Efficient freight trains with Green IT

Professor Phil Howlett, from University of South Australia, will talk on the mathematics behind the Freightmiser system used to optimise the speed of Pacific National locomotives, at the Austrlaian National University, 12 noon, 17 September 2010:

Local energy minimization in optimal train control

Emeritus Professor Phil Howlett (University of South Australia)

MSI Computational Maths Seminar

DATE: 2010-09-17
TIME: 12:00:00 - 13:00:00
LOCATION: G35 John Dedman Building
CONTACT: Stephen.Howe@anu.edu.au

ABSTRACT:
The calculation of optimal driving strategies for on-board control of freight trains is a challenging task. In this talk we show how to calculate the critical switching points for a globally optimal strategy on a track with steep gradients using a new local energy minimization principle. The method has been implemented successfully in Australia where Pacific National uses the Freightmiser device to calculate optimal switching points and hence provide in-cab advice to train drivers on long-haul freight trains. We will also discuss a perturbation analysis to show how one might prove that the optimal switching points are uniquely defined. Joint work by Amie Albrecht, Phil Howlett, Peter Pudney and Xuan Vu.