Stray Current Traction Return Current PDF
Stray Current Traction Return Current PDF
TRACTION
RETURN
The railway authority is responsible for any damaged or corrosion to other companies equipment due to effects of stray or leakage currents from the railway. With new railway electrification projects this has to be addressed during the design period, to minimise any modifications that may be required in operation of the railway. CENELEC European Standard EN50122-2 Part 2 Protection against the effects of stray current caused by D.C. Traction Systems indicates that in Light Rail systems the stray current will be minimised if the return conductor system is allowed to float, and if the negative busbars are deliberately not connected to earth or to a stray current conductor via diodes. The total stray current at a particular location is dependent on the design of the infrastructure and in particular whether this includes slab or ballasted track.
Figure 28 Double Insulated Rail Clips Floating Negative or Diode Earthed Railway
This normally includes a rectifier drainage panel located at the Rectifier Substation for those assets within close proximity, and remote rectifier cubicles for those assets requiring protection that are remote from the Rectifier Substation. A drainage system to protect Utilities and the railway infrastructure normally includes a drainage diode, a current limiting resistor, and surge arrestor. Where it is identified that stray current protection is required, cables are bonded from the infrastructure to drainage diodes mounted in cabinets at the track side or in the Rectifier Substation.
The Running Rail is normally insulated from the sleeper / concrete pad by the use of single and double insulation pads placed under the rails with an insulation value in line with the European Standard EN 50122-2. [Table 1 Page 6; No added rail insulation 0.5 S/km for open formation and 2.5 S/km for closed formation]. This level can be improved with the application of track insulation mounting pads or polymeric insulation. This value of insulation however will reduce over time due to degradation of the track insulation. For closed formation, improved levels of insulation can be achieved where the rail is to be embedded in the road. The level of insulation is determined not only by the installation but the maintenance of the track bed. Every effort should be made to minimise the risk of ballast from coming into contact with the rails, since ballast, especially when wet will reduce the insulation value of the rails to earth.
Where monitoring indicates that there is a high level of leakage current from the D.C. electrification system, and therefore potential damage to metallic structures, arrangements must be made to provide the appropriate form of cathodic protection to railway infrastructure, utilities and non railway property. The only condition when the track earth may be connected to true earth is by means of a short circuiting device, which operates for a pre-determined short period of time when the track potential exceeds a specified direct contact of 60V D.C. as specified in EN 50121-1 Section 4.1.1
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Figure 29 Relationship of Conductor Rail to Running Rail Network Rail Southern Zone
The conductor rails for ground collection systems are mounted on porcelain insulators and laid at the side of each electrified track. Current collection in the UK is mainly by shoes in contact with the top surface of the conductor rail, and the docklands where it is under running contact. The fourth rail system (LUL UK) provides a power distribution system that is able to control the current paths taken. The power rails are supported by insulators to provide electrical isolation. The power is supplied via the rail (+ve) positioned close to one of the running rails with the return current located on the centre rail (-ve). Using this circuit layout the current pathway is controlled. This has the main advantage in that the current is contained and therefore it is able to control the generation of electro-magnetic interference. This layout of the power system is therefore also able to reduce the corrosion in pipes and cables belonging to third party and other railway systems In the third rail system the power distribution is traditionally located to one side of the running rail, with either one or both of the running rails are used for return path to the sub station.
The side rail is supported by insulators and brackets from the trackside leaving the side surface open for contact by the vehicle pick-up shoes. This system has not been widely adopted, however it offers a reasonable level of protection and has the advantage of better conductor layout at points and a reduction in the frequency of gaps in the conductor rail.
THIRD RAIL CONTACT SYSTEMS This subject is covered in D Hartland Lecture Pantograph, Shoegear and Conductor Rail Interface. Top Rail Contact [Network Rail]
The conductor rails are electrically connected to the feeder station and rest on insulators mounted on the track with the top surface is exposed. The shoes on the vehicle draw current from the conductor rail due to the downward force by the shoe on the rail. This system is used by British Rail and London Transport and is also used extensively in the United States. The live conductor rails require gapping at point-work and crossovers. It is inevitable that the system is rather vulnerable to snow, ice and falling leaves. The weakness of the top rail contact system is its exposure; the rail is particularly dangerous for permanent way staff, passengers and trespassers walking along the track. It is possible to incorporate a cover to protect the live conductor and insure a higher degree of safety for personnel.
With this system the rail is hung from insulated brackets beside the track enabling the current to be collected from underneath. The electrical shoe collector presses up from below, making it possible to have a continuous insulating cover over the length of the third rail. This significantly improves the safety for personnel on the line and prevents the build-up of ice or debris at the current collection interface. The weight of the rail is supported by cantilever supports and it is inevitable that the design is more complicated than for top running system. Under running systems are becoming more popular with the inherent safety factor and are now widely used in Europe, Singapore Mass Transit Railway and Docklands Light Railway.
