'Air pressure along running trains can generate electricity'

An engineering tools expert here has claimed to have developed an eco-friendly technique to produce electricity utilising the air pressure created along the tracks by running trains.

Santosh Pradhan (38), who runs a bunch of engineering and mechanical units and has almost two decades of experience in manufacturing engineering tools, has registered 20 patents with the government about his technology.

"When a train runs at a full speed of 110-120 kms, it creates an air pressure in opposite direction and no one has ever thought to utilise this huge air pressure which is freely and easily available," Pradhan told PTI.

Explaining his technology Pradhan said, a small impeller is fixed at the front portion of railway locomotive and similarly on top of each coach of a train.

"When a train runs, it produces huge quantity of compressed air due to high velocity of the wind and by accumulating this compressed air in big fabricated tanks on either side of the track, we can run turbines or air turbine motors which can produce a considerable amount of electricity," he said.

Pradhan has now approached the railways authorities to seek permission for prototype and a subsequent demonstration of this technology which he says is "eco-friendly and cost effective".

Pradhan said about 14,300 trains were running on 63,028 route kms in the country and about 20.89 MW electricity can be generated per km with the use of air power technology.

Thus approximately 14,81,134 MW of power can be generated by using the entire railway track, he said.

The Indian Railways was spending 17 per cent revenue on the fuel head which is roughly Rs 15,000 crores per annum, Pradhan said, adding that when adopted even in phases, his method would start reducing the cost of fuel.

However, it all depends on the Indian Railways to allow additional fabrication of parallel wind pipes over the Over Head Electric lines (OHE) to pass on high velocity wind to reach tanks on either of side of track, Pradhan said.

Also, the technology, Pradhan claims, can save 2,586 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emission in the country.