Liebherr successfully tests air-conditioning unit to be used in Etihad Rail rakes
Staff Report,
31 Jul 2022
HVAC unit developed and manufactured by Liebherr for integration in the Etihad DMU prototype train keeps passengers cool in 60°C outside temperatures
The heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC) units that will be used in the UAE’s Etihad Rail’s trains has been successfully tested by Liebherr Transportation Systems (China), and has passed with flying colours.
According to a statement by Liebherr, following the development and production of a unit for the CRRC Qingdao Sifang Etihad Diesel Multiple Unit (DMU) project, Liebherr Transportation Systems (China) put its system to the test.
During the vehicle thermal conditioning test at the CRRC Qingdao Sifang Rolling Stock Institute, one of the leading test centres worldwide, “the unit demonstrated a remarkable level of precision in thermal conditioning control”.
According to Liebherr, “the results showed that even with outdoor temperatures of 60°C, the Liebherr air-conditioning system is still able to keep the vehicle’s indoor temperature below 22.8°C with full passenger load”.
Additionally, the maximum average temperature was kept within a margin of error of below ±0.2K.
The Etihad DMU train will go into service during the fourth quarter of this year on the UAE’s new national railway network. Liebherr Transportation Systems (China) will provide services and support via Liebherr’s local established presence in the region.
“With this impressive temperature control accuracy in thermal conditioning, Liebherr-Transportation Systems’ technology exceeded the so-far known performance of HVAC-units on the market,” said Liebherr in its statement.
The company added that “the successful test marks another milestone of Liebherr’s broad collaboration with CRRC to provide superior passenger comfort experience in railway vehicles to customers in China and abroad”.
The R&D team of Liebherr Transportation System (China) in Pinghu was able to develop the HVAC-system locally and benefitted from technology know-how shared between Liebherr Transportation Systems' global engineering team.
The company said it looks forward to providing these advantages of locally developed cutting-edge technologies to urban and mainline rolling stock users in China.