Development of Magnetic Transmission for Auxiliary Drives

On a diesel locomotive it is necessary to drive a considerable number of units having different nominal speeds from one diesel engine with minimum energy consumption. Currently used mechanical and hydraulic drives are demanding in maintenance and oil quality, electric drives are bulky and have lower efficiency. In this study, using a brake compressor as an example, it is proposed to introduce contactless magnetic transmission into the auxiliary drives to improve reliability and energy efficiency. In this case, the auxiliary drives, and in particular the compressor drive, should have a small gear ratio to ensure the required speed. In order to obtain the most compact design, multifactor optimization of geometrical parameters of the magnetic system of the magnetic transmission was applied. As a result of the optimization calculation, it was possible to increase the torque density, which allows to proportionally reduce the magnetic transmission in volume to obtain the same torque at the output. According to the optimization results, the optimal relative geometrical parameters of the magnetic system have been determined, which can be used as recommended for accelerating the design process of magnetic gears with high torque density.