CP Power and Automation Ltd

72Vdc Portable Battery Charger for Rail Application

Application

The customer had a situation where the Pantograph on their trains needed to be lifted to make connection with overhead cables. This was done via a battery system which was normally charged during the running of the train. In depot / servicing situations these batteries were sometimes run flat which meant the train could not be started / moved without first recharging this battery pack.

Solution

Our engineers designed a visible yellow cabinet on castors and were issued with a diecast metal battery plug by the train company. Inside the cabinet were 4 x 72Vdc 600W modules set up to produce an 83.7Vdc charging voltage, but because these modules are identical they can be easily interchanged in the event of a single module failure. The system operated from a 230Vac mains input, again with a specific mains plug to suit the customers site.

All the connections are made via input and output cables wound onto a handy cable storage device at the rear. There is a handle for easy maneuvering and version 2 of the product was fitted with a flashing beacon to show charging operation.

Note: Once commissioning on site there was an issue with a very low earth leakage trip level on the customers distribution board. Our engineers managed to solve this by changing capacitors in the input stage of the power modules to ensure compatibility.