Traction Converter

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TIaction Transformer

Powered Axle

(Motor with wheel)

Train Control

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Monitoring
Systems (TCMS)

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ISO I4OOI, OHSAS IEOO1 AND ISMS CERTIFIED UNIT

Traction drive systems are extensively used in 1600 HP Broad Gauge AC or Ac/Dc Electrical Multiple Units
(EMUS) and 6000 HP

Phase AC Locomotives

for lndian

Railways. Rapid development in

the field of

semicond uctors and advent of m icroprocessor based controls in traction application have enabled use of Gate

Turn Off Thyristors (GTO's)/lnsu lated Gate Bipolar Transistors (lGBTs) with Squirrel cage lnduction Motors
instead of DC Motors to get better performa nce for a given weight and volume.

the field of Transportation for the last one decade and have been
supplying Vehicle Control Electronics and GTO based Converters for lndian Railways. Today more than 50% of
3 Phase AC Locomotives run with Converters and Controls ma nufactured by BH EL.
BHEL Electronics Division has been in

Advantages of 3 Phase AC Drive Technology

o

3 Phase technology uses GTO Thyristors/lGBTs and Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) techniques on the
Converter as well as the lnverter side with d igital controls for d riving 3 Phase Squirrel Cage lnduction Motor

.3

phase technology has the advantage to work at Unity Power Factor and draws sinusoidal current from

the catenary

Use

of regenerative braking results in energy saving of upto 30%, giving fast payback. This also reduces

wear & tear of bra ke system thereby ensu ring higher life of components

of Squirrel Cage lnduction Motors results in virtually no maintenance as compared to conventional

motors

o Use
DC

System Overview
lncoming power from the catena ry is fed through the transformer to two converters which supply the motive
power through the traction motors. The energy generated d u ring braking is fed back th rough the same cha in
into the traction supply network. lrrespective of motoring or braking, the system continues to supp.ly energy
to the onboard equipments and the vehicle battery.
The overall Traction Control System consists of:

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lnput Transformer
Drive Converter and motor lnverter including
Control Electronics
Auxiliary Converter
Train Control and Monitoring System (TCMS) or
Vehicle Control Unit (VCU)

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Cooling System
Powered Axle (Axle with Motor)

Battery Charger
Drivers screen (Cab Display)

Mechanical Design

Loco Cooling Fans

Compressor

3-Phase AC Motors

Circuit
Main Rectifier

Auxiliary
lnverter

Breaker

Main Translormer
To other 3-phase

AC motors

Block Diagram of Modern Ac Electric Locomotive

Pantograph

3-Phase AC Motors

lnput Transformer
The 25 kV 50 Hz catenary voltage is fed to the primary
winding of the main transformer through pantograph,
main circuit breaker; and a roof cable bushing. The
secondary windings of the main transformer are
connected to GTO/IGBT based front -end converter and
auxiliary converters.

Front End Power Converter and Motor lnverter

The AC power from the secondary winding

of the main
transformer is rectified and regulated by a PWM Converter unit
consisting of IGBT/GTO bridges and then the regulated
DC power is fed to a WVF (Variable Voltage Variable Frequency)
3 Phase PWM inverter u nit. Each inverter feeds either more tha n
one traction motor in parallel (i.e. Bogie control) or single
traction motor (Axle control).
The design of Power Converter is modular type. Currently,
Air-cooled and Oil cooled GTO based power modules are being
used for AC EMU and Loco's respectively. IGBT based air cooled
and water cooled power modules are the futu re technology.

Auxiliary Converter
Auxiliary eq u ipment (Compressors, Blowers for cooling transformers, traction

motors, machine room and scavenger including the battery charger) of the
locomotive/EMU requires 415 V, 3 Phase supply for its operation. This power

is supplied by a set of two/three forced air-cooled IGBT based auxiliary

converters of suitable rating with provision for working either with fixed or
variable frequency. The single-phase supply required for ca bin/locomotive
lighting

is also

supplied from the a uxilia ry converter.

Cooling System

An efficient cooling system is

employed to cool the Power
modules. The GTO based Traction
converters are forced oil-cooled
while the IGBT based traction
Converters are forced water-cooled
Locos. Auxillary convertors are

for

forced air cooled

and AC EMU.

for both

Loco

Train Control and Monitoring System

The Train Control and Monitoring System (TCMS) also known as Vehicle

Control Unit (VCU) is composed of State-of-the-a rt Microprocessor/

Digital signal processors, remote l/O modules and driver display
modules. All these are interconnected by buses and communicate with
each other over a network complying to TCN (lEC 61375) protocol.
TCMS system administers the entire control of locomotive/EMU
operation at different levels (Train, Vehicle and Equipment) over the
network as defined in the Train Communication Network. The important
functions carried out by TCMS are tractive/bra king effort generation, regeneration of power to the
catenary during braking, four quadrant operation, control of all auxiliaries, diagnostic tasks with high
level of reliability, driver display with touch screen facility and automation for ease of operation. ln
add ition to the a bove basic functions, state ofthe a rt slip/slide detection and correction, brake blend ing,
fire protection and multi-loco operation features are a lso being executed byTCMS.

