Company Announcement - The award of a contract to supply HVAC systems for the 240 Bombardier TRAXX Africa, TFR’s Class 23E locomotives being built by Bombardier Transportation for Transnet Freight Rail for General Freight Business is testimony to Booyco Engineering’s international reputation for engineering specialised HVAC solutions. The HVAC systems are an evolution of the previous systems which were engineered for the 15E and 19E locomotives. These systems have an established track record for reliable performance under the harsh operating conditions in South Africa, making them suitable for even the most demanding environments worldwide.

“What is of great significance is that Booyco Engineering is dealing with sophisticated international players whose standards and specifications are at a very high level. This contract underlines our ability to perform at this level and firmly positions us to participate in the international market on an ongoing basis,” says Booyco Engineering managing director, Jeremy Pougnet.

Booyco Engineering’s successful track record is underpinned by verifiable data from the in-field operation of the HVAC systems, which shows that MTBF (mean time between failures) is exceeding expectations.

The new HVAC systems incorporate a number of innovations which include an integrated fresh air control that allows the fresh air inlet to be temporarily closed when the locomotive travels through areas where the ingress of the outside air is undesirable. In addition, the maximum ambient temperature specification was raised and the condenser heat rejection capacity was increased accordingly. The 8, 3 kW cooling system is rated for an ambient temperature of 50°C, with a 4, 5 kW heating system. In addition to being designed to achieve low noise levels, the Booyco Engineering units are also extremely robust, affording optimal reliability and availability.

In addition to the HVAC systems for the locomotives, Booyco Engineering secured the order for the 480 cooling towers which provide cooling for the transformer and converters on the locomotives. “It is our ability to understand heat transfer, air dynamics, fluid flows, pressure drops, structural design that positioned us to secure this additional order. Added to that, we have a solid understanding of the harsh operating conditions for rolling stock, which include shock and vibration,” Pougnet points out.

“The order includes two cooling towers per locomotive application and the units have successfully passed all qualifications tests to date, including thermal testing in Europe. Final acceptance will be based on the vehicle test on the locomotive,” says Pougnet. “We have leveraged our extensive expertise, experience and capabilities and increased our capacity through upfront resourcing and investment to ensure that we are in a position to deliver product expeditiously. Our responsiveness, competence and technical engineering support have been duly noted by the client,” says Pougnet.

The new systems are scheduled for serial production in the fourth quarter of 2015, with the final units being delivered at the end of the first quarter of 2018.