PL240407B1 - Metropolitan railway system with reduced energy consumption - Google Patents

Description

PL 240 407 B1

Description of the invention

The present invention relates to a metropolitan railway system.

European Patent Document No. EP 1 619 069 A1 discloses a metropolitan rail system comprising a building and track element, a rolling stock element, an energy supply element and a signal element. More specifically, this document relates to a railway installation with an energy source element comprising a plurality of reversible substations, each substation having a transducer connected between the network and a section of a third electric rail running along the track and capable of being actuated for operation or as a rectifier to transmit electricity from the grid. of said network to said third rail section for supplying electricity to a train connected to said section when the electric motors are in propulsion, or as an inverter for transmitting electricity from said section to said network to recover electricity from a train connected to said sections when the electric motors are operated by braking.

US 2004/0015255 A1 discloses the optimization of a rail system design by determining a set of related variables and constraints connecting these variables, and then calculating a proposed rail system's performance index based on various operating costs that depend on these variables.

Nevertheless, there is a need for a medium to high performance system with low energy consumption that can be up and running quickly and at lower cost in highly urbanized areas such as city centers.

For example, in terms of energy consumption, suppliers of such systems are looking for savings by focusing solely on reducing the weight of rail vehicles.

The object of the present invention is to meet this need, in particular by proposing a system resulting from optimization of energy consumption by implementing a global approach, in which each element of the system is adapted not only according to how it can contribute to the reduction of energy consumption, but also on the basis of the impact it has on the other components of the system and their contribution to reducing energy consumption.

Accordingly, the invention relates to a metropolitan railway system comprising: a building and track element including a railroad track and tracks consisting of two rows of rails, a rolling stock element including a metal-wheeled train with distributed drive in each of the car bogies forming the train, an electric power supply element comprising a plurality of reversible substations, each reversible substation comprising a converter connected between the network and a third electric bus section running along the track and operable to act as a rectifier for transmitting electricity from said network towards said third bus section to provide electricity. to a train connected to said section, while the electric motors of said train are operated in propulsion, or as an inverter, for transmitting electricity from said third rail section towards said network for recovering electricity from a train connected to said section, where the electric motors of said train are operated by braking. A metropolitan railway system is characterized by the fact that the rail track of the building and track element (2) has a slope ranging from -6% to 6% and has an elevated part at the station in relation to the average track profile upstream and downstream of said station.

Preferably, the track of the building and track element has a radius of curvature which may taper to 45 meters.

Preferably, the building and track element comprises aboveground track sections consisting of viaducts, each viaduct having a horizontal road plate supported by vertical pillars made of elementary parts, the elementary parts being machined concrete parts.

Preferably, each wagon of a rolling stock item has, when loaded, a mass of less than 14.5 tonnes per bogie, more preferably equal to approximately 13 tonnes per bogie.

Preferably, each car of a rolling stock component comprises a body connected to each bogie by means of a ball bearing race.

Preferably the carriages of the rolling stock component are standard.

Preferably, each car of the rolling stock component is 18 meters long, two bogies separated by 8 meters and suitably equipped with two electric motors.

PL 240 407 B1

Preferably, each reversible substation of the power supply element is connected between the third bus section and a network that constitutes its own intermediate network, and the secondary equipment of said system is connected to said own intermediate network.

Preferably, the signal element comprises an automatic control system for the trains, and the trains are unmanned.

Preferably the carriages of a rolling stock component are used for the transport of passengers and / or goods.

In embodiments, the invention relates to a metropolitan railway system comprising a building and track element, a rolling stock element, an electric power supply element and a signal element, characterized in that: the building and track element comprises a railroad with a gradient of from -6% to 6% and tracks consisting of two rows of rails; the rolling stock component comprises trains running on rails and with the propulsion means arranged in each of the carriages of the carriages forming the train; the power element comprises a series of reversible substations, each substation includes a transducer connected between the network and a section of a third electric bus running along the tracks and capable of being actuated to act as a rectifier to transmit electricity from said network to the third bus section to provide electricity to the train, connected to said section, the motors of which are driven, or as an inverter, for transmitting electric energy from said section to the grid to recover electric energy from a train connected to said section, the motors of which are operated by braking.

The system according to an embodiment may include one or more of the following functions:

- railroad track of the building and track element, the radius of curvature of which may be reduced to 45 meters;

- a railway building and track element track having at the station a part raised upwards and downwards from said station with respect to an average track profile;

- each wagon of a rolling stock component has, when loaded, a mass of less than 14.5 tonnes per bogie, preferably equal to approximately 13 tonnes per bogie;

- each wagon of a rolling stock component comprises a body connected to each bogie by means of a ball bearing race;

- the wagons of the rolling stock component are standard;

- each wagon of a rolling stock component is 18 meters long, two bogies are 8 meters apart and suitably equipped with two electric motors;

- each reversible substation of the power supply element is connected between the third bus section and the network, which is its own intermediate network, the secondary equipment of said system is connected to its own intermediate network;

the signal element comprises an automatic control system for the trains, which trains are unmanned;

- the wagons of a rolling stock component are used to carry passengers and / or goods.

