Railway Electrification Infrastructure and Systems (REIS) technical training course

09.15

Teams opens 

Welcome and introductions

09.20

Chairs welcome 

AM: Professor Stuart Hillmansen, Professor of Railway Traction Systems, University of Birmingham

PM: Louise Moore, Head of HV Systems Engineering, HS2

09.25

Session 1: Keynote

Ellen Wintle, Former Chief Regional Engineer, Network Rail

09.45

Session 2: Electric railway systems in common use 

Dr Zhongbei Tian, Assistant Professor, University of Birmingham

The rail mode of transport, using steel wheel on steel rail technology, is just over 200 years old and electric traction using infrastructure-based power supplies has a history of more than 100 years.

Werner von Siemens demonstrated third rail current collection at 150 V DC at the Berlin exhibition of 1879 and Volk’s electric railway in Brighton has been operating with the same technology since 1883. Thus, both the mode and one of its major subsystems may be viewed as mature.

However, they are still subject to constraints that derive from the natural characteristics of the mode.

This lecture attempts to identify and describe the critical component elements of an electrified railway that need to be understood at a reasonable technical level in order to gain an appreciation of the overall system.

They will also highlight some of the success factors associated with railway electrification schemes.

10.40

Break

10.55

Session 3: Systems Thinking - Invest time to define the whole system and the project requirements

Prof. Jon Elphick, Director, WSP & Visiting Professor, University of Birmingham

The session provides an overview of Systems Engineering technical processes, which over the past 20 years have become widespread in the rail industry.

However, Prof. Elphick will argue that SE processes are insufficient on their own for project success. Complex projects require rigorous, systematic processes, such as requirements management and verification and validation, but the essence of any system is emergent properties: “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts”.

Therefore, it is necessary to act systemically, as well as systematically. Prof. Elphick will introduce a couple of modelling techniques that may be used to help understand the whole system and the environment in which it will operate.

He will challenge participants to step back and consider how they can collaborate and compromise in their discipline, to optimise the whole project or system.

11.50

Lunch

12.50

Session 4: Modelling and Simulation of Traction Power Systems

Dr Dena Servatian, Senior Consultant, Ricardo Plc.

In the past decades, due to the emerging complexity of railway systems and their subsystems, carrying out a further analysis of different characteristics of the network has played a key role in rail market.

Electrification system simulation is an essential aspect of the design of an energy efficient, reliable and safe railway system.

Modelling increases adaptability and enhancements remarkably through the project life cycle, from design stage to validation, verification (VandV) and commissioning.

In order to carry out modelling effectively, it is essential to increase knowledge on characteristics and capabilities of modelling software as well as the information required to build model.

13.45

Break

14.00

Session 5: UK Railway Interoperability legislation and standards

Maya Petkova, Head of Power Control and Command Systems, Office of Rail and Road

It will primarily focus on aspects pertinent to electrification on the GB mainline railway.

14.55

Break

15.10

Session 6: Workshop 1

Introduction and preparatory work

15.50

Session 7: Project engineering major electrification projects

Chris Binns, Director, Binns Rail Consulting Ltd

16.45

Chair close day

08.50

Registration

09.05

Chair welcome 

AM: Sarah Dale, Technical Director- Traction Power, Mott MacDonald Ltd.

PM: Les McCormack, Technical Director, Railway Engineering, AtkinsRéalis.

09.15

Session 14: Integrated protection and control

Dr David Hewings, Head of Engineering & Asset Management, Electrification & Plant, Network Rail

Modern traction power systems are now utilising the digital substation architectures of IEC 61850 to bring a common approach to protection and control systems.

This session looks at this technology and its application in traction system design, including the developments in rationalised traction systems (RATS).

10.10

Session 15: Workshop 3 - Requirements, constraints, and electrification solutions

Professor Stuart Hillmansen, Professor of Railway Traction Systems, University of Birmingham

The session will review the important physics and electrical engineering which underpins the principles of power transmission in Electrical Railway Traction Systems.

11.05

Break

11.25

Session 16a: AC / DC Interfaces dual voltage

Dr David Hewings, Head of Engineering & Asset Management, Electrification & Plant, Network Rail

Where DC and AC railways pass in close proximity at interchange stations or where there is operation in parallel, there is the possibility of disturbances due to physical and electrical interfaces including: physical clearances, galvanic coupling, electric fields, radiated fields and electromagnetic coupling.

This session examines the interfaces and controlling the interferences between the DC and AC traction systems.

At this interface there is a conflict for the design criteria for the return current paths, and the mitigation required for earthing and bonding of metallic structures in the presence of DC traction return current and touch potentials due to AC traction return current.

The design of the AC/DC interface it is therefore necessary to control key characteristics of the traction return current paths, stray DC current, rail potentials and induced voltage.

The close physical proximity, of the railways and the low impedance of rails and LV earths means that traction return current and fault currents also may not remain in their intended path.

12.00

Lunch

13.00

Session 17: AC 25kV 50Hz electrification supply design

Kaitlyn Mair, Principal Design Engineer, Network Rail.

The technical strength of all railway electrification schemes lies in the fact that the source of energy is removed from the train.

By taking power from the public AC 50Hz electricity supply, there is almost unlimited power available which has been efficiently produced. However, the cost of the railway electrification infrastructure needed to transmit power to the train becomes its economic weakness.

The cost of providing the electric traction system, as well the civil works and protective measures for telecommunication and signalling systems can only be justified where the operational requirements include heavy traction loads, or where there is a high density of traffic.

In areas where the traffic density does not necessitate full electrification schemes 25kV hybrid trains with battery or diesel can be introduced to remove the requirement for electrifying short sections of lines.

The operational and maintenance cost of the diesel-power units will reduce the long term cost-benefits of implementation of the electrification scheme.

13.55

Break

14.15

Session 18: Review of electrical clearances and legal requirements for electrification

Richard Stainton, Engineering Expert – Electrification, Network Rail.

15.10

Session 16b Operation of Adjacent AC DC railways

Dr Roger White, Director, Railway Electrification Consultancy

15.45

Session 19: DC contact systems (3rd and 4th Conductor Rail)

Sarah Dale, Technical Principal - Traction Power, Mott MacDonald Ltd

An Introduction to 3rd and 4th Rail DC Contact systems, covering main components, design considerations including gapping, typical issues that arise, safety and the ORR position on ground mounted conductor rail systems.

16.40

Chair close day

Chair: Steven Muscat, Technical Director, Head of Engineering, UK Power Networks.

Joe Cosgrave, Technical Principal - Railways (Traction Power & EMC), Mott Macdonald Ltd

08.30

Session 25: Group workshop 5 - bringing together all the knowledge learned (groups presenting)

11.30

Closing session

Steven Muscat, Technical Director, Head of Engineering, UK Power Networks.

11.45

Lunch

12.10

Travel

13.30

Technical visit

15.30

End of day

08.55

Teams opens

09.00

Chair welcome

Steven Muscat, Technical Director, Head of Engineering, UK Power Networks

Joe Cosgrave, Technical Principal - Railways (Traction Power & EMC), Mott Macdonald Ltd

09.05

Session 8: Stray current corrosion and civil infrastructure protection

Dr David Buxton, Corrosion Consultant, Intertek CAPCIS

The production of stray currents by DC transit systems can lead to the corrosion of nearby buried metallic structures, such as rail supporting structures, pipelines and cable sheaths.

This presentation describes why stray current is produced by a DC transit system, measures that can be taken to control stray current and the possible impact it can have on the transit and surrounding infrastructure.

10.00

Break

10.15

Session 9: Railway electrical systems compatibility - protecting everyone from each other

David Bradley, Independent – was Director, Northwood Rail Consultancy

The session will consider the situation of multi-disciplinary electrical systems on railways and how they may be identified, characterised and analysed to enable satisfactory operation.

It will draw on past problems, and their resolutions, and indicate the effective methods of dealing with future situations.

11.10

Break

11.25

Session 10: Workshop 2

Preparatory work

12.00

Lunch

13.00

Session 11: DC System Design

Richard Catlow, Head of Electric Traction Design, Alstom.

This session examines the major factors that affect the design of DC electrification across light, Metro, heavy and freight rail. The session examines the major challenges they pose to designers and the options typically used to overcome them.

The session closes by looking at some recent developments in the field that are set to make DC ever more relevant in the future.

13.55

Break

14.10

Session 12: Overhead line equipment design and pantograph interface

Garry Keenor, Professional Head for Electrification, AtkinsRéalis.This session describes the basic principles of an overhead line system, with particular reference to the critical energy transfer interface between the contact system and the pantograph.

15.05

Break

15.20

Session 13: Electrification system testing

Richard Catlow, Head of Electric Traction Design, Alstom.

This session examines testing of complete electrification systems at the time of a project's final entry into service.

Customarily delivered by full scale short circuit testing, these tests are literally "make or break" for the system, right at the end of the project. Review of electrical clearances and legal requirements for electrification.

16.15

Chair close day

08.50

Registration

09.05

Chair welcome  

Steven Muscat, Technical Director, Head of Engineering, UK Power Networks.

Joe Cosgrave, Technical Principal - Railways (Traction Power & EMC), Mott Macdonald Ltd.

09.15

Session 20: Earthing design and integration – principles

Dominic Kelsey, Head of Testing & Commissioning, HS2.

10.15

Session 21: Earthing at TNO feeder stations

Neil Pilling, Principal Engineer, Earthing Risk Management.

Earth Potential Rise from high voltage electrical infrastructure has the capacity to cause hazards to persons working on proximate railway systems.

EPR at TNO (transmission network operator) sites is generally higher than at DNO (distribution network operator) sites and therefore can have a greater propensity to impact on the railway.

Over recent decades more railway feeders have been established from the transmission network, usually at 400kV.

At such sites a direct connection is normally established between the transmission substation and the railway via a feeder station to allow traction current to return to source.

However, this exacerbates any EPR impact by conducting EPR directly to the railway. Various methodologies have been employed to reduce the EPR impact and this session explains how these were chosen, their effectiveness and the problems that needed to be overcome.

11.10

Break

11.30

Session 22: EMC

Les McCormack, Technical Director, Railway Engineering, AtkinsRéalis.

12.25

Lunch

13.30

Session 23: Static frequency converters

Ross Macfarlane, Project Director - Rail, Mott MacDonald.

An introduction to static frequency converter (SFC) technology, outlining how the technology has evolved, where it is used, its relative advantages and disadvantages compared to conventional AC traction power supplies, and the issues that need to be considered when using the technology.

14.25

Break

14.45

Session 24: Workshop 4 - Drilling down to details

Les McCormack, Technical Director, Railway Engineering AtkinsRéalis.

Teams refine their chosen electrification approach, delving deeper into technical specifics and optimising infrastructure plans.

16.45

Chair close day