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The TGV and the Assets of Energy Commutation

Availability and continuity of energy supply are major issues for Bullet Train railways like TGV. The new east European high speed train line benefits from advanced equipments, providing optimi- zations of energy supply in the key points of the .

TGV the fastest train in commercial operation Signaling Stations The fastest in commercial operation today are the Signaling Stations are not only used for signaling or keep- French Train à Grande Vitesse (TGV), the Japanese Shinkan- ing record for maintenance purposes but also to ensure many sen (or bullet train) and the German (ICE). different safety functions as detection of: The TGV routinely travels at 300 kilometers per hour through • Side winds, the French countryside and has been clocked at 515 kilometers • Seismic movement, per hour in test runs. • Vehicles falling from a bridge on the railway, TGV, using electric motors, has steel wheels that run on steel tracks. To perform this incredible speed, TGV has aero- • Abnormal warm axle on the train. dynamic designs to decrease wind resistance and, most of all, requires special lines and . SOCOMEC ATyS a must Integrated into the ARMATAN enclosures, the automatic Improve functioning safety transfer switch ensures the permutation between Main Supply and Alternate Supply. With its innovative automatic transfer TGV, which commenced operation in 1981, travels about switch ensuring Switching, Control and Monitoring, SOCOM- 10 million passenger kilometers each year with none on-board EC ATyS has been selected to equip the ARMANTAN enclo- fatality thanks to its infrastructures and design. sure. In 2007, with the start of a new European High Speed line, trains should be running routinely at 320 kilometers per hour. This line will be equipped with new European Rail Traf- ATyS Advantages fic Management System (ERTMS) launched by German and Among all the assets of the ATyS that seduced the Head French railway companies. The aim of ERTMS is to harmonise Engineering Department of the French Railwail Company the European signaling system, but also to improve safety, and (SNCF) are: rail network capacities, availability and punctuality. • The simple installation thanks to a Voltage Sensing In this frame work, the availability of electrical supply has Kit and Power Supply Kit, become a major issue to ensure safety through a reliable sig- • The compactness of the ATyS, naling system. • The possibility of a remote control of the ATyS, al lowing to choose at any time the most adapted pow ARMATAN Enclosures er supply. 33 ARMATAN enclosures will be installed along the 300 kilometers of the new line. ARMATAN stands for Normalized Further uses of the ATyS for the railway systems Alternative Voltage Supply Enclosures, in French “Armoire In the near future, other applications will benefit from the d’Alimentation en Tension Alternative Normalisee”. potential of ATyS like the heating of the course switching sys- The aim of these enclosures is to distribute the electrical tem. Other applications where the security and energy optimi- energy to the signaling stations. zations functions are key success factors.

Page 1 Lignes de Force • N. 14 • December 2005 The TGV bullet train and the Assets of Energy Commutation

“ATyS has none equivalent” ATyS in short

At the Head Engineering Department of the SNCF, Sebastien Chameyrat is very pleased of the SO- COMEC Automatic Transfer Switch choice, for which he has more applications in mind.

What were the technical specification you 33 ARMATAN enclosures ATyS 6m from 125 to 1600A provided to the engineers in charge of the equip the Signaling Stations energy distribution? along the new est European bullet train line. With the ATyS device, Thanks to the experience related to the building SOCOMEC offers the sole of the TGV Mediterranean Line, the technical product dedicated to the specifications had to take into account the mini- strategic function of auto- mization of the space required for the installation matic supply commutation How many ATyS have been installed in order to reduce real estate costs. As a result, which is fully compliante so far? solutions had to be compact, efficient and offer- with the norm IEC 60947- ing a good technical-economical ratio. In December 2005, 85% of the AR- 6-1. MATAN were installed and tests were What role does the power supply permuta- carried out. In view of the first integra- ATyS is fully “Plug & tion plays? tion, we are considering generalizing the Play” and offers motorized use of ATyS: the supply panel ARIAL on commutation of two load Two power supplies exist: the EDF (French classical train lines and 30 course switch break switch mechanically Electricity Board) network and the train over- centers are being equipped nowadays. interlocked. It is also equi- head lines. Thanks to the ATyS, the choice of the By Emmanuel IGOT ped of a emergency manual power supply can be done at any time. A permu- control. tation threshold toward the second power supply An electronic module ensure can be programmed in function of the network the monitoring of the power quality. supply and the control of the commutation. On the Did you recommend the ATyS to the installa- front panel of the ATyS, an tion company? egonomic interface will help you programming, monitor- You need to know that no other product features ing and communicating with two switched mounted head-to-tail that automat- Supply panel ARIAL are equiped with motorized changeover switches the equipment. ically ensures the load switching. On top of it the system is equipped with a measurement device and an alarm loop for a better versatility.

Professional Talk Thierry Jost, Product Manager at SOCOMEC

Power supply supervision the systems, the micro processor can be supplied 60s after the loss of the power supply, allowing the flip of a latch relay to turn on a The automation of the permutation Normal/Emergency on the Genset for example. ATyS system has been designed according to the IEC 60947-6-1. It • Validate the presence of the substitute of emergency power integrates a precise and adjustable detection of the presence of the supply. A checking of a similar phases rotation of both power sup- normal or emergency power supply. This function makes it possible ply is also performed for a transfer with full security. to monitor the network voltage, frequency and phases rotation in order to: Optimization of energy consumption • Detect abnormal performances of the power supply in use (long term drift outward of the voltage limits) and start the Thanks to the supervision of the power supply, the energy cost permutation process. Supplied by the commuting power supplies, can as well be optimized: the permutation on the power supply ATyS integrates a capacitor allowing to postpone the starting up of can be programmed according to different energy rate during time substitute or emergency power supply without requiring external slots. Test, permutations can be performed remotely thanks to a power supply (like 12 or 24V DC). Thanks to the dimensions of function of communication.

Lignes de Force • N. 14 • December 2005 Page 2