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Development of an Energy-saving Water Sprinkler Snow Melting System Environmental Engineering Research Laboratory

Development of an Energy-saving Water Sprinkler Snow Melting System

Our Shinkansen lines in Tohoku, Joetsu and Hokuriku are equipped with water sprinkler snow melting equipment to ensure stable transportation in areas with heavy snowfall. Water sprinkler snow melting equipment prevents snow accumulation by warming water with a boiler and spraying it onto viaducts. However, the energy consumption is considerable, and our Shinkansen lines consume an average of 10,000 - 15,000kL of kerosene in winter alone each year in total, equivalent to 25,000 - 37,000 tons of CO2 emissions.

Therefore, we have developed a control system for water-sprinkler snow melting equipment for efficient temperature control and a newly designed boiler in order to improve energy efficiency. They were introduced at the Nakajima Snow Melting Base on the Joetsu Shinkansen line in the winter of 2017 and the resulting energy saving is being assessed.

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