Non-Contact Energy Harvesting for Rural Grade Crossings

The network of U.S. railroads often spans remote parts of the country that are sparsely populated. In these areas, rail grade crossings are much less likely to have warning lights or crossing gates primarily due to the lack of electricity. Such unprotected or passive crossings have the majority of the grade crossing fatalities and accidents. To reduce rail accidents, enhanced warning systems are needed at as many passive crossings as possible. The research team proposes to create a new energy harvesting approach based on the motion of the wheels to generate sufficient power for an LED-based grade crossing warning system. Recent advances to create small and powerful magnets allow for the design of a non-contact power generation approach that is activated with each passing wheel. The goal will be to design and test multiple configurations in order to assess their potential for energy harvesting and to optimize them for grade crossing applications.

• Record URL:
  https://www.utrgv.edu/railwaysafety/_files/documents/research/exhibit-d_utcrs_unl_non-contact_energy_harvesting_2023.pdf
• Supplemental Notes:
  • This project is in collaboration with Mohsen Amjadian at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Language

• English

Project

• Status: Active
• Funding: $129095
• Contract Numbers:

  69A3552348340

• Sponsor Organizations:

  Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

  University Transportation Centers Program
  Department of Transportation
  Washington, DC  United States  20590

  University of Nebraska, Lincoln

  1400 R Street
  Lincoln, NE  United States  68588
• Managing Organizations:

  University of Nebraska, Lincoln

  1400 R Street
  Lincoln, NE  United States  68588
• Project Managers:

  Stearns, Amy

• Performing Organizations:

  University of Nebraska, Lincoln

  1400 R Street
  Lincoln, NE  United States  68588
• Principal Investigators:

  Turner, Joseph

  Nelson, Carl

• Start Date: 20230601
• Expected Completion Date: 20240831
• Actual Completion Date: 0
• USDOT Program: University Transportation Centers Program

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Energy conversion; Grade crossing protection systems; Railroad rails; Railroad safety; Rolling contact; Rural areas; Warning systems
• Subject Areas: Energy; Operations and Traffic Management; Railroads;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01897935
• Record Type: Research project
• Source Agency: University Transportation Center for Railway Safety
• Contract Numbers: 69A3552348340
• Files: UTC, RIP
• Created Date: Oct 30 2023 11:11PM