Railway switches are complex technical mechanisms with numerous moving parts. In winter, it is important to promptly clear them of snow and ice.
Electric heating of the turnout is used to maintain the operability of the mechanisms, and the automatic heating control system allows reducing the load on the operation service, optimizing energy consumption and increasing the safety of train traffic.
Automation of switch heating control using the example of Akhalkalaki station
Challenge
To organize an automatic control system for heating switches at the Akhalkalaki station (Georgia) as part of the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. Akhalkalaki is located in a mountainous area, which is characterized by temperature fluctuations and harsh climatic conditions in winter.
To do:
- Automatically control heating of turnouts when temperature changes.
- Remotely monitor the status of heating equipment.
Implementation
SIS Business Service specialists proposed a solution based on the SIMATIC automation system from Siemens. Control is carried out using cabinets based on Siemens ET 200 SP peripheral stations. At the top level is used the Simatic WinCC visualization system and a Siemens CPU.
The system allows the operator to:
- Monitor the operation of each railway switch
- Turn on or off the heating of switches in a specific direction
- Set the necessary parameters for automatic operation
- Monitor the load of each arrow, the state of insulation, the load on the transformer
- Receive data on electricity consumption from each panel
- Control the opening of the panel door
- Control the switching time of each arrow and underheating
- Receive information about errors of all switching components on the display
Project in numbers:
- 24 control panels
- 198 railway switches
- 2019/2020 implementation year
Benefits of implementing an automation system:
- Automatic switching on and off the heating of the switches depending on weather conditions.
- Remote control of the state of heating equipment and switching components.
- Consumption control and energy saving.
Rail switch heating automation
Presentation in PDF