Comparative Analysis of Using Different Locomotives for Heavy-Duty Main-Line Railroads of Mongolia

Abstract

The optimization of cargo traffic under the conditions of Mongolian railways implies selecting a locomotive the use of which makes it possible to minimize the cargo transportation time, to save fuel, and to improve the performance economic parameters. A 2ТE116UM two-unit locomotive able to drive a 4500-ton train is presently meeting all the requirements set forth by the Ulan-Bator Railway. However, in view of growing economic cooperation between Russia and China, increasing the railway capacity has become a topical issue, which generates the need to search for other more efficient and at the same time safest cargo transportation arrangements. The article discusses three possible methods of handling 8000-ton trains: (1) with a 4TE116UM four-unit locomotive, (2) with a 2TE116UM locomotive used in combination with a 2ZAGAL locomotive, and (3) the same with a GТh-001-DASH01 gas-turbine driven locomotive. The study was carried out through constructing the speed curve by using the A.I. Lipets method. The travelling time and the time of traction motor operation in different modes were calculated using the G.V. Lebedev method. The obtained results were used for calculating the fuel consumption rate and the relative efficiency parameters. Three possible arrangements for transporting cargoes in the Tolgoit–Choir section were analyzed, and it has been found from the analysis results that more rapid and economically efficient cargo haulages can be arranged by using the combination of 2TE116UM and 2ZAGAL locomotives, or by using the GТh-001-DASH01 gas-turbine driven locomotive. These arrangements turn to be the most advantageous ones in terms of fuel cost, average speed, and travel time. In view of the fact that the Ulan-Bator Railway is currently equipped with the abovementioned locomotives, it is deemed that the proposed idea can be embodied in sections with the most heavy-duty traffic.