Meggitt is developing Energy Dissipaters for traction drive systems. Energy dissipation is a key element in traction drive systems because the motors are used to decelerate and stop the vehicle. Under certain conditions such as steep grades or heavy braking, the energy cannot be absorbed by the batteries and must be disposed of elsewhere in the system.

The Energy Dissipater is used to dispose of excess energy in the system. It is a bank of resistors arranged inside a duct or vessel. When necessary, the Drive connects the the power bus to the Dissipater where excess energy is dissipated as heat.

A cooling medium such as air or oil is supplied to the Dissipater to take away the heat. In many cases, energy must be stored in the Dissipater for a short time because the dissipation rate exceeds the heat transfer capability. Meggitt uses special resistor materials and advanced heat transfer methods to produce an Energy Dissipater of minimum size and weight.

More coming soon - Watch this space

View our "High Performance Motors" brochure