INDUSTRY FOCUS RAIL Powering trains in Germany


ABB has a long history of providing innovative and energy-efficient technologies to the rail sector, manufacturing and servicing components and sub-systems in urban, intercity and high-speed networks for rail infrastructure and rolling stock. Recently, the company has begun working with Swiss-based rail vehicle manufacturer Stadler to enable energy efficient and sustainable transportation for operators Nahverkehrsverbund Schleswig- Holstein GmbH (NAH.SH) in northern Germany and Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) in the German Capital. The scope of supply includes energy efficient traction converters and high-power lithium-ion battery based on-board energy storage systems. Financial details of the orders were not disclosed. The ABB traction converters and lithium-ion based energy storage systems


will be installed on 55 new BEMUs (bi-mode electric multiple unit) – the single largest order for BEMUs worldwide – for local transport authority NAH.SH. The battery modules will be produced in ABB’s semi-automated factory in Baden, Switzerland, and then combined into energy storage systems in the Traction factory in Minden, Germany. The new trains will operate in a partially electrified network, where the


longest non-electrified section stretches up to 80km, which were hitherto served by diesel rolling stock. The use of high power and long-life energy storage systems with high inherent safety level ensures that the vehicle has


the same performance in all operating modes in addition to higher safety. The traction batteries will be charged while the vehicle is operating in electrified sections and at selected locations of the route. Additionally, the energy storage system can be charged with 400V or 1,000V depot supply. ABB’s traction converter architecture ensures that all the operating and charging modes can be realised without the need for additional power electronic equipment than is required for an AC electric multiple unit (EMU) train. In Berlin, the latest generation of traction converters will be installed on


more than 600 new underground cars for BVG. Replacing the 30-year-old fleet with modern vehicles equipped with customised ABB technology will meet the need for more reliable and efficient service and help accommodate growing passenger numbers. ABB traction technology has already been proven very reliable in Stadler’s existing underground IK-type metro vehicles for BVG.


ABB www.abb.com


BATTERY TECHNOLOGY SUPPLIED FOR NEW HYDROGEN-POWERED LOCOMOTIVE PROJECT


Across the world, the market for freight rail is large and still growing. In fact in 2018, year-over-year, Canada’s freight rail sector’s workload, measured by gross ton-miles, increased by 6.2%, increasing 10.1% compared with the five-year average. The distance travelled by these freight trains, measured by freight train-miles, increased by 5.4% to 68.6 million in 2018 versus 2017. So, Leclanché is to provide advanced European-manufactured


battery technology for Canadian Pacific’s Hydrogen-powered Locomotive Project, which was announced last December. The project is for the retrofitting of a line-haul diesel freight locomotive with hydrogen fuel cells and Leclanché’s lithium-ion batteries to power the locomotive’s electric traction motors. The company will also provide its proprietary energy management software for optimum integration. The project is designed to evaluate the combined


technologies’ readiness for the freight rail sector. Once the locomotive is operational, CP will conduct rail service trials and qualification testing. CP operates a 21,000-km (13,000-mile) rail network across Canada and the U.S. that serves deep-water ports on the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Anil Srivastava, CEO, Leclanché, said: “Our battery systems and


energy management software solution significantly increase the total energy efficiency compared to standalone fuel cell modules, reducing the total cost of ownership. In addition to North America, we are currently looking at the freight train market in Europe, Australia, Brazil and South Africa – all of which are ideally suited for the transformation of their current diesel stock.”


Leclanché www.leclanche.com 36 JUNE 2021 | DESIGN SOLUTIONS


DOUBLE-WOUND COILS SUIT HEAVY-DUTY RAIL TRANSPORT APPLICATIONS


A new series of double-wound, AC-immune coils – specifically developed for heavy-duty hydraulic applications in the rail transport sector – have been launched by ATAM. These are designed to provide the rail industry with coils capable of suppressing electromagnetic interference from alternating current, which can cause variations in the magnetic fields that are generated to pilot solenoid valves. The construction method employed is based on a double


coaxial winding. Any potential stray currents in the supply that could disturb the ‘main’ field generated by the first coil are cancelled out by a magnetic field generated by the second, forming a short circuit (simply by generating a magnetic field equal and opposite to any variations generated in the second coil by sinusoidal supply disturbances). The main coil powered by continuous current can therefore maintain stable


piloting of a solenoid even with variations in the power supply networks. The result is improved efficiency and safety along the line, whilst also avoiding the need for electronic filters, which can be at risk of melting down due to Joule heating caused by persistent disturbances in the main electricity supply. High power AC-immune coils are normally implemented for the actuation of


hydraulic solenoids on rail transport lines with supply voltage of 110 VDC, but they are also used with voltages of 115, 100, 72, and 32 VDC, depending on the supply ratings of the trains, subways, or shuttles in the different countries in which these devices are installed. In some of these applications the vehicle power supply lines are ‘dirty’ with stray medium to high voltage alternating currents of 500 to 700 VAC. AC-immune coils are also used in heavy-duty off-vehicle applications, such


as on railway points, and in general for applications in which the protection of coils with normal electronic filters is problematic. They are also used when maximum safety is required, again for example on railway points. ATAM’s new range of coils complements its extensive portfolio. However, the


company is best known for its custom-made products, which today account for 70% of total production.


ATAM (UK) www.atam.uk.com / DESIGNSOLUTIONS


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44