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FEATURE MACHINE CONTROL
FutureprooFing traction power inFrastructure at London euston
A remote telemetry solution for a new substation built around a
high-performance iQ-R series PLC equipped with a C Controller module has been jointly developed by Mitsubishi Electric and Sella Controls, delivering flexibility and interconnectivity for traction power at Euston
U
nder the HS2 project, Euston station will be expanded to include 11 new 400m-long platforms for high-speed
trains, improving travel links between London, the Midlands and the North. However, supporting the existing and new electrification needs of the terminal is a top priority for the upgrade of the rail system. So, a robust and reliable control system
for traction power distribution at the substations is at the heart of effective operations. A core component of this structure is the PLC-based remote terminal unit (RTU), which interfaces between field equipment and the control room. This receives signals from field devices and acts upon the information provided immediately, while also reporting data to SCADA systems for centralised control activities. In large infrastructure, such as Euston station, a master RTU may be used to link to remote I/O panels placed at local substations. This is essential, as the main controller
is required to complete auto reconfiguration procedures in the event of a power loss to the station. Jay Sampat, project manager at Sella
Controls, said: “Generally, an RTU is a single panel deployment within a substation. However, depending on the structure of the railway terminal and its substations, some I/Os can be remote, making inter-substation communications particularly challenging. This is the case for the Euston terminus, which consisted of three substations, namely Euston Concourse, Euston East and Euston West.”
8 a new control system
To enhance the capacity of the system, the master RTU needed to be upgraded and moved to a new substation located nearby Barnby Street, providing additional space for the new HS2 platforms. Mitsubishi Electric and its automation system integrator partner for rail projects, Sella Controls, were asked to deliver the required control system. The companies have worked together for
over ten years, with one example being the Tracklink traction power RTU, which provides a high level of interconnectivity. While Mitsubishi Electric and Sella Controls are one of two suppliers that are certified to provide RTU equipment to the UK railway sector, only the capabilities of the Tracklink RTU were suitable for this specific application at Euston station. To effectively control traction power in this
project, the automation specialists needed to set up an RTU that could support different communication protocols and technologies. This meant that the setup would be able to meet future needs while also offering backward compatibility with any existing equipment. To start with, the unit had to communicate
with the electrical control room via Distributed Network Protocol 3 (DNP3). This is a well- established protocol in the power industry, as it supports key management tasks such as mechanisms for remote power switching. So, the control system utilises Mitsubishi Electric’s iQ-R series modular PLC that incorporates a C Controller module hosting a DNP3 Level 2 communications stack in order to share data with the control room SCADA.
3 DESIGN SOLUTIONS SEPTEMBER 2022 To achieve reliable, high-speed inter-
substation data transfers, Mitsubishi Electric and Sella Controls leveraged the iQ-R PLC’s conformance with CC-Link IE open gigabit industrial Ethernet technology. John Browett, general manager at the
CC-Link Partner Association Europe, said: “CC- Link IE offers deterministic gigabit bandwidth and is therefore ideal for time-critical control applications. By minimising latency and jitter any disruption can be avoided. As the use of remote I/O is not common, this is the first RTU that can deliver inter-substation connectivity. It is exciting to see our network technology being used in such a unique project.” It was also necessary for the master controller
to be able to receive analogue information from field meters via serial communications.
the hmi
The companies also incorporated a GOT 2000 HMI within the master RTU panel, which maximises the traction power control system’s accessibility and the availability of information local to the panel. Using this, operators can monitor, manage and isolate the power to the station and the electrified sections within the station. In addition, this allows operators to interact with the system remotely. Following the upgrade project, the new
telemetry solution has been helping to ensure a highly reliable traction power infrastructure at Euston station.
Mitsubishi Electric
gb.mitsubishielectric.com
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