Liebherr supplies sustainable technology to SNCF

Liebherr-Transportation Systems GmbH & Co. KG and SNCF have signed a contract covering the delivery of up to 291 heating-, ventilation- and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems for the integration in SNCF’s Autorail à Grand Capacité (AGC) trains by Bombardier, which will be operated in the Occitania Region (France).

The air-conditioning system based on environmentally friendly air cycle technology uses only ambient air as a coolant instead of conventional chemical refrigerants. It had been tested very successfully by the Occitania Region and SNCF in France within the frame of SNCF’s “Eco-Clim” research program on an AGC TER train from 2015 to 2019.

“Our air cycle air-conditioning technology is the next step on the way to tomorrow’s trains and we are proud to be able to contribute to eco-friendly travelling as well as to the comfort of the passengers onboard Occitania AGC trains”, said Dr. Klaus Schneider, Chief Technology Officer, Liebherr-Aerospace & Transportation SAS.

The units are manufactured at Liebherr-Transportation Systems Marica EOOD in Radinovo (Bulgaria), which is home to Liebherr’s series production of HVAC systems for railway vehicles operated worldwide.

Major advantages proven in field-tests

Already in 2002, Liebherr-Transportation Systems fitted an ICE 3 train from German operator Deutsche Bahn AG (DB) with air cycle air-conditioning systems for test runs. Additional fittings for the first model series and 13 eight-car trains of the second model series of the ICE 3 soon followed. In 2018, DB and Liebherr-Transportation Systems presented the very good results of a joint project comparing Liebherr's air cycle air-conditioning system with a traditional vapor cycle system operating with the refrigerant R134a.

The UBA, Germany’s Federal Environmental Agency based in Dessau-Rosslau, supported the project

because of its environmental advantages compared with traditional vapor cycle systems with fluorinated refrigerants. The air cycle system uses only natural ambient air for cooling. No refrigerant is required.

Additionally, as the system only consist of a few components, it is not only of low weight, but also simple and inexpensive to service. It is characterized by very low operating costs and low energy consumption.