RK University

SDS ElECTRICAL DEPARTMENT

Subject: ET&C Prepaid by :Dhara Kalola

Chapter:1 Electric traction system

Driving forward of the vehicle is called traction and the system. Which employs this type
of mechanism is called traction system.

Proportion of the vehicle is called traction

Traction means to move forward a vehicle ... and so a

System when move forward by means by electric is known is electric traction..... in
electric traction mainly we have to
Run a motor by means of electric ...and for running a motor
We need some power cut and control act ....
Electric traction means using the electric power for traction system (i.e. For railways,
trams, trolleys etc). Electric traction means use of the electricity for all the above
machines.
Broadly speaking, all traction systems may be classified into two categories : ( a) non-
electric traction systems (B) electric traction system

( a) non-electric traction systems : They do not involve the use of electrical energy at
any stage. Examples are : steam engine drive used in railways and internal-combustion-
engine drive used for road transport.

( b) Electric traction systems : They involve the use of electric energy at some stage or
the other. They may be further sub-divided into two groups 1. The first group consists of
self-contained vehicles or locomotives. Examples are : battery-electric drive and diesel-
electric drive etc.

2. Second group consists of vehicles which receive electric power from a distribution
network fed at suitable points from either central power stations or suitably-spaced sub-
stations.

Examples are : railway electric locomotive fed from overhead as supply and tramways
and trolley buses supplied with a DC supply.
Requirements of an ideal traction system

The starting attractive effort should be high so as to have rapid acceleration.

The wear on the track should be minimum.

The equipments should be capable of withstanding large temporary loads.

Speed control should be easy.

Pollution free

Low initial and maintenance cost.

The locomotive should be self contained and able to run on any route.

Different systems of traction:

Non- Electrical traction system

Direct steam engine drive

Direct IC engine drives

Electric traction system

Steam electric drive

IC engine electric drive

Petrol electric traction

Battery electric drive

Electric drive

Merits of electric traction

High starting torque.

Less maintenance cost

The cheapest method of traction

Rapid acceleration and braking

Less vibration
 Free from smoke and flue gases hence used for underground and tubular railway.

Demerits of electric traction

High capital cost.

Problem of supply failure.

The electrically operated vehicles have to move on a guided track only.

Additional equipment is required for achieving electric braking and control.

Direct Steam Engine

Its a reciprocating system

Advantage
Driving wheel is connected to the cylinder
The locomotive is self contained therefore , it is not tied at any route
Initial Investment required is low
Simply Control
Cheap for low density traffic area (city)
Disadvantage of Steam Engine
Require more repair and maintenance
It is a non condensing type so efficiency is 6 to 8 %
Overload capacity of a steam locomotive is limited, they can use 50 to 60 %
Speed depends upon injection of coal , generally 2 to 2.7 tons / Hour
Limited availability , periodic stops necessary to clean ash pan so that run only 160 km

Direct internal combustion engine

Advantage
At 600 to 1000 RPM at I.C engine have 25 % efficiency
It is a self contained unit so it is not tied to any route
The initial investment is low
Speed control and braking system employed is very simple
Disadvantage
10 % Overload capacity
Speed control is possible by using a gearbox
The life of propulsion equipment is very short
Maintenance and running costs are higher
Fuel is imported into our country
Torque in I.C engine is constant so not used in full capacity.
 Internal combustion engine electric drive (Diesel electric drive)

Advantage
The initial investment is low, there is no overhead structure
High acceleration and braking retardation
Power loss in speed control is very low with carried out by field control
The locomotive is self contained therefore , it is not tied at any route, and that run on 6
days/week
Overall efficiency is greater than the steam (45%)
Disadvantage
Diesel engine cannot overload only 10 capacity %
A special cooling system is required to motor generator set
Running and maintenance cost is high
Dead weight is more
Oil is imported to our company
For same power output diesel electrical is costlier than steam
In India 4 types of diesel electric drive
Main line Diesel electric drive of 2000 HP. That E.L 160 km/H
Shunting locomotive capacity is 300 to 500 HP that max speed 25 to 50 km/H
Diesel electric multiple unit (demu) capacity is 180 to 200 HP .and speed 80 t0 100 km/H
A Diesel electric rail car that capacity is 600 HP and that connect more than one coach.
In Saurastra Janta express runs on 80-100 km/h and 3850 HP

Advantage of electric drive

Cleanliness. Since it does not produce any smoke or corrosive fumes, electric traction is
most suited for underground and tube railways

Maintenance Cost. The maintenance cost of an electric locomotive is nearly 50% of that
for a steam locomotive.

Starting Time. An electric locomotive can be started at a moment's notice whereas a

steam locomotive requires about two hours to heat up.

High Starting Torque. The motors used in electric traction have a very high starting
torque. Hence, it is possible to achieve higher accelerations of 1.5 to 2.5 km/h/s as against
0.6 to 0.8 km/h/s in steam traction.

Braking. It is possible to use regenerative braking in electric traction system.

Speed: Better control of speed control by using different methods

 Steam locomotives use costly high-grade coal which is not so abundant. But electric
locomotives can be fed either from hydroelectric stations or pit-head thermal power
stations which use cheap low-grade coal.

Disadvantage of electric drive

The high cost of laying out the overhead electric supply system.

Power failure for few minutes can cause traffic dislocation for hours.

Communication lines which usually run parallel to the power supply lines suffer from
electrical interference.

Electric traction can be used only on those routes which have been electrified. Provision
of a negative booster is essential in the case of electric traction. By avoiding the flow of
return currents through the earth

Systems of Railway Electrification

Direct current system600 V, 750 V, 1500 V, 3000 V

Single-phase AC system15-25 KV, 216, 25 and 50 Hz

Three-phase AC system3000-3500 V at 16Hz3

A composite system

(a) kando system (single-phase ac into 3-phase ac or dc)

(b) Single phase AC to D.C. system

Direct Current System

Direct current at 600-750 V is universally employed for tramways in urban areas and in
many suburban railways while 1500-3000 V DC is used for main line railways.
The current collection is from third rail (or conductor rail) up to 750 V, where large
currents are involved and from overhead wire for 1500 V and 3000 V
These sub-stations themselves receive power from 110/132 KV, 3-phase network (or
grid). At these substations, this high-voltage 3-phase supply is converted into low-voltage
1-phase supply with the help of Scott-connected or V-connected 3-phase transformers
(Art. 31.9). Next, this low AC voltage is converted into the required DC voltage by using
suitable rectifiers or converters
It may be noted that for heavy suburban service, low voltage DC system is undoubtedly
superior to 1-phase AC system due to the following reasons :
 1. DC motors are best suited for frequent and rapid acceleration of heavy trains than AC
motors.
2. DC train equipment is lighter, less costly and more efficient than similar AC
equipment.
3. When operating under similar service conditions, DC train consumes less energy than a
1-phase a train.
4. The conductor rail for the DC distribution system is less costly, both initially and in
maintenance than the high-voltage overhead AC distribution system.
5. The DC system causes no electrical interference with overhead communication lines.
The only disadvantage of DC system is the necessity of locating AC/DC conversion sub-
stations at relatively short distances apart.

Single-Phase Low-frequency AC System

In this system, AC voltages from 11 to 15 kW at 16 2/3 or 25 Hz are used. If supply is

from a generating station exclusively meant for the traction system, there is no difficulty
in getting the electric supply of 16 2/3 or 25 Hz.
If, however, electric supply is taken from the high voltage transmission 3 lines at 50 Hz,
then in addition to a step-down transformer, the substation is provided with a frequency
converter. The frequency converter equipment consists of a 3-phase synchronous motor
which drives a I-phase alternator having or 25 Hz frequency. The 15 KV 16 2/3 or 25 Hz
supply is fed to the electric locomotives via a single over-head wire 3 (running rail
providing the return path).
A step-down transformer carried by the locomotive reduces the 15-kV voltage to 300-400
V for feeding the AC series motors. Speed regulation of a series motor is achieved by
applying a variable voltage from the tapped secondary of the above transformer.

Low-frequency AC supply is used because apart from improving the commutation

properties of AC motors, it increases their efficiency and power factor. Moreover, at low
frequency, line resistance is less so that line impedance drop and hence line voltage drop is
reduced. Because of this reduced line drop, it is feasible to space the substations 50 to 80 km
apart. Another advantage of employing low frequency is that it reduces telephonic interference

Three-phase Low-frequency AC System

It uses 3-phase induction motors which work on a 3.3 KV, 16 2/3 Hz supply. Substations
receive power at a very high voltage from 3-phase transmission lines at the usual
industrial frequency of 50 Hz. This high voltage is stepped down to 3.3 KV by
transformers whereas frequency is reduced from 50 Hz to 16 Hz by frequency converters
installed in the sub-stations. Obviously, this system employs two overhead contact wires,
the track rail forming the third phase (of course, this leads to insulation difficulties at the
junctions).
 Induction motors used in the system are quite simple and robust and give trouble-free
operation.
They possess the merits of high efficiency and operating as a generator when driven at
speeds above the synchronous speed. Hence, they have the property of automatic
regenerative braking during the descent on gradients. However, it may be noted that
despite all its advantages, this system has not found much favor and has, in fact, become
obsolete because of its certain inherent limitations given below :

1. The overhead contact wire system becomes complicated at crossings and junctions.

2. Constant-speed characteristics of induction motors are not suitable for traction work.

3. Induction motors have speed/torque characteristics similar to DC shunt motors. Hence,

they are not suitable for parallel operation because, even with little difference in rotational speeds
caused by unequal diameters of the wheels, motors will become loaded very unevenly.

Composite System.

Two such composite systems presently in use are :

1. 1-phase to 3-phase system also called Kando system

2. 1-phase to dc system

Kando System

In this system, single-phase 16-kV, 50 Hz supply from the sub-station is picked up by the
locomotive through the single overhead contact wire. It is then converted into 3-phase AC
supply at the same frequency by means of phase converter equipment carried on the
locomotives. This 3-phase supply is then fed to the 3-phase induction motors.
Ordinary 3-phase system is replaced by a single wire system. By using silicon controlled
rectifier as an inverter, it is possible to get variable-frequency 3-phase supply at 1/2 to 9
Hz frequency. At this low frequency, 3-phase motors develop high starting torque without
taking excessive current.

Single-phase AC to DC System

This system combines the advantages of high-voltage ac distribution at industrial

frequency with the dc series motors traction. It employs overhead 25-kV, a 50-Hz supply
which is stepped down by the transformer installed in the locomotive itself.This system
combines the advantages of high-voltage ac distribution at industrial frequency with the
dc series motors traction. It employs overhead 25-kV, 50-Hz supply which is stepped
down by the transformer installed in the locomotive itself.
 The low-voltage ac supply is then converted into dc supply by the rectifier which is also
carried on the locomotive.
This dc supply is finally fed to dc series traction motor fitted between the wheels. The
system of traction employing 25-kV, 50-Hz, 1-phase ac supply has been adopted for all
future track electrification in India.