Inductive Power Supply for Main-line Railways

Kurzfassung

Electric rail systems are characterized by a transfer of electrical energy from the fixed installations of the railway power supply systems to the non-stationary loads and vice versa. For main-line railways, the power transmission is realized via pantograph-mounted sliding contacts from the overhead catenary line. This transmission system is characterized by some operational disadvantages. First, the contact system is subject to wear. Second, wear, noise emission and aerodynamic resistance of the pantograph grow with increasing speed. Consequently, the transmission system contributes substantially to the overall system life cycle cost due to contact wear. Furthermore the periphery is impacted negatively by noise emission and additional aerodynamic drag results in higher CO2 emissions. Especially at low temperatures, icy contact wires lead to increased arcing, which has a strong influence on the wear of the system. In general the costs for operating complications are high. For these reasons, it makes sense to replace the existing transmission system by an energy contact- and wear-free one. The basic technical feasibility of an inductive energy transfer system (IETS) for main-line railway application is proven. The economic viability of an IETS is compared with a conventional pantograph-catenary system in terms of material costs. Based on this a migration strategy is indicated.