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Product category: Batteries, chargers and circuit protection
News Release from: EnerSys Motive Power | Subject: Enersys Hawker batteries
Edited by the Engineeringtalk Editorial Team on 26 February 2007

Locomotive manufacturer makes battery
choice

Clayton Equipment builds its own battery packs for each of its locomotive using Hawker cells.

Clayton Equipment has recently decided to specify Hawker batteries made by EnerSys as standard because of the combination of performance, reliability and cost-effectiveness offered by the latest battery technology The company has used batteries from the supplier for more than 30 years in locomotives operating in some of the most demanding and arduous underground and surface applications including mining and civil engineering

Recent contracts include the supply of a fleet of locomotives used in the upgrade to the Waterloo and City Line in London and two locomotives for use in a large mine in China.

"The quality of the Hawker batteries is much better than other suppliers for our type of applications", says Matthew Pearson, Business Development Manager at Clayton Equipment.

"If the batteries are maintained properly we would expect them to give at least seven years of working life on a locomotive".

"But if we sourced lower quality units from local markets they might only last for a couple of years".

"And the Hawker battery gives more power than an alternative of the same size".

Clayton Equipment designs and manufactures a range of battery, trolley and diesel-powered narrow gauge locomotives for mining, tunnelling and other industrial applications.

Following a management buyout in 2005 the company relocated to a new manufacturing facility in Burton on Trent.

In addition to locomotives the company supplies rolling stock and associated equipment, which allows it to offer complete train sets and turnkey solutions to customers.

Over the years Clayton Equipment has established a reputation for excellence and innovation.

Its locomotives - with operating weights from 1.75 to 30 tonnes - are used in some of the most demanding and aggressive working environments in over 60 countries where they perform critical materials handling and engineering support duties.

This is a highly specialised market and each product is designed and manufactured for the particular application.

The company has used Hawker batteries since the 1970s to build its own power packs matched to the requirements of the individual locomotive.

Equipment like this can be very demanding on the power source.

When designing a locomotive Clayton Equipment's engineers use their expertise and knowledge to select the most appropriate batteries from the extensive Hawker range.

The first task is to assess the duty cycles for the locomotive, including factors such as weight of the locomotive, length of run, and number of trips during each shift.

From this emerges the amount of energy required to complete each working period.

This in turn dictates the choice and configuration of the battery pack.

Selection is more complex than for a conventional piece of industrial equipment such as a lift truck because the parameters and operational factors are much more varied.

Depending on the choice of battery and traction motor a Clayton Equipment locomotive might have a power rating as high as 112kW supplied by a battery up to 135kWh.

There is no such thing as a standard locomotive battery and an off-the-shelf solution is rarely available.

Instead, Clayton Equipment builds its own battery packs for each locomotive using Hawker cells.

Once the power requirements are known Clayton Equipment manufactures special fabricated enclosures matched to the dimensions of the locomotive and battery.

With the pulling power of a locomotive based on its weight, the use of denser battery packs with more energy can make a significant contribution to overall performance.

Designers have greater flexibility because with like-for-like Hawker batteries taking up less space, the dimensions of the locomotive can be adapted or more power accommodated in the same enclosure.

"It's very important to get the power right", says Pearson.

"We design our own traction motors for each type of locomotive and build battery packs using Hawker cells".

"We have a lot of experience doing this so generally we know what we want".

"But we do work with their application engineers on special projects and they are always there when we need them".

The management buyout in 2005 presented the company with an opportunity to refocus its attention on the export market.

It has already had some notable successes in China and recently completed two new locomotives for a large coal mine there after securing the contract against stiff local competition.

Clayton Equipment's ability to demonstrate product quality, reliability, safety and excellent overall cost of ownership were all factors in the mine's decision.

The choice of batteries was also significant.

"Developing countries such as China are under tremendous pressure to clean up their industries from both politicians and international corporate businesses who understand the value of safe and responsible operations".

"Because we manufacture in the EU we build to very high standards and this can be a big advantage in the global market where major companies in particular recognise the need to specify equipment responsibly", says Pearson.

"There is lots of potential in China and other developing countries and we hope this is the start of something big for us".

Flameproof trucks are essential for any mining application and Clayton Equipment manufactures its equipment to the highest possible standards.

The two 10-tonne locomotives for the mine in China have specially designed battery packs comprising 60 type 10PZB550 Hawker cells to provide 550A/h capacity.

The batteries are banked to provide a 200V supply, much more than required for a conventional industrial product such as a fork lift truck.

The battery packs, controllers and other potentially hazardous electrical components are contained in special flameproof enclosures designed to minimise the risk of an explosion underground.

Another of Clayton Equipment's recent contracts was to supply four electric locomotives to Metronet Rail for use in the refurbishment of the Waterloo and City Line on the London Underground.

Working to the prime contractor's specification Clayton Equipment designed and manufactured the locomotives within a very tight schedule of just 17 weeks with staff working overtime and at weekends to make sure the deadline was met.

The locomotives were delivered within budget and on time at the end of March 2006 and were used to haul materials and plant along the 2.4km line during the refurbishment programme over the summer.

In line with railway tradition the locomotives were given appropriate names - Walter, Lou, Ann, Kitty - in reference to the route.

The locomotives were specially designed to navigate the tight corners and steep gradients found on the 107-year-old tube line.

Clayton Equipment supplied two battery packs for each locomotive and a pair of spares as backup.

Metronet Rail anticipates the locomotives can be adapted for future projects on the Bakerloo, Central and Victoria Lines.

Clayton Equipment generally supplies its locomotives with two or more sets of batteries so that depleted and fully charged packs can be swapped whenever needed.

Each pack can weigh between five and six tonnes and changeover is normally managed using a crane.

The company can also supply locomotives with trolley line charging to provide power directly to the locomotive and battery pack to reduce or eliminate the need for frequent battery changes.

The capital cost of a locomotive can be significant and Clayton Equipment offers its products with a buy back and refurbishment option.

This helps offset some of the overall cost for the customer who typically has a specific requirement which may be much less than the overall design life of the locomotive.

At the end of the contract the locomotive is returned to Burton on Trent for a complete strip-down, refurbishment and rebuild with new and replacement components.

The latest technology is introduced whenever possible to create a brand new locomotive.

Some of the company's locomotives have been through a number or lifecycles ,providing sterling work for a succession of customers.

Production is split roughly 60/40 between mining and other applications.

Although some of the fabrication work is sub-contracted the company still manufactures critical and proprietary components including gear boxes, controllers and traction motors.

Despite supplying to markets where cloning can be a potential problem Clayton Equipment can protect itself somewhat by introducing technical advances in components such as these which are hard for engineers with less expertise to copy.

"Gear boxes, controllers and traction motors are the strength of our products", says Pearson.

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