The invention and its advantages will be better understood on reading the following description, which is purely by way of example and made with reference to the accompanying drawing, which figure shows a general schematic illustration of the metropolitan railway system according to the invention.

The metropolitan railway 1 comprises a building and track element 2, a rolling stock element 3, an electric power element 4 and a signal element 5.

System 1 is first optimized as a whole to reduce electricity consumption by approximately 20% compared to the existing consumption. System 1 is then optimized as a whole so that it can be quickly deployed in the city center over a period of only three or four years. System 1 is ultimately optimized as a whole for low production and maintenance costs.

Thus, the building and track element 2 primarily comprises above-ground track sections. These overground track sections consist of viaducts, with each viaduct having a horizontal road plate supported by vertical pillars.

Preferably, the elementary parts for manufacturing the transfer plates and posts are concrete parts, preferably machined, with a limited number of shapes to increase standardization and reduce costs.

PL 240 407 B1

This essentially above-ground element 2 is particularly important in city centers, since during the construction of system 1, public roads are blocked only for the time needed to install the poles and produce the road plate. All other steps in the manufacture of system 1 are performed essentially off-highway.

A railway track consisting of two rows of rails is produced by implementing a device developed by the applicant and described in EP 1 178 153 A1, which enables automatic, quick and accurate installation of the rail support elements on a concrete skirt poured on the overpass running plate.

A railroad track can have a small radius of curvature of up to 45 meters (compared to the minimum radius of curvature of around 100 meters in current systems). This small radius of curvature makes it possible to reduce the dimensions of the railway network. This is especially useful when a rail track needs to be built in the heart of a highly urbanized center.

The rail track has a gradient of -6% to + 6%, which is a significant range for metropolitan rail systems. Generally, the range is -4% to + 4%. Such large slopes make it possible to reduce the dimensions of the network, thanks to the possibility of quick displacement from one height to another. This is particularly advantageous if it includes sections connecting underground tracks or at least track levels on a public road (for example existing track sections) with aboveground sections. Overall, this provides more flexibility in possible line designs.

Preferably, the part of the track on the station platforms where the trains stop is elevated up and down from the station, relative to the average track level, such that the track has an upward slope when arriving at the station and a downward slope when leaving the station. . Thus, when the train enters the station it is naturally slowed down by the upward slope, and when it leaves the station it is accelerated by the downward slope. This track configuration contributes to the reduction of electricity consumption by trains running along the line.

The power supply element 4 includes a plurality of reversible substations. EP 1 985 492 A1 discloses such an electric power supply element based on reversible substations. More specifically, each reversible substation includes a transducer capable of actuating for operation:

- or as a rectifier, to transfer electricity from the grid to the line to supply electricity to the powered train;

- or as an inverter, to transmit electricity from the line to the grid to recover electricity from a train whose motors are operated by braking.

In the present system 1 the line to which the trains are electrically connected is the third rail along the rails of the railway track. This solution was chosen because system 1 is separated from public roads and people. Therefore, there is no risk inherent in the use of a 750 V DC power bus to power the electric motors of the trains which are powered by the drive. Alternatively, the line is suspended from one or more parts of the railway track.

In this system, the network to which the individual substations are connected is not directly that of the electricity supplier but is its own intermediate network to which also various accessories are connected, such as ventilation equipment for track sections in tunnels, display equipment in stations, etc. This configuration allows the energy recovered during braking to be reused to supply all auxiliaries connected to this intermediate network, thus reducing energy consumption.

Another advantage of using reversible substations is the possibility of eliminating on-board braking rheostats in trains, designed to dissipate electricity generated by electric motors operating by braking.

Consequently, the train does not dissipate any more of its braking energy into the surrounding air as heat. If the line includes sections in tunnels, the air temperature in these tunnels remains low and no additional tunnel ventilation equipment is needed. As the trains run in tunnels where the air remains relatively cool, there is no further need to provide additional ventilation equipment on board to cool the air inside the carriages. All this is a source of energy savings.

The rolling stock component 3 comprises trains of two to five carriages. Each car is preferably 2.7 meters wide and 18.0 meters long (between the couplings).

PL 240 407 B1

It comprises two carriages, preferably 8 meters apart, each car having two axles. Preferably, each axle is driven by an asynchronous electric motor.

The rolling of each bogie is a metal rolling (wheel / rail).

Thus, the rolling stock component train 3 has drive means arranged in each bogie. It is 100% driven.

This is possible because, as indicated above, the wagons do not have a braking rheostat for the purposes of the electric braking function, the electric energy generated by the motors is recovered either by another train whose motors are powered by propulsion or by reversible substations working for energy recovery. Therefore, it allows a significant amount of space to be freed up below the car body, between the two bogies. Typically, the braking rheostat covers most of the width of the body and is about 1.2 meters long. This clearance under the bodywork is used to propel each of the bogies and accommodates, between the bogies, equipment related to the electric motor such as traction boxes, converters, etc.