Powered Axle (Axle with Motors)

3 Phase Squirrel Cage lnduction Motors are used for traction
application owing to their ruggedness and low maintenance
features. The motors are axle hung, nose suspended with roller
bea ring a nd forced air cooled/self-ventilated.

Battery Charger
It is a compact forced-ai5ooled, microprocessor controlled unit
with a rated total power df 10KW suitable for operation in high
ambient temperature. Separate outputs for 110V DC loads and
battery are available. The battery charger is designed to perform the
role of charging or DC-DC conversion or a combination of both,
depending on the requirement ofthe system.

Driver's Screen (Cab Display)

The Driver Screen is a PC with colour monitor having touch
screen facility, which provides the following details to the
train driver

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Status information of all equipment of the train

Faults information and Warnings

Trip data and energy consum ption

Control of Passenger information displays etc.

Mechanical Design
All traction equipment viz., Transformer, Motor, Converter/

lnverter, etc. are designed to withstand extremely dusty

atmosphere, high temperatures, humidity and heavy
rainfall. They are also designed to withstand excessive
vibrations that are experienced because of high speed
running and u ndulating terra in.

Emerging Trends in Traction Technology

Availability of high power IGBT's has paved the way for building Traction Converters with IGBT power
modules. Similarly new developments in the area of Microprocessor based Controllers has also
resu lted in en ha nced performance. Some of the sa lient featu res of th is technology are

Power Stacks

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No snubber circuits

Smaller gate circuits

Higher switching frequency

Reliobility ( 30% longer MTBF )

Woter cooled system

lndividual oxle control configuration

Air Cooled IGBT Module

Water Cooled IGBT Module

IGBT
IGBT

Module

Control Philosophy

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Published Open Stondard Platform

Vendor independent

Stondord

RTOS

and third party Softwore tools

Stote-of-the-art Digitol Communicdtion os per

TCN - tEC

61375

Reduction in number of electronic cords

Eose of configurotion and modificotion using

PC bosedtool

Train Bus
Train Bus

Data transmission throughout a train

Control Modules

IGBT based Converter and lnverter for 3 Phase AC EMU

BHEL's Expertise and Capability in Traction

BHEL-EDN has established comprehensive world-class facilities

for its entire range of products,

systems and services. The assembly shops, test laboratories and other manufacturing centers are

well equipped with state-of-the-a rt facilities.

Manufacturing Facilities

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Fabrication shop with state-of-t

e-a rt CNC

machines

Air-conditioned PCB sub-assembly shop with antistatic flooring and a range of automated
component preparation and assembly units, computerised wave soldering machines etc.,
greatly enha nce the ma n ufactu ring

ca pa

bility

Modern Surface Mount Technology (SMT) line with screen printer, pick and place machine,

re-flow oven, inspection station etc., have been established to augment facilities for
ma nufactu ring of electron ic mod

les

with high density

su

rface mou nted com ponents

SMT line for PCB manufacturing

Testing Facilities

Facilities in the PCB test area include computerised testing of components using in-circuit

tester

The main equipment testing section includes world class facilities for functionaltest, short

circuit and temperature rise test. A number of specialised setups are built for functional
testing using simulation concepts

.i.

Device tester for testing of GTOs/lGBTs/Diodes

Comprehensive functional testing facility for modules equipped with test racks, fixtures
and specific test programmes which reduces cycle time fortesting of individual modules

Dedicated test bench for Converter (Traction/Auxilia ry) control rack and Vehicle Control
Electron ics

Environmental chamberforthermal cycling

Testing of Converter/lnverter and Control Electronics

for 3 Phase AC Locomotive

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Testing of6000HP GTO based power converter along with control being performed at BHEL EDN. Each power

module is being tested for full power capacity along with its cooling system. The electronic rack
fu nctiona lly tested with ded icated test jigs.

is

For Jfurlher information please contact

dfwlerr

BHARAT HEAVY ELECTRICALS LIMITED

ELECTRONICS DIVISION
P.B. No. 2606, Mysore Road, Bangalore - 560 026, lNDlA.
Tel: 080-26989042, Fax: 080-26989212. e-mail: [email protected]
Regd. Office: BHEL House, Siri Fort, New Delhi - 110 049.
Visit us at : www.bhel.com / www.bheledn.com
Note : Oue to continuous improvements and changes in technology, BHEL reserves the right to update tho intormation mentioned without notice.
EDN/08/fi/500/85RP