CargoCap, the underground transport system for goods, is gathering way. For a period of 5 years, RWE Power AG makes parts of the disused machine house of the Bochum cogeneration plant gratuitously available to the chair of machine elements and conveyor technique.

 CargoCap Signature of contract

During the signature of contract: Peter Knüpfer, Dr.-Ing. Jan Scholten, Dr.-Ing. Urich Schilling (RWE), Dieter Ritter (RWE), vice chancellor of RUB Prof. Gerhard Wagner, Martin Schmitt.

On an area of 1,200 square meters, engineers around lecturer Dr.-Ing. Jan Scholten are building a surface proving ground at a scale of 1:2. In Bochum, RWE Power AG and RUB today signed a corresponding agreement of utilisation. CargoCap is an interdisciplinary research and development project at the "Ruhr-Universität Bochum" (RUB), lead-managed by Prof. Dr.-Ing. Dietrich Stein (faculty for construction engineering).

The intention is to transport goodes in densely populated urban agglomerations fast, reliably and in due time by the use of underground driving ducts. Proving ground with three vehicles The researchers are installing a rail system with associated power supply and control equipment, on which up to three vehicles - fully automatically controlled - can drive. Ultra-modern non-contact energy and data transmission systems will be applied. From a control station, the drive operation can be continuously observed. Development in company with the industry RWE Power AG attaches great importance to the cooperation with the "Ruhr-Universität Bochum" and supports the research project CargoCap by temporarily leaving parts of the long standing machine house of the Bochum cogeneration plant to the Bochum engineers. "With RWE Power AG, we have met a powerful partner who makes a suitable hall in the immediate vicinity of the "Ruhr-Universität" available to us.", stated Scholten. Primarily, the proving ground should be built on a real estate of the "Ruhr-Universität Bochum".

As this proposal had required very expensive investments for development and coverage, a partner in the industry had been searched. Dr. Ulrich Schilling, manager of the power plants Bochum / Dortmund of RWE Power AG: "Supporting the research activities of the "Ruhr-University Bochum" is an important object for us. From our point of view, the CargoCap project is particularly innovative." "This project is an evidence that a fast and target-oriented research and development of CargoCap in only possible concertedly with the industry.", said Dr.-Ing. Jan Scholten. "It is now an important task for the further development of the proving ground to acquire additional partners." Basic financing by MWF A once-only promotion amount of the Ministry of Science and Research of the federal state NRW represents the basic financing of the proving ground. This is at present amended by the grant of an industrial partner in the domain of drive technology being of vital importance for the realisation of the proving ground and therewith for the consequential development of CargoCap.

Additional information Lecturer Dr.-Ing. Jan Scholten, Dipl.-Ing. Peter Knüpfer, Dipl.-Ing. Martin Schmitt, chair for machine elements and conveyor technique, faculty for machine construction of the RUB,

phone 0234/32-26722, -23814, -22013

E-Mail: mailto:scholten@lmf.rub.de" scholten@lmf.rub.de RWE P

ower contact person press: André Bauguitte: phone: 0201-12-41418 mailto:knüpfer@lmf.rub.de" knüpfer@lmf.rub.de mailto:schmitt@lmf.rub.de" schmitt@lmf.rub.de Chair for machine elements and conveyor technique: http://www.lmf.rub.de http://www.lmf.rub.de