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Surge protection for railway systems from lightning and surges

Accidents caused by lightning or other surges in railway systems can have serious effects on sensitive electronic equipment such as signal systems, control devices, and power supply lines, leading to train suspension, equipment damage, and even safety accidents. This is an example of the effects of installing the Surge Black Box (SBB) Procatch 1 and surge protection devices (SPDs) in railway systems, along with actual accident cases and countermeasures.

1. Lightning/surge accident cases in railway systems

Railway systems are susceptible to lightning and surges due to their extensive exposed infrastructure (railways, overhead lines, signaling equipment, etc.). Some typical examples of accidents include:

  1. China high-speed rail accident (2011) :

  • Accident details : A high-speed train in eastern China stops after being struck by lightning and loses power. A subsequent train then collides with the stopped train, killing 40 people and injuring more than 200.

  • Cause : Overvoltage caused by lightning affected the power and signal systems, causing the train control system to not work. The vulnerability of the surge protection system due to lightning and the vulnerability of the surge monitoring system were pointed out as problems.

  • Impact : Failure of electronic systems, causing train disruption and major accidents.

2. Japan Tsukuba Express Line (2006) :

  • Incident Description : Lightning strike caused by storm damages signal and control systems, causing disruption to service.

  • Cause : Existing lightning protection systems do not adequately protect sensitive electronic equipment.

  • Impact : Temporary disruption of computerized operating systems, causing train delays and passenger inconvenience.

Common cases :

  • Signal system failure : Lightning strikes through tracks, overhead lines, or signal cables, damaging electronic train detectors (e.g. Japanese level crossing systems) or signal boxes.

  • Damage to power systems : Lightning-induced overvoltages can propagate through power supply lines, destroying equipment in substations and distribution panels.

  • Data loss : Communication and data networks are damaged by surges, causing disruption to train control and scheduling systems.

Surge-free SBB Procatch railway system application

The surge-free SBB Procatch 1 monitors surge data and leakage currents, contributing to the safety of railway systems.

The installation locations and effects in the railway system are as follows:

emplacement

Main distribution board :

  • Installed in the main distribution board where the power supply to the railway system begins.

  • Example: Power input points at substations or major stations.

Signal and control system :

  • Installed in signal boxes, electronic train detectors and auxiliary distribution boards near level crossing systems.

Effect : Protects sensitive signal and control equipment from surges, monitors surge data and leakage current.

Communication System :

GSM-R transceiver, installed in the machine room near the data network equipment.

Effect : Maintains the stability of the communication system and prevents data transmission errors caused by surges.

Expected effect

  1. Data recording and analysis :

  • Record surge events (number, intensity, size, direction) and leakage current data, and predict remaining life.

  • Data can be transmitted and trended with IoT HMI software (e.g. similar to Autobase HMI).

2. Forecast and Maintenance :

Predict MOV replacement time through leakage current increase trend and prevent unexpected power outage.

3. Lightning/Surge Countermeasures for Railway Systems

Lightning and surge protection for railway systems implements a comprehensive protection concept and surge protection with the surge-free SBB Procatch.

Below are the main measures:

  1. Comprehensive Lightning Protection Zone (LPZ) Concept :

Description : Multi-layer protection including external lightning protection (lightning rods, grounding systems), internal surge protection (SPDs), equipotentialization, and use of shielded cables.

Implementation :

External protection : Installation of lightning rods and grounding systems on railway lines, overhead lines and masts.

Internal protection : SBB Procatch and Type 1 SPDs installed in the main distribution board, Type 2/3 SPDs and signal and communication SPDs added to the signal and communication equipment.

Shielding : Replace unshielded cable with shielded cable and connect to ground bar.

Effect : Maintains system stability by protecting against direct and indirect surge energy caused by lightning and various surges.

Step-by-step installation of SPD :

Type 1 SPD

Installed at power input point, absorbs high energy lightning surges.

Type 2 SPD :

Preventing overvoltage spread in distribution boards.

Type 3 SPD :

For installation near sensitive equipment (computers, signal devices) to provide additional protection.

Effect : Minimizes surge penetration with multi-stage protection.

Grounding and equipotential bonding :

Description : Maintain equipotential equality by connecting all equipment and shielded cables to the same ground bar.

Implementation : Reduce grounding resistance of railway systems and regularly inspect grounding systems.

Effect : Effectively dissipate surge current, reduce equipment damage and electromagnetic interference.

Data Monitoring and Maintenance :

Description : Obtain surge data with SBB Procatch to monitor surge events and leakage currents in real time.

Implementation :

Introduction of cloud-based monitoring systems (e.g. SurgeMap AutoBase).

Effect : Securing accident prevention measures, optimizing maintenance plans, and improving system uptime by utilizing surge data.

Conclusions and Recommendations

Railway systems are at high risk of damage to signal systems, power lines, and communication equipment due to lightning and surges. SBB Procatch is installed in main distribution panels, signal boxes, and communication systems to establish scientific surge protection based on surge data, monitor leakage current and surge data to analyze accidents, and predict accidents in advance to optimize maintenance.

Combining this with a comprehensive lightning protection zone concept, multi-level SPDs, grounding improvements and surge data monitoring can significantly improve the stability and safety of railway systems.

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