South African company Booyco Engineering specialises in the design and manufacture of customised air-handling systems for use in extreme environmental and ambient conditions.
Cooling, heating, ventilation and filtration systems
Booyco’s cooling, heating, ventilation and filtration systems can be found in a diverse variety of railways applications including locomotives. In total, more than 1,900 units have been manufactured to date.
All climate-control units are performance-tested and certified to ensure compliance with the relevant specifications and procedures according to ISO 9001:2000 standards. Components used are selected to provide high levels of reliability under extremes of shock and vibration, dust burden, temperature, and humidity.
Air conditioners for rail locomotive cabs
The Class 38 locomotive was the first railway driver’s cab to be fitted with a Booyco air conditioner with combined heating. The system used in this diesel-electric locomotive is installed behind the driver’s cab, with air discharged via ceiling ducting and footwell outlets.
The Booyco driver’s cab air-conditioning system in the 14E locomotive is a packaged / integrated roof-mounted design. A separate cab heater, installed in the driver’s console, provides heating.
The Class 34 locomotive’s air-conditioning system was designed for retrofit to an existing fleet of diesel / electric locomotives. It is a roof-mounted, integrated, 74VDC-powered unit.
Three-phase locomotive air-conditioning systems
The heavy-haul 9E electric locomotives used on the Sishen-Saldanha iron ore line are fitted with 380V, three-phase Booyco air-conditioning systems. The units, which also provide heating, are roof-mounted.
Air-conditioning and pressure-ventilation systems for drivers’ cabs
The 8M EMU suburban commuter trains have air conditioned and pressure-ventilated driver’s cabs. These Booyco units are ceiling-mounted with a compressor module under the frame. A project for a Malaysian tourist train includes a modular saloon and compartment roof-mounted air conditioners.
Ventilation and filtration units, cab-heating units and traction-motor blower units
The upgrade to 5M2A commuter coaches included roof-mounted forced-draught Booyco ventilation and filtration units, Booyco cab-heating units and traction-motor blower units.
A new generation of Booyco ventilation products, all designed for 110VDC power supply and using brushless motors, were produced for the 10M upgrade project. These include two types of traction-motor ventilation systems, scavenge fans for filtration of cooling air to the ‘chopper’ unit, saloon ventilation units and cab heaters.
Packaged high-capacity 220V, three-phase, 60Hz Booyco units were designed for one end of a mainline passenger coach operating in Cuba. The 8E locomotive driver’s cab air conditioner, a 380V, three-phase unit, was designed as a retrofit for a fleet of in-service shunter locomotives.
Low-cost packaged air-conditioning units
A low-cost packaged air-conditioning unit was specially adapted for the 18E locomotive. It is a 220V, single-phase, 50Hz powered unit.
High-capacity air-conditioning units for drivers’ cab
Booyco’s systems for the 19E and 15E locomotives are the highest-capacity units ever designed by the company for a railway locomotive driver’s cab, with the lowest-ever noise levels. The unit slides out on a roller mechanism which facilitates maintenance access and supports Transnet’s fit-on, fit-off maintenance philosophy.
Split-system air-conditioning units
The Booyco split system, supplied for the 7E1 locomotive retrofit programme, is ideal for space constraints. The compressor / condenser module, installed on the locomotive’s side, is mounted on a robust roller system that facilitates installation and removal to give access to equipment mounted behind the compressor / condenser module.
Finally, the Booyco air conditioner for the Class 39-200, a split system, employs a mechanically driven compressor. The condenser is mounted in the machine compartment and the evaporator in the driver’s cab. In addition, a free-standing DC-powered electric heater is supplied.
The company’s facilities include 600m² of office space and 1,600m² of factory space. Its field service division, coupled with a network of service agents, provides a rapid response to customers in outlying areas.