China's first permanent magnet high-speed rail off the assembly line

The permanent magnet synchronous traction system of the new generation high-speed train developed by the CSR Zhuzhou Institute (hereinafter referred to as the Zhuzhou Institute of Technology) has recently passed the ground test evaluation of the National Railway Testing and Test Center. The reporter recently learned from the Zhuzhou Institute that the first high-speed rail equipped with a permanent magnet traction system has already been rolled out of the CSR Qingdao Quartet. It will then enter the assessment and test phase, and it can be commercialized as soon as possible after three years.

It is understood that traction system technology is the core technology of locomotives. The breakthrough of permanent magnet technology in the application of domestic high-speed rail power will make China's high-speed rails more competitive in the world.

At the same time, before being transformed into a wholly-owned subsidiary of CSR in 2008, Zhuzhou was once held in cross-share by South-North. After belonging to CSR, Zhuzhou has always been regarded as the key to distinguishing North and South China. When the demand for "integration of the North and South China Sea Vehicles" is getting louder and louder, the rail transit scientific research institutes represented by the Zhuzhou Institute will undoubtedly become the focus of the integration game once again.

Permanent magnet locomotive energy-saving advantages stand out

As an important basic material supporting the modern electronic information industry, permanent magnets have been widely used in many fields such as watches, cameras, automobiles, generators, medical instruments, and inverter air conditioners in recent years. The permanent magnet stocks in the capital market have also been repeatedly favored.

However, until 2011, the permanent magnet synchronous traction developed by Zhuzhou was installed on the 20th train of Shenyang Metro Line 2 to realize the first application of permanent magnets in China's rail transit system.

Xu Junfeng, deputy director of the China South-Steel R&D Center for High-speed Railway Permanent Magnet Research, told the reporter that the Zhuzhou Institute has started research on permanent magnet motor systems since 2003. The traction system is a key source of high-speed train power and has been described as a high-speed train. The "heart" of rail vehicles, such as EMUs, has therefore refused to export technology to China. China also has to start from scratch and completely develop its own.

Once the high-speed train adopts the permanent magnet synchronous traction system, on one hand, it can fully utilize the characteristics of the high power density of the permanent magnet motor and reduce the train-to-drag ratio of the train (referring to the ratio of a fixed group of trains, between a power car and a non-power car); On the other hand, by increasing the train traction efficiency, it can save a lot of electricity and reduce the life cycle cost of trains.

Xu Junfeng, for example, stated that although the cost of a single high-speed permanent magnet motor is currently about 10% higher than that of current AC induction motors that are generally in service, it can only be used if the original train needs 6 to 2 trains. With 4 moving and 4 dragging, the traction system of the 2 EMUs saved will reduce the cost of the entire train with permanent magnet motors by 20%.

In general, the energy consumption of the traction system accounts for about 40% to 50% of the total energy consumption of the rail transit system. According to the data provided by CSR, according to the results measured in the Shenyang metro, the permanent magnet synchronous traction system can achieve energy savings of 9.61% compared to the asynchronous traction system. It is estimated that if all the 96 rail transit lines planned for construction in the country in 2015 will use permanent magnet synchronous traction systems, the annual energy consumption of the new line will be saved by 192 million yuan.

China has a unique advantage

Industry insiders believe that the development of a new generation of traction drive system with permanent magnet synchronous motor as its core is a revolutionary innovation for rail transit traction technology, and its commercial prospects are also receiving much attention.

In Germany, Japan, France and other high-speed rail countries, the permanent magnet synchronous transmission system has been applied to high-speed EMUs, subway vehicles, low-floor vehicles, monorail vehicles, and locomotives, etc. Most of them completed the development of prototypes and the evaluation of actual lines. In some occasions, small batch applications are gradually being carried out.

Although China's permanent magnets developed on rail transit, although it started late, it has gradually caught up with advanced foreign standards. The Zhuzhou Institute’s off-line production of permanent magnet high-speed rail marks China’s becoming one of the few countries in the world to master high-speed rail permanent magnet traction system technology.

With reference to the commercialization of permanent magnets, the commercialization of permanent magnet high-speed rail is expected to be achieved within three years at the earliest. At that time, the market size of permanent magnet high-speed rail will be very impressive: Before and after 2015, China will build 96 urban rail transit lines, one line in 20 columns and 6 vehicles, and each locomotive will have 1 million yuan to calculate. One line of permanent magnet synchronous traction The system will generate 120 million yuan in output value. If all the 96 lines use permanent magnet synchronous traction system, the expected output value will reach 11.5 billion yuan.

As far as overseas markets are concerned, it was not until July 2013 that Toshiba announced the acquisition of a permanent order for permanent magnet synchronous traction systems in the overseas metro market for the first time: Singapore orders for 66 permanent magnet synchronous traction systems for 396 remodeled vehicles. The overseas market of permanent magnet high-speed rail has only just started. Of course, the market competition will be very fierce.

However, Chinese permanent magnets have unparalleled advantages. In an interview with the reporter, Xu Junfeng believed that as long as technology research and development can compete with the rest of the world, China’s biggest advantage is that it has a rich source of permanent magnet material rare earth. At present, several large foreign manufacturers have been hoping to come to China to do so because they can reduce costs.

The reporter learned from CSR at the same time that on October 30, the 3000th Urban Rail Traction System in Zhuzhou was formally rolled off in Zhuzhou. This means that, since 2007, when the domestic autonomous traction system brand acquired the qualification for independent reference for the first time, the cumulative production volume of domestic traction systems surpassed that of foreign companies (including Sino-foreign joint ventures) for the first time.