Urban Light Rail Transportation Systems Catenary Line Anti-Icing Applications, Laboratory and Field Tests

Abstract

Problems such as freezing, icing, and / or snow accumulation in the machine systems during the winter can adversely affect the performance of the systems, sometimes stopping them altogether. One of the systems affected by winter conditions is the energy transmission lines. If not intervened, snow and / or ice accumulating on electrical wires can cause electrical transmission performance to drop, and extreme cases can cause wire breaks due to heavy wires. One of the energy transmission systems where power lines are open to the atmosphere is the pantograph-catenary systems that take up electrical energy. Frosting and ice accumulation on the catenary lines leads to arc formation and, in some cases, can interfere with electrical conduction between the pantograph and the catenary line. In the case of light rail transportation systems, this problem could lead to problems at higher rates than other rail systems. In Turkey, the activities to be done for preparation of winter and route maintenance in the intercity railway transmission lines are well known, but procedures for light rail systems are being newly prepared. In particular, the use of light rail systems in winter, where the conditions are more difficult, brings with it some problems. It is inevitable to anticipate the problems that may arise and to work to solve these problems. In this study, an experimental setup was designed to simulate the snow, dew formation on the copper wires in order to prevent / eliminate the icing problem that occurs in the urban light rail transportation systems catenary lines. Field tests were also carried out by applying anti-icing chemical solution in the catenary lines of the Eskişehir urban light rail transport system (ESTRAM). As a result of the field tests, it has been seen that the mono ethylene glycol application to wires can reduce arc formation and wear of the lines considerably. It has even been found that the application mono ethylene glycol before freezing of the line has the potential to reduce wear, breakdown and maintenance costs in the catenary lines.