The distribution of the propulsion means along the entire train leads to a train having much better acceleration and braking performance which directly affects the running flexibility of the train and consequently its ability to be driven by the signal element 5 as close as possible to the optimal speed profile defined for each track section.

The implementation of 100% powered trains makes it possible to overcome slopes from -6% to + 6% with metal rolling (wheel / rail contact). Note that for steep gradients, wheels with tires should normally be used. However, such a solution gives much greater frictional losses than a metal wheel in contact with the rail. Thus, metal turning plays a significant role in reducing the energy consumption of this system.

It should be noted that the rolling stock element 3 having 100% powered wagons has a higher production cost. However, this cost will be quickly offset by the benefits of operating the entire system.

Preferably, the car bodies of the carriages of the rolling stock component 3 are light, with a weight per bogie of less than 14.5 tonnes, preferably equal to 13.0 tonnes per bogie, when the car is loaded (approximately 6 people weighing 70 kg per square meter). For example, the bodies are made of aluminum. The weight on the trolley is optimized so that it requires less traction energy. The electrical supply element is dimensioned accordingly.

In order for the body to run on tracks with a small radius of curvature, it is connected to each bogie by a convex connection, preferably a ball bearing race. This type of connection allows for a significant angular movement between the axis of the bogie and the axis of the body, which is necessary for cornering.

In this metropolitan railway system, 99% of the nominal braking power of a train is provided by electric motors. The remaining percentage is realized by the pneumatic braking device that is equipped with each car. Under normal operating conditions, the pneumatic braking device is used to immobilize stations in stations when the train is running slower than 3 km / h. Under degraded operating conditions, the air braking device of the wagon shall be dimensioned to perform braking, instead of the electric motors of the wagon, for a period corresponding to one day of train use, so that the operation of the latter is not affected by faults in the electric motor or the traction motor. The braking device can also perform emergency braking if necessary. It should be noted that the air brake device is easy to maintain as it is normally hardly used.

Preferably, the wagons are standard wagons, i.e. they are identical so as to minimize development and production costs. One of them is an end wagon with a unmanned cabin zone and the other is an intermediate wagon designed to be placed between two wagons. As a result, the formation of the train is particularly simple as it involves the coupling of end carriages and zero to three intermediate carriages together.

The number of wagons that make up the train depends on the efficiency that the line operator wants to achieve. Line performance also depends on the time interval between two consecutive trains. Traditionally, the interval is 90 seconds during peak hours. In the present metropolitan rail system, this interval can also be reduced by implementing a corresponding signal element 5, which will be described below. This system 1, designed for the city center, enables the transportation of 10,000 to 45,000 passengers per hour.

Claims (3)

PL 240 407 B1 The signal element 5 comprises an ATO (Automatic Train Operation) type automatic train control system linked to an ATC / ATP (Automatic Train Control and Automatic Train Protection) type system. This includes, for example, a system of the type based on communication between [the device] on board the train and the base, called CBTC (Communication Based Train Control). Preferably, it is a CBTC system similar to level 3 of the European Train Control System. With such an automatic control system, the train does not need a driver. The maintenance-free metropolitan rail system is itself a system that allows energy costs to be minimized. Moreover, the train can be steered so as to immediately reach the speed closest to the optimal profile at any point on the track. The optimal speed profile is determined taking into account the acceleration and braking performance of the train, which is particularly high due to the distributed and 100% propulsion. Moreover, by using such a signal element, the movement of the trains can be optimized, especially by running one train after the other, such that when one train brakes and supplies electricity, the preceding or the following train runs with a drive that consumes this energy. Finally, the ETCS Level 3 signaling element makes it possible to dispense with a large amount of additional equipment along the track. The implementation of the metropolitan rail system, with its various elements optimized in relation to and based on one another, enables the reduction of energy consumption by 20% compared to the currently used metro systems. The application of this metropolitan rail system can also be profitable by using it not only for passenger transport but also for freight transport. For example, when during the day the carriages of a train are mainly used for transporting passengers, at night the carriages are mainly used for transporting goods. Patent claims 1. Metropolitan railway system (1) comprising: a building and track element (2) containing a railway track and tracks consisting of two rows of rails, a rolling stock element (3) containing a metal wheeled train with the drive in each bogie forming the train, an electric power supply element (4) containing a number of substations reversible, each reversible substation comprising a transducer connected between the network and a third electric bus section running along the track and operable to act as a rectifier for transmitting electricity from said network towards said third bus section to provide electricity to the connected train to said section when the electric motors of said train are operated in propulsion, or as an inverter, to transmit electricity from said third rail section towards said network for recovering electricity from a train connected to said section when the electric motors of the train in question are operated by braking, characterized in that the rail track of the building and track element (2) has a slope ranging from -6% to 6% and has an elevated part at the station in relation to the average track profile upstream and downstream of said station. 2. The system according to p. A device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the railway track of the building and track element (2) has a radius of curvature which can be reduced to 45 meters. 3. The system according to p. A road according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the building and track element (2) comprises above-ground track sections consisting of viaducts, each viaduct comprising a horizontal road plate supported by vertical pillars made of elementary parts, where the elementary parts are machined concrete parts.