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CHAPTERI

POWERSUPPLYFORTRACTION

20100SupplySystem

1.Thesinglephase50Hzpowerfortheelectrictractionisobtainedfrom220/132/110/66kVExtraHigh
Voltage3phasegridsystemthroughstepdownsinglephasetransformers.Forthispurposeduplicatefeeders
comprisingofonly2phasesarerunfromthenearestgridsubstationoftheSupplyAuthoritytothetraction
substation.ThebriefdescriptionofthesystemisgiveninChapter2ofVolumeI.The25kVsinglephase
conventionalsystemasadoptedonIndianRailwayshasbeendescribedinthatchapter.Aschematicdiagram
ofthetractionsubstationandfeedingpostindicatingthegeneralfeedingarrangementisindicatedatFig.
1.01.

Salienttechnicalfeaturesofthe2x25kVAutoTransformer(AT)feedsystemareindicatedinChapterXI.

20101LiaisonwithPowerSupplyAuthorities

Forensuringcontinuityandreliabilityofpowersupplyfortractionitisimportantthateffectiveliaisonis
maintainedbetweentheofficialsofRailwayandSupplyAuthorities.Broadlyactiononthefollowinglinesbe
taken:

a)Asystemofperiodicmeetingsatdifferentlevelsatmutuallyagreedintervalsneedstobeevolved.

b)Reliabilityofsupplyinvolvesalsothemaintenanceoftractionvoltagebetween25kVand27.5kVatthe
feedingpostsandfrequencybetween48.5Hzand51.5Hz.TheseriousrepercussionsonRailwaytrafficifthe
abovelimitsarenotadheredtoshouldbeconstantlyimpressedupontheSupplyAuthorities.

c)Thetractionloadshouldbetreatedasessentialloadandshouldnotbedisconnectedorreducedtomeet
supplysystemexigencies.ThisprinciplehasbeenacceptedbymostSupplyAuthoritiesandwherethishasnot
beendone,constanteffortsshouldbemadeatthehighlevelperiodicmeetingstogetthisprincipleaccepted.

d)Sincethecumulativeeffectoffrequentpowersupplyinterruptions,eventhoughofshortdurationatatime,
canbeveryserioustoRailwayworking,aperiodicalreviewofsuchinterruptionsshouldbemadeatthe
Divisionallevelandthecauseofeachinterruptionascertainedasfaraspossible.Theresultsofthereview
shouldbefurnishedtoCEEtokeephimfullyinformedofthepowersupplyposition.Thissubjectshouldalso
formanimportantitemfordiscussionattheperiodicmeetingswiththeSupplyAuthorities.

e)PowerSupplyforelectrictractionshouldbegovernedbyaspecificAgreemententeredintobytheRailway
withtheconcernedSupplyAuthoritybeforethesupplyisactuallytaken.Wherethishasnotbeendonealready,
urgentactionshouldbetakentohaveitfinalizedwithoutdelay.

f)Whengridsupplytoanytractionsubstationfailsandconsequentlyemergencyworkinghastoberesorted
tobyextendingthefeedfromadjacentsubstations,themaximumdemandatthesesubstationsmaygoup.
MostSupplyAuthoritieshaveagreedtoignoresuchtemporaryincreaseinmaximumdemandforbilling
purposes.Wherethishasnotyetbeenagreedto,effortsshouldbecontinuedtopersuadetheSupply
Authoritiestoacceptthisprinciple.

g)Thepresentmethodologyofmeasuringmaximumdemandateachindividualsubstationsforthepurposeof
billinghasbeenreviewedbytheCentralElectricityAuthority.IthasbeenagreedthatRailwaysshouldbe
chargedfortractionpoweronthebasisofsimultaneousmaximumdemandrecordedincontiguoussubstations
oftheSEBservicedbythesamegridtransformers.Modalitiestoimplementthedecisionwouldhavetobe
mutuallysettledbetweenSEB'sandRailways,withcostoftheequipmentbornebyRailways.

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20102TariffforTraction

a)InElectricTractiontheenergycostformsasubstantialportionofthetotaloperatingandmaintenancecost.
ThetariffschargedbyvariousstateElectricityBoardsvaryfromasimpleflatratefortheenergy(chargedby
somestateslikeMSEB&GEB)toaverycomplextariffstructurecoveringavarietyofparameters(as
indicatedinthetariffchargedbyMPEB).Theimplicationsofthevariousparametersshouldbestudied
carefullytokeeptheenergycosttotheminimumpossiblelevel.

b)ContractDemandforeachsubstationshouldbestipulatedinrelationtotheexpectedactualMaximum
Demandinsuchamannerthatinfructuouspaymentsbywayofminimumguaranteeontheonehandandpenal
chargesforexceedingthecontractdemandontheother,areavoided.NoticeperiodforalteringContract
Demandshouldalsobekeptaslowaspossibleintheagreement,preferably4to6weeks.

c)Inthetariffchargedforelectrictraction,followingaresomeoftheparametersthatshouldbegivencareful
considerationwithaviewtokeepingdowntheenergybilltotheminimum:

i)MaximumdemandchargeRsAVA/month:Normallyonefeederis"ON"forfeedingthetractionload.Iftwo
setsoftrivectormetersareprovided,thehigherofthetwoshouldbetheMDtobecharged.Cautionmaybe
exercisedtoensurethatadditionofbothisnottakenasMDinbilling.

ii)EnergychargePaisa/kWh.

iii)FuelAdjustmentCharge(FAC)accountingforthevariationsincostoffuelandcalorificvaluecomparedto
stipulatedbasisfigures.ThischargeshouldberealisticandshouldbeperiodicallyverifiedwiththeSupply
Authorities.

iv)Penaltyforlowpowerfactor:ThepenalchargeisprescribedasanextraamountleviableinRs/kVAof
MaximumDemandifpowerfactorfallsbelowaspecifiedvalue.SEBsusuallyinsistonconsumerprovidingPF
correctingequipmentanddonotpermitpowerfactorlowerthanaprescribedvalue.

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v)BillingDemandisusuallyacertainpercentageofcontractdemandortheactualMDwhicheverishigher.

vi)ExcessoverContractDemandandcorrespondingunitsofenergyareusuallychargedathighertariff
(excludingFAC).EveniftheexcessMDisforashortperiodofjust15min.,proportionateunitsfortheentire
montharechargedatpenalrate.OneoftheSEBsdoescomputationofexcessenergyasunder:

ExcessEnergy=TU(1CD/MD),

whereTU=TotalEnergy

MD=MaximumDemand

CD=ContractDemand

TheContractdemandtherefore,hastobecarefullydetermined,andreviewedperiodicallyandifnecessary
modifiedtoavoidpenalcharges.

vii)MinimumGuarantee

Usually,theagreementwithSEBstipulateapercentagereturnof15to20%onthecapitalcostinvestedbythe
SEBforgivingtheconnection,asminimumguarantee.Thisisgenerallymetbythepatternofenergy
consumptionintraction.However,minimumguaranteeinsomecasesisspecifiedintermsofguaranteed
averageloadfactor(say30%).ThistiesuptheContractDemandwiththeunitsconsumed.

IfafewheavytrainsoperateinasectionraisingtheMaximumDemandhigh,theaverageloadfactormaynot
reach30%unlessadequatefrequencyofpassengertrainsalsoformspartofthetrafficpattern.Here,if
contractdemandistoohigh,30%loadfactorisdifficulttoachievewhileifcontractdemandistoolow,
exceedingitandattractingpenalchangesbecomesapossibility.Carefulbalancebetweenthetwoconflicting
requirