Development of method for assessing the current collection performance of the overhead conductor rail systems used in electric railways

Abstract

To reduce the amount of space required for power delivery structures and to improve the convenience of maintenance of overhead contact systems (OCSs), the conductor rail OCS has been used to replace the conventional catenary OCS in many railway tunnels around the world. In this article, an efficient method able to detect the contact loss between the pantograph and both the OCS interfaces is studied and set up by analysing the traction current flowing into the locomotives. Unlike other experimental tests or methods, the method of current analysis does not require an extra experimental construction. Moreover, it is very practical, non-invasive, and can be carried out to verify the performance of the whole railway line without affecting service operation. Taiwan railway's North-Link line is used as an example to test the current collection performance of the conductor rail OCS. The results indicate that the conductor rail OCS provides a slightly poorer performance when compared with the conventional OCS in supplying power to the moving trains. Nevertheless, it still complies with European OCS regulations. The findings also point out that some specific tunnels, where the conductor rail OCS is installed, provide inferior performance in supplying power to the locomotives when compared with other tunnels.