Consulting and planning for rail electrification
Take advantage of expert knowledge. From consulting & analysis to financing concepts & project engineering. Thanks to our expertise in all Siemens divisions, we can optimally implement your ideas and plans. Our experts are supported by the Sitras Sidytrac simulations and calculations from our Sicat IT tools. These advantages unite economic efficiency with quality – for your lasting success.
Take advantage of expert knowledge. From consulting & analysis to financing concepts & project engineering. Thanks to our expertise in all Siemens divisions, we can optimally implement your ideas and plans. Our experts are supported by the Sitras Sidytrac simulations and calculations from our Sicat IT tools. These advantages unite economic efficiency with quality – for your lasting success.
Seamless, comprehensive, IT-controlled
Consulting and planning for rail electrification
Construction and statics
Take advantage of our design know-how and experience for your railway electrification under all operating conditions – with function, efficiency and safety in maximum precision.
Earthing and bonding
Protect personnel and equipment with a specific earthing concept that includes calculating your rail potential and touch voltages.
Electromagnetic compatibility
Use the Sitras EMC simulation tool to exclude any mutual interference prior to installation – that’s how precise EMC planning works.
Simulation
Reduce sources of error with user-defined simu-lations and software for designing AC or DC rail systems.
System design/configuration
Experience greater design quality in less time that’s precisely tailored to your requirements – with the software for planning your catenary systems.
System interactions and power quality
Analyze interactions and avoid operational disruptions with the Sitras Sidytrac software.
Use maximum precision
Perfection in detail: The construction design
During the design phase, our catenary experts prepare the required system and assembly drawings, including the corresponding parts lists.
Special constructions such as special fasteners (eg. on structures, on bridges or in tunnels) are designed in a second step.
A secure foundation: the statics
Catenary systems require extensive static calculations.
Subsoil reports and meteorological specifications must be evaluated in accordance with local calculation rules in order to optimally coordinate all components.
Our goal: To offer you a perfect combination of safety, function and economy, considering the best possible logistics.
The foundations, masts, outriggers and catenary are dimensioned according to this maxim.
All specifications are compared and documented in a final comparison with the built system.
Protect personnel and equipment
Earthing and bonding for rail electrification
In addition to calculating your rail potential and touch voltages, our experts also create an earthing concept to guarantee optimal protection for people and electrical equipment. We initially define the traction current return on the route as well as in depots and workshops. Then we consider each component for the construction phase at grade sections, tunnels, bridges, underpasses, and buildings. The earthing concept also includes statements about lightning protection and protection from stray currents (in DC applications).
Detailed planning
Electromagnetic compatibility for rail electrification
In addition to EMC planning, we also investigate the electromagnetic compatibility of installations or parts of installations. The goal is to eliminate any health hazards for employees and passengers due to electrical or magnetic fields as well as disturbances to equipment. Especially when extending existing installations, Sitras Sidytrac and Sitras EMF can also be used to verify compliance with the relevant limits before the investment is even made. In this regard, an important part of our analysis offers alternatives by means of compensation conductors or the optimization of the conductor arrangement so that the admissible limits are not exceeded.
Ensure efficiency
Simulation for rail electrification
Sitras Sidytrac is a program that allows us to calculate the power supply network using train-run simulations. This lets us compare traction power systems under realistic conditions. We can also configure new and existing systems and evaluate their performance. On this basis, our experts then make an informed system decision that optimally meets your requirements. In addition, we can plan performance reserves for future development or tune the system for maximum cost-effectiveness. And by dimensioning the key components, we can define an initial cost structure.
Plan systems
System design and configuration for rail electrification
Our experts choose the contact line system as required by the project and based on the results of the comprehensive feasibility study. Using Sicat Master, the first step is to create the overhead contact line diagrams, including the positioning of poles, catenaries, and traction power cables. These diagrams usually include the earthing system as well as topographic features around the track. The position and type of foundation and type of poles are selected from a list of poles and foundations using the special Sicat MatLog IT tool. This tool is also used to generate the equipment lists and the schedule of quantities of the project.
Sicat Dynamic
Based on the catenary and environmental parameters from Sicat Master and also additional pantograph parameters, Sicat Dynamic simulates the dynamic interaction between pantograph and contact line with the help of a special mathematical model.
Sicat Candrop
Sicat Candrop uses the track geometry and pole locations imported from Sicat Master to calculate production lists for cantilever and dropper manufacture.
Reduce consumption
System interactions and power quality for rail electrification
When designing a system, it’s often necessary to take into account restrictive regulations from the power supply company regarding voltage quality and its impairment through feedback. Sitras Sidytrac can analyze:
- System interactions due to harmonics
- 3-phase current imbalance with 1-phase load
- Voltage fluctuations and flicker
- Resonance performance of railway lines under realistic service conditions
