SAY GOODBYE TO THE CATENARY.

Do you know what a catenary is? It’s the overhead wiring that supplies electricity from the power grid to electrically-driven trains. (The gizmo on the train’s roof that makes contact with the catenary has that other fun name: pantograph.)

The catenary has been a trusty and hardworking member of the railroad family of commuter and intercity rail, high-speed rail, bullet trains, light rail, street cars and trams for more than a century.

But a catenary is also an eyesore. Take a scenic vista or charming cityscape and add lots of poles, often rusty, and long strands of wire and suddenly a pretty scene gets pretty ugly. The need for a catenary makes the installation of electric trams and light rail unappealing for cities and communities that don’t want to spoil the local aesthetics.

The catenary also adds considerable expense to the installation of those rail systems.

Now there’s a cure for electric rail’s ugly side.

Bombardier Transportation, one of the world’s leading builder of rail systems, has developed a catenary-free and third rail-free electrification system for trams and light rail. (The third rail, for those who’ve forgotten, is the rail that supplies electricity to most subway cars and the one you want to steer clear of if you’re foolishly crossing a rail line illegally. Trams are smallish versions of light rail cars, by the way.)

The system Bombardier has developed uses the principle of inductive power transfer that allows– safely and without sparks – electric power from a circuit buried in the ground be transferred to a moving electric rail vehicle without the vehicle and circuit physically touching. The flowing electric current in one wire induces current in the other nearby.

Bombardier describes the inductive power transfer system it calls PRIMOVE:

“ The electric power components of the PRIMOVE technology are hidden under the vehicle and beneath the tracks. The electrical primary and secondary circuits are separated from each other, a principle also used in transformers. Creating a magnet field, the primary circuit is built into the infrastructure. The secondary circuit in the vehicle transforms this energy field into electricity for the tram’s operation. The cable of the primary circuit can be easily integrated in-between the tracks. The vehicle is equipped with pick-up coils underneath the vehicle, which are connected to the tram’s traction system through a cable. In addition, connected segments in the ground ensure a safe operation as they are only fully energized when completely covered by the vehicle. Therefore, the system can also be integrated in pedestrian zones, for example.”

To further enhance the efficiency and performance of light rail or tram vehicles Bombardier has also integrated an energy storage system into each rail car. With more than 5 years experience in energy storage, the company claims up to 30 percent improvement in energy efficiency, which saves rail operators cash and the environment from emissions from power plants energizing the rail.

For energy storage Bombardier uses a bank of ultracapacitors stashed in the roof of the vehicle. On braking, electric energy once lost is stored in the ultracapacitors. On acceleration that energy is fed back to the vehicle’s traction motors for more power.

Bombardier says that they have an industry first with PRIMOVE. Any transit agency considering a new light rail or tram system, as well as an upgrade to an old system will likely be looking at PRIMOVE. Clean, efficient rail transit without the landscape/cityscape damaging unattractive overhead wires certainly looks like a winner.

Bombardier Transportation has its global headquarters in Berlin, Germany with a presence in over 60 countries. It has an installed base of more than 100,000 rail vehicles worldwide.


Source: green-energy-news.com