Locomotives as emergency portable generators?

[chad thomas]

It's VERY simple to use a modern locomotive for standby electric power. During the rolling blackouts in California a FLEET of SD-40s were used to power vast portions of California. An SD-40 can produce about 2 MW. The AR-10 (alternator rectifier) can easily have the rectifier disconnected and the parellell 3 phase connected to the power gris instead . The AR 10 is a 10 pole machine therefore you will produce 60 hz at about throttle 6 .The voltage  regulator is simply the locomotives own exitation system . GE locomotves are even simpler , the rectifier is external .. easier to unhook

That's the answer I was waiting for. Thanks Randy !!!

[carnej1]

ndbprr I hate to call you again on the same post but they do NOT have JET engines that "spin generators". These are gas turbines and they have about the same relationship to jet engines as a water wheel does to a garden hose nozzle. A jet engine produces thrust due to the reaction to the action of gas passing at high speed through a jet or orifice. A gas turbine produces torgue through the pressure on blades(also known as buckets) as the expanding gases pass through the turbine, at each stage pressing on another set of blades as the gases expand. their velocity at the exit is low and you would not hear one at all at 200 yds.

 You are correct about how a turbogenerator works as opposed to an aircraft jet engine but many power gas turbine designs have been adapted from aircraft engines. If you look on General Electric's website there are a number of "aeroderivative" turbines. The most common propulsion turbine used on U.S Navy ships is derived from an engine originally designed for the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 (note that the starting point was a turbofan, not a turboprop). The UP's turbine electric locomotives also used aeroderivative engines......

[Anonymous]

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[Simon Reed]

Read the bit at the far right of the page.

To translate from UK to US, bogies are trucks.

 http://www.class47.co.uk/c47_numbers.php?s_loco=D1748

[tdmidget]

carnej1: You are apparently refering to the LM6000. Read again. The only parts that are "aero derived" are in the gas generator portion of the engine. "Aero derived" does not mean that they are interchangeable. The gas generator portion by itself is nothing. The electrical generator is turned by the gas turbine portion. The CF6 and the LM6000 have no parts in common. The UP locomotives were powered by GE frame 5 turbines (also known later as model 5000) and these are described as "Heavy duty industrial gas turbine in the 25-30 megawatt class" on GE"s website.

[rrboomer]

Prior to Y2K CP modified several SD40-2's for standby power hook up and had them stationed at various points around the system in case things did not go smoothly after 0001 on 1/1/2000.

These units have a metal cabinet mounted behind the upright air filter behind the cab on fireman side.