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INDUSTRY FOCUS RAIL
VALIDATION TEST CONFIRMS RAIL INDUSTRY ENERGY BATTERY PACKS ARE AMONG THE WORLD’S SAFEST
The INT-53 Energy battery pack from Leclanché SA is used by rail manufacturers in Europe and North America for railway traction applications, in both passenger and freight trains, and in fully electrified or hybrid configurations. The company has now, however, announced that the battery pack has successfully passed a critical thermal-safety validation test. The fire-safety test was conducted by
LEFAE, a subsidiary of the France-based Emitech Group and a respected global leader in certification and qualification testing in the railway sector. It consisted of intentionally overheating a Leclanché rail battery pack to the point of thermal runaway or failure. The INT-53 battery pack fully complied with the standard’s
requirements of no flames or battery components projected from the pack during the one-hour test, and a longer observation period of 12-hours. In fact, the battery contained the fire in a group of three modules without the fire propagating to the entire pack and eventually extinguishing itself. All standards were fulfilled in compliance with
international regulation IEC 62619:2022 related to thermal propagation. “Over the last four years, Leclanché has invested heavily in R&D as well
as advanced design and production methods to ensure we are producing batteries that are amongst the safest in the world,” said Michael Ukabam, application engineering manager, Leclanché. “This successful test validates our efforts and should reassure our rail industry partners that designing their next generation rolling stock with Leclanché’s INT-53 Energy packs means they are getting batteries with industry-proven safety levels.” The test conditions simulated the worst-
case scenario; it was carried out without Leclanché’s liquid-cooling system active. However, the successful outcome illustrated the strength of Leclanché’s safety concept
consisting of packs built with many barriers and redundancies to avoid any kind of thermal incident. Leclanché
www.leclanche.com ‘SUPERSONIC-CRYOGENIC’
TECHNOLOGY COULD OVERCOME ‘LEAVES ON THE LINE’ DELAYS
only a limited number of these trains available and they are expensive to run. So, Northern has partnered with The University of Sheffield to trial a new rail head treatment technology that is attached to passenger trains and could save the rail industry millions of pounds every year. The cleaning system, developed by researchers
Fallen leaves can reduce the train’s grip on the track, which can cause delays to services leading to disruption for passengers as well as affecting safety as braking is compromised. Railway lines are currently cleaned using railhead treatment trains (RHTTs), but there are
from the University’s Department of Mechanical Engineering, works by firing dry ice pellets (made from waste carbon dioxide from other industries) in a stream of air at supersonic speed at the railhead, freezing any leaves on the line. The frozen leaves are then blasted away as the dry ice pellets turn back into a gas.
The researchers have bought two retired Pacer
trains, based at Wensleydale Railway, to test the new design and develop a plan for the system to be fitted throughout Northern’s fleet next year. Professor Roger Lewis, who has led the team at the University developing the technology, said: “This is a great example of a University testing and proving an idea in a lab based experiment and then scaling it up to be trialled and implemented in the field to make impact.”
Northern Rail
northernrailway.co.uk
University of Sheffield
www.sheffield.ac.uk
HIGH QUALITY RAIL TRANSPORT COMPONENTS
Applications in the rail industry require high levels of safety as well as vibration resistance at fast/high speeds. Added to this, products need to be durable enough to withstand long lifespans, and have weather resistance, since all products installed on the exterior of rail vehicles are exposed to extreme weather conditions including dirt and pollution, temperature changes and UV radiation. FDB Panel Fittings’ sales partner DIRAK has developed suitable solutions for this sector for decades. As an example, where there is a need for clear visual indication of locking status, FDB advises locks for railway vehicles that provide clear displays for both train operators and passengers. Products need to withstand application demands to ensure safe functionality. One example is Fire Protection in accordance with DIN
46 DESIGN SOLUTIONS JUNE 2023
EN 45545-3. A test scenario was developed for these types of emergency cases in which multiple products in various applications were exposed to temperatures up to 1,000°C for different lengths of time. A variety of products have undergone this test and have received a certificate for meeting the requirements of classification E60 (equivalent to 60 minutes at 1,000°C). Hardware products which feature compression
are often needed in railway applications as they offer maximum convenience while simultaneously applying uniform pressure, and ensuring your application is perfectly sealed. They can protect the critical infrastructure from the ingress of dirt, dust and water, while offering vibration and shock resistance. This is especially important as the long lifespan of rail vehicles requires high-quality
products with special properties that can withstand high vibration and shock environments. Contact FDB Panel Fitting to find out more.
FDB Panel Fittings
www.fdb.co.uk
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