Railway Power Analysis and Power System Testing

Pantograph and Conductor Rail Testing

Train and railways are operated either with either DC or AC power. They are operated at different voltage levels (250 V up to 66 kV) and different line frequencies (16.7Hz, 25Hz, 50Hz, 60Hz). The trains get the power whether via a pantograph which is connected to overhead lines or via a conductor rail (3rd rail).

Testing the power supply system requires a high-precision DAQ system that supports a wide range of input signals like voltage, current, acceleration, GPS parameters, CAN-bus data, video, and displacement. Especially synchronised video is very important and useful for comprehensive analysis (Monitoring connection of pantograph to overhead line, interaction of rails and conductor rail etc.). In addition to the high voltages also the high operating currents up to 8000A are present which require special current transducers (AC and DC).

Power System Testing

The electrical power for the train systems is either provided by a third rail or an overhead line via a pantograph. Inside the rail, the power has to be transformed to allow the operation of the different equipment. Typically, a train at first transforms the high supply voltage (e.g. 15 kV) down to a lower voltage range (< 1000 V). The power is then further transformed to different voltage levels and inverted to different frequencies (e.g. 16.7 Hz, 50 Hz, 25 Hz, DC).

Becuase of this the testing of the power system of railways needs a high channel count and the possibility to analyze at different voltage levels and frequencies. Dewesoft can easily provide a one-box solution for such tests.

Typical configuration

For the typical configuration we recommend R8D data acquisition system configured for:

• 1x 3-phase power

• 3x 1-phase power

• 3x DC power

Highlights

• Voltages up to 66 kV
• Currents up to 8000 A
• DC and AC power (16.7 Hz, 25 Hz, 50 Hz, 60 Hz)
• Video, GPS, acceleration, CAN, displacement, etc.