Reference no: EM132500427

CVE30003 Transport Engineering (RAIL ENG) Assignment - Swinburne University of Technology, Australia

Question 1 - An essential part of handling the transport of bulk materials by train relates to how the material is discharged from rail wagons at a specially designed and constructed unloading facility:

All of the products below can and are transported by train. Which type of hopper discharge wagon would be used for unloading the following products and why:

- Grain e.g. wheat or barley

- Lumpy Iron ore

- Railway Ballast

- Cement (2 marks)

Question 2 - A large electricity-generating power station is proposing to convert its operations from coal firing to using 'environmentally friendly' biomass in the form of wood pellets that would be transported by ship from an overseas country to seaports located at varying distances from the power station. The seaports are connected to the power station by rail lines.

The railway 'supply chain' for the transport of wood pellets from the seaports to the power station will be as follows:

1. At each seaport, 'unit train' loading facility, bottom discharge rail wagons will pass underneath a pellet loading facility to fill each wagon.

2. The wagons will be loaded with pellets whilst the train is in motion.

3. Upon completion of pallet loading, the loaded unit train will be stopped and inspected by the train crew.

4. The unit train would then depart from the loading facility and travel to the power station.

5. Upon arrival at the power station the pellets would be discharged from each wagon in the unit train in an unloading facility - again whilst the train is in motion.

6. When unloading has been completed the train will again be stopped and the train crew would again inspect the unit train.

7. The empty unit train would then depart and return to a seaport location.

There are two (2) different seaport locations (A&B) where ships carrying wood pellets will be unloaded and unit trains are later loaded for the movement to the power station at Location X.

Making use of the data and additional information (attached), estimate:

1. The gross weight of a unit train loaded with wood pellets (do not allow for the weight of locomotive/s)

2. The number of unit trains that would be required to handle the movement of the pellets on a cyclic basis from: Seaport Location A to the power station at Location X and return and similarly from Seaport Location B to X and return.

Note: the timing for each cycle will commence when the train commences loading or unloading.

3. The minimum number of unit trains that would be required to handle the movement of the pellets from:

- Seaport Location A to X, where pellets are unloaded, the train would travel as an empty unit train from X to Seaport Location B.

- At Seaport Location B, wood pallets would be loaded and the unit train would travel to X, unload and thence return as an empty unit train movement to Seaport Location A to complete the cycle.

Are less numbers of unit trains required with this option than with the number of trains estimated in 2 above?

Attachment:- Transport Engineering (RAIL ENG) Assignment File.rar