expanded into the development of racing engines, hybrid electric engine systems, chassis construction, and integrated circuits for automotive...
.
Chevrolet Volt
Chevrolet Volt

The Chevrolet Volt is a plug-in hybrid series hybrid to be produced by General Motors, expected to be launched as a 2010 model with production currently slated to begin that same year....
/Opel Flextreme
Opel Flextreme

The Opel Flextreme is a diesel plug-in hybrid electric vehicle concept car created by General Motors. It can travel on its lithium-ion battery before a small diesel engine starts charging the battery ....
is a plug-in diesel-electric hybrid.
The "Third-Millennium Cruiser" was an attempt to commercialize a diesel-electric automobile in the very early 1980s

Volkswagen
Volkswagen

Volkswagen Passenger Cars, also known as VW, is an automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Germany and is the original as well as the largest brand by sales volume within the Volkswagen Group....
boss Martin Winterkorn
Martin Winterkorn

Professor Dr. Martin Winterkorn is the Chairman of the Volkswagen Group, and Scania . He succeeded Bernd Pischetsrieder as Chairman of Volkswagen AG on 1 January 2007....
has confirmed the company plans to build compact hybrid vehicles. There will definitely be compact hybrid models, such as Volkswagen Polo
Volkswagen Polo

The Volkswagen Polo is a supermini car manufactured by Volkswagen. It is sold in Europe and other markets worldwide in hatchback, sedan , coup? and station wagon variants....
and Volkswagen Golf
Volkswagen Golf

The 'Volkswagen Golf' is a compact car / small family car manufactured by Volkswagen since 1974 and marketed worldwide across six generations, in various body configurations and under various nameplates -- prominently as the 'Volkswagen Rabbit' in the United States and Canada , and as the 'Volkswagen Caribe' in Mexico ....
, and without any great delay", with gasoline and diesel engines. Also underway at Volkswagen's Braunschweig
Braunschweig

Braunschweig , known as Brunswiek in Low German, is a city of 245,810 people , located in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is located north of the Harz mountains at the farthest navigable point of the Oker river, which connects to the North Sea via the rivers Aller and Weser....
R&D facilities in Northern Germany is a hybrid version of the next-generation Touareg, due in 2010. All future VW models to have hybrid option. “Future VW models will fundamentally also be constructed with hybrid concepts,” VW head of development Ulrich Hackenberg told Automobilwoche in an interview. Hackenberg mentioned that the car based on the Up! concept seen at Frankfurt motorshow , as well as all future models, could be offered with either full or partial hybrid options. The rear-engine Up! will go into production in 2011. VW showed a Golf Diesel Hybrid at the 2008 Geneva Motor Show. Nothing has been told about plug-in hybrid option.

Ford Reflex is a diesel hybrid concept car. Not decided yet if it will go into production.

One can also install an aftermarket
Aftermarket

* Aftermarket , the addition of non-factory parts, accessories and upgrades to a motor vehicle.* After-market , any market where customers who buy one product or service are likely to buy a related, follow-on product....
hybrid powertrain
Powertrain

In a motor vehicle, the term powertrain or powerplant refers to the group of components that generate power and deliver it to the road surface, water, or air....
to a diesel vehicle (such as one from California Motors).

Motorcycles

eCycle

ECycle

The term e-cycling refers to the process of recycling the components or metals contained in used or discarded electronic equipment, otherwise known as electronic waste ....
Inc had plans to produce a diesel-electric motorcycle getting 180 mpg with a top speed of and a target retail price of $5,500. but has since decided not to sell a complete hybrid motorcycle but try to become a key supplier to enable other companies to make hybrid motorcycles.

Other land vehicles

Diesel-electric propulsion was tried on some military vehicles, such as tank

Tank

A tank is a Continuous track, armoured fighting vehicle designed for front-line combat which combines operational mobility and Military tactics Offensive and defence capabilities....
s. One example was the ill-fated Maus

Panzer VIII Maus

The Panzerkampfwagen VIII Maus was a Germany super-heavy tank design, and the heaviest tank to reach the complete working prototype stage in World War II....
tank. Currently no tank uses this principle for movement, but it's quite common to train the turret and/or guns with electric motors powered by diesel or turbine APUs

Auxiliary power unit

An auxiliary power unit is a device on a vehicle whose purpose is to provide energy for functions other than propulsion. Different types of APU are found on aircraft, as well as on some large ground vehicles....
.

The U.S. military is considering a replacement for its HMMWV utility vehicle which would use a diesel-electric propulsion system. Such a vehicle could operate its electrical systems for an extended period without running the engine, due to the large battery reserves. When stealth is desired, it could drive using only electrical power for a limited time.

Diesel-electric

Ships

Submarines

Locomotives

Buses

Hybrid systems

Main electricity

See also

Trucks

Cars

Motorcycles

Other land vehicles

See also

External links

Buses

Metro Transit with hybrid buses

Systems

Cars