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Figure 30
The cross section of the rail is determined by a number of factors, the resistance of the conductor, the ease with which the conductor rail can be laid during construction, the ease that the conductor rail can be handled during maintenance
The ability to engage and obtain good collection by the collector shoe on the traction vehicle has to take into consideration the width of the shoe and the possible variations of position due to the dynamic effects and lateral tolerances that are attributed to the conductor rail geometry, track geometry and train position. Conductor rail cross sectional area does govern its resistance (R = *length/area). Conductor rails have flat bottom flanges to facilitate mounting on the insulators but usually have a larger top section than the running rails, with a somewhat thinner web section. Conductor rail weights in use are: Construction of the Conductor Rail 25 kg m-1 - mostly used in sidings 52 kg m-1 - main lines 74 kg m-1 - main lines at busy junction
With a standard 52 kg m-1 conductor rail the equivalent copper section is 10.32 sq cm, which gives an electrical resistance / km / rail is 0.001606 ohms.
Conductor rails have been traditionally manufactured from steel, this has the advantage of long established mechanisms of manufacturing, installing and maintaining normal processes familiar to the railway operator. The main disadvantage with steel when used as a supply and return conductor is its electrical resistance; the conductivity of the rail is such that it limits the distance between substations due to the voltage drop produced by the load current. Developments have enabled higher conductivity rails, which produce less voltage drop and hence allow an increase in distance between substations. With the introduction of regenerative equipment on board traction vehicles it provides a greater scope for redistribution of energy. A number of railway and metro systems are evaluating or implementing the use of aluminium conductor rails. Conductor resistance values in the range 0.038 ohms down to 0.007 ohms per kilometre are fitted with a stainless steel contact face for the power collector.
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Continuously Welded Conductor Rail Conductor Rail Materials Two-hole fishplates were used to form the mechanical joint between each rail length, but most conductor rails are now continuously welded lengths with expansion gaps every 500 metres. Where gaps in the conductor rail occur, e.g. expansion gaps, Level Crossings and Junctions, electrical continuity is maintained by jumper cables.
Until recently conductor rails have been made of steel due to the costs and strength of the materials. Steel however does not have an exceptionally low resistance when compared with other metals. To improve electrification system performance D.C. composite conductor rails are being used. Aluminium Stainless steel composite conductor rail offers: steel interface for strength and reduced electrical corrosion lower resistance due to the aluminium construction to improve losses in the supply and improve electrical supply performance reduced weight providing ease if installation and maintenance of the permanent way
RAIL
TRACK
With the knowledge of the performance of the traction equipment and the scheduled timetable it is possible to determine the current level and hence the specification of the distribution equipment which will deliver the required amount of power to the train. On D.C. electrification systems the conductor rail is a major component in determining the performance of the electrification system, the choice of conductor rail is a vital aspect in the design of each electrification system.
Support Insulators Insulators are vital to the success of any third rail system, they appear passive to the onlooker however they are necessary to separate the supply system voltage from the earth. It is also necessary that they operate under severe traction vibration, pollution and impact. For under rail contact system each insulator must be capable of withstanding cantilever stresses.
The position of the conductor rail is an issue that has to decide at the outset of any electrification system. It must fulfil a number of specific requirements: The conductor rail must provide a position such that it is given the highest performance of uninterrupted contact with the traction vehicle shoe gear. The geometry of the conductor rail should be such that it provides the highest degree of safety for maintenance staff and public, this will normally mean that any new schemes will utilise underneath contact systems. The position of the conductor rail should stay within acceptable tolerances to ensure a good level of current collection, this will take into consideration the following factors take into consideration the movement of the track due to ballast deformation the wear of rolling stock wheel tread and flange wear of the traction vehicle collector shoe mechanism variation in the track geometry wear of the running and conductor rail contact surfaces dynamic behaviour of the traction vehicle suspension system.
Expansion Joints
The conductor rail will expand and contract due to variation in temperature. The conductor rail is supported at specific points and must therefore be allowed to move freely, with the expansion being taken up by ramp gaps or with special sliding splice joints. It is necessary in both cases to allow smooth passage of the conductor shoe and traction current across the gap.
The track bed arrangement is conventionally concrete sleepers on ballast with insulators supporting the conductor rail secured to the sleepers on the ends for third rail, and additionally in the centre for fourth rail systems. There are a number of lengths of paved concrete layouts this is commonly found in tunnelled metro railway. In surface railway systems concrete layouts is less common.
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Alignment of the Conductor Rail. The collector shoes need to be carefully guided, including smooth transitions onto and off the rail at various parts of the network switches etc. Often a track layout which appears to give simple train movements for the operating department, may be quite unsuitable for third rail layout and leave large gaps in the current collection as the trains traverse the track work. Such 'gapping' of trains will be very serious for train operation. The question of third rail layouts must be considered at an early stage in the design of the main track work, especially at complicated junctions and depot siding areas. A careful study will ensure that conductor rails are placed so that trains can collect current under all conditions. The geometry of the rail system is dependent on: the position of the switches, the vehicle curving characteristics, radius of curves, maximum/minimum permitted lengths of conductor rails the design of the train and position of shoe gear the position of fixed structures including lineside equipment, station platforms electrical sectioning of electrification systems the need to provide safe clearance for public at level crossing, footpath, animal crossings, access for staff,
The positioning of ramps depends on a number of factors: the geometry of the switches the radius of the curves
Often the track layout which appears to give simple train movements for the operating department may be quite unsuitable for the conductor rail layout and leave large gaps in the current collection as the train traverses the track-work. This is liable to produce gapping, and will be serious for train operation. The design of the conductor rail layout must be considered at an early stage in the design of the main track-work, especially at complicated junction sand depot siding areas. Design of Conductor Rail Ramps. Conductor rail ramps are a vital characteristic to ensure that the conductor rail is ramped down adequately in the facing direction. This is to ensure that any approaching shoe is engaged and then guided to the required level of the conductor rail without damage to the collector shoe mechanism, at the same time ensuring good electrical contact. The trailing ramp is designed to return the traction vehicle collector shoe to its designed free height position safely. It is vital that the ramp and the conductor rail is maintained within the specified tolerance if consistent shoe gear engagement is to be maintained. In the design of end ramps it is necessary to take into consideration the following factors: the vehicle curves characteristics the free height of the collector shoe, the choice of the ramp profile will be dependant on the speed restriction of the line, and the dynamic performance of the shoe gear on impact with the conductor rail. Gradients that are typically used vary from 2 to 3%
The positioning of the ramps depends on the geometry of the track and the gaps that are necessary to ensure safe operation. Clearances of the Conductor Rail. The clearances of the conductor rail are determined by the system voltage and the policy of the railway operators. Conductor Rail Terminations: The terminations of the conductor rail need to be specified so as to establish standards and ensure that the ends of lines, or gaps required at crossings and point works, are adequate to provide enough electrical clearance necessary to provide under extreme conditions of expansion. It is also a requirement to provide adequate safe electrical and mechanical passage of the traction vehicle shoe at points and crossovers. Conductor Rail Ramping. The collector shoes need to be carefully guided including smooth transitions onto and off the rail at various parts of the network. A careful study will ensure that conductor rails are placed so that trains can collect current under all conditions.
PERFORMANCE OF THIRD RAIL CURRENT COLLECTION Experience has shown that there are two major problems in the collection of high direct currents from a 750 V system; a flashover to the running rail or the bogie frame can occur at low speeds when the trailing shoe of a vehicle leaves the conductor rail at a gap. Secondly, the sparking that occurs in icing conditions becomes excessive. Tests have shown that it is undesirable to exceed a value of 2000 amperes per
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shoe. Hence there is a limit to the power of a vehicle for use on this type of system. The contact force generates friction at the interface and this friction force causes wear. The higher the contact force, the higher the wear. The friction force obviously depends on the coefficient of friction and therefore the materials in contact, and may be improved by providing a lubricant on the power collector in the form of liquid or powder. The current collecting surface must be allowed and encouraged to properly follow undulations in the conductor surface without losing contact, and preferably while maintaining constant force. This means that the contact head and linkage must have the minimum possible inertia and therefore mass. Current Collection Arcing The arcing that is produced at the ramp ends is of concern and must be minimised if the level of maintenance is to be minimised especially that between the conductor rail, shoe gear and traction bogie or track side equipment. An arc is generated between the last shoe to loose contact with the conductor rail due to the inductance of the traction equipment and the supply system. The arc is drawn as the vehicle moves away from the ramp, and then may arc to traction bogie or track side equipment. Arcing is also produced as the traction vehicle destabilises power, due to the dynamic performance ( or lack of) of the collector shoe as it remakes contact with the leading ramp end. The mechanisms that can be used to minimise arcing on making or breaking electrical load are as follows: To ensure that where the traction vehicle do not undergo areas of track where there are gaps in the conductor rail and therefore total loss of power. To ensure that during a loss of line voltage that the control system on the traction vehicle automatically returns the traction load to zero. Provide shielding at points and where clearances are minimised such that the arc is discouraged from arcing to track side equipment.
force which will give equal electrical and mechanical wear, and minimum overall wear. In practical systems it is usual to run in a state with a higher proportion of electrical wear than mechanical. Icing Conditions Experimental work on current collection has shown that current sharing between parallel shoes is often poor and not always in accordance with the resistance characteristics of the circuits. Under icing conditions the leading shoe tends to act as a rail cleaner, leaving the succeeding shoes to collect the current. The ice that forms on the rail surface is very difficult to remove other than by chemical means. The remedy to the problem is to apply an oily fluid which adheres to the rail and prevents the ice 'sticking' to the rail, even when it forms. Snow, on the others hand, is no longer a serious problem, since the adoption of radial shoe gear with square fronted shoes which have a ploughing action and remove dry snow from the rail surface before it becomes compacted into ice. Traction Shoe Gear Design The main characteristic of the shoe gear is that it must remain in contact with the conductor rail under all dynamic conditions of the vehicle, and provide a sound electrical path for the supply of the traction power. The shoe gear material must be designed for a number of specific duties: Slide with minimal resistance, Provide minimal electrical resistance under the passage of the traction load current. Shoe gear must be able to operate in such a way as to minimise the dynamic behaviour of the bogie or traction vehicle .Shoe must be designed to provide adequate contact area with the conductor rail. Shoe must be able to assist in the clearance and breaking of ice from the conductor rail head.