In an increasingly volatile environment, it is important to ensure that critical infrastructure continues to operate even in the event of a failure of the public power grid.
Accordingly, the power supply to network components plays a crucial role in modern rail infrastructure. A reliable power supply to signal box equipment—for example, for switch control, train tracking systems, and signaling—is essential for safe train operations. Here, rail operators rely on multiple layers of redundancy in the power supply feed. At the heart of the power supply concept is an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), which uses an energy storage system to bridge short interruptions in the power feed. Depending on the local availability of the respective voltage sources, power is supplied to the UPS in various stages.
During normal operation, the UPS is usually powered by the local 400/230 V AC grid. In addition, many sites have a stationary or mobile diesel generator on standby to ensure uninterrupted power supply following a brief interruption in the input voltage. In this case, the energy storage system in the UPS must be sized so that the UPS can reliably bridge the necessary extended runtime until the diesel generator kicks in.
The most elegant solution for providing a backup power supply for the UPS input voltage is available at locations where electric vehicles operate. Here, a pole-mounted transformer can be used to draw power directly from the local traction current for the UPS input. On mainline railways in the DACH region, for example, the connection to the traction power supply is made via isolation transformers and a frequency converter that converts 15 kV / 16.7 Hz to 400 V / 50 Hz.
Gustav Klein offers rail operators a comprehensive solution that, of course, meets the strict and highly specialized requirements for a traction power supply while ensuring safe and low-maintenance operation.
Depending on the specific situation and the power requirements at the site, UPS systems and static frequency converters of various power classes, as well as rectifier and DC/DC converter modules for adjusting to the required voltage levels, are used.
