Технические науки/4. Транспорт

Ph. D. V. Tomilov, E. Likhanova, A. Orlov, B. Moskaluk

Omsk State Transport University, Russia

Electro rolling stock operation features
in extreme environmental conditions

The European part of the Russian railways has quite soft climate. However its Asian part has one of the most extreme climates where railways have an electro supply. The world climate map is introduced below (pic. 1). The most part of Russia is really covered by the different color. Especially Siberian region weather is very changeable in a year (pic.1a vs. 1b). It’s can be from mines 30 up to plus 30 degrees. Also extreme temperature can reach 40 degrees below zero and 40 degrees above zero. And this is the first feature of the Siberian climate.

Pic. 1. World climate map: a – Siberian maximum temperature; b – minimum

The next feature is a lines icing. That is become as a result of humidity and temperature over zero degree (pic. 2). Such special condition there is in autumn and spring. Ice is additional weight to overhead contact lines (pic. 3a) and power supplying lines. And if it would be enough lines will be destroyed. Although there is another specialty of the catenary. The pantograph arcing can get burn out the catenary (pic. 3b) and also it’s a bad factor of low quality of current collection. Besides of this the current elements of pantograph serve the less time that they should have [1].

Pic. 2. Line icing

Pic. 3. Lines icing (humidity & temperature):
a - catenary icing; b - catenary burnout

There is the electric locomotive that can’t be operating in extreme environmental conditions (pic. 4 and 5).

Pic. 4. ЭП2К-locomotive (a) with SBS 2T DC-pantograph (b)

Pic. 5. VelaroRus high-speed train (a) with SSS 400+ AC-pantograph (b)

First of all it’s the Siberian electric locomotive equipped by the DC-pantograph that not used when the temperature is lower than 45 degrees below zero. What’s happened? Engineers say that they are frozen. The pantograph can’t get up and also can’t fall down during the operation. For example train driver should the fall down the pantograph when he sees some of the catenary damage element. And after the button pushing the pantograph can’t fall down. So this is a negative situation that can be destroying of the catenary and also the pantograph. In practice this Siberian electro rolling stock not operated during such temperature. End this is not economy.

The same problem has the pantograph that use at the VelaroRus train also known as «Сапсан». Its German equivalent is Inter City Express produced by the Siemens. It has the AC-pantograph that can’t be operating when it’s being in ice. It is can be frozen the same.

Why is it going on? The answer can be got by using the disk test stand for current collectors researching. With it engineers of OSTU (Omsk State Transport University) are testing of air spring element and its rigidity in different temperatures from mines 70 up to plus 30 degrees [2]. The stable minimum that can be reaching is 63 degrees below zero. At the silver box (pic. 6a) is stand the some air spring (pic. 6b) and its rigidity is shown in the right graphic (pic. 6c). When the temperature riches 30 degrees below zero rigidity of air spring is so high that its characteristics are became closer to solid elements instead to be more elastic and the dynamic [3].

Pic. 6. OSTU disk test stand for current collectors and conductor interaction researching in extreme environmental conditions

Although this test stand let to do the experiment for researching current collectors rising up and falling down. While temperature is 63 degrees below zero current collectors can’t fall down more than 2 cm below the rigid conductor. And the rise up is going too slowly. After researching the air spring and influence of extreme temperatures OSTU’s engineers can give some recommendations of improving for the pantograph construction to make it with the heating protection or to make it the weather resistance and etc [4].

OSTU’s researchers also study the heating process [5]. For example at the pic. 7 is shown the frame of dynamic thermogram of the pantograph and the ring test stand [6].

The pantograph heating is a result of passing traction currents. And at this summer OSTU made the test of French pantograph that can pick up the current more than 3000 Amperes. After test its current value can reach 3500 Amperes. It’s became aware that there was no such unique equipment laboratory and also the transport university doing such tests [7].

Pic. 7. OSTU' ring test stand (a) with ТЛ-13-pantograph,

panhead termogram (b)

The list of references:

1. Михеев В. П. Исследование и прогнозирование износа контактных пар устройств токосъема / В. П. Михеeв, О. А. Сидоров, И. Л. Саля // Изв.вузов. Электромеханика. 2003 г. №5. 74-79 c.

2. Пат. РФ на полезную модель № 77969, МПК В 60 L 5/00. Устройство для исследования характеристик токоприемника электрического транспорта / О. А. Сидоров, В. В. Томилов, А. А. Журавлев, А. А. Батманов. – № 2008127816/22; Заявлено 08.07.2008; Опубликовано 10.11.2009 // Открытия. Изобретения. 2008. №31.

3. Сидоров О. А. Лабораторные испытания токоприемников в условиях экстремально низких температур / О. А. Сидоров, В. В. Томилов, А. А. Журавлев // Радиоэлектроника, электротехника и энергетика: Тез. докл. XV междунар. науч.-техн. конф. студентов и аспирантов. М.: МЭИ, 2009. Т.2. 185, 186 с.

4. Томилов В. В. Повышение надежности работы токоприемников с пневматическими резинокордными элементами в условиях низких температур / В. В. Томилов, А. Е. Аркашев // Научно-Технический журнал. Транспорт Урала. Екатеринбург, 2009. № 4 (23). 101 – 103 c.

5. Нагрузочные испытания токоприемника магистрального электроподвижного состава в лабораторных условиях / В. В. Томилов, Е. А. Лиханова, К. И. Граневич, и др. // Материалы Международного научного форума студентов, аспирантов и молодых ученых стран АТР. Т. 1 Инженерная школа ДВФУ. Владивосток, 2012. 720 – 724 c.

6. Аттестация комплекса для исследования устройств токосъема магистрального электрического транспорта в лабораторных условиях / В. В. Томилов, Е. А. Лиханова, И. И. Силантьев и др. // Современное техническое образование и транспортный комплекс России: состояние, проблемы и перспективы развития: материалы Всероссийской молодежной научн. конф. / Самарский гос. ун-т путей сообщения. Самара – Уфа, 2013. 249 – 250 с.

7. Испытательные комплексы устройств токосъема магистрального электроподвижного состава / В. В. Томилов, Е. А. Лиханова, Г. А. Плужников и др. // Транспортная инфраструктура сибирского региона: материалы четвертой Всероссийской науч.-практ. конф. с междунар. участием / Иркутский гос. ун-т путей сообщения. Иркутск, 2013. 20 – 23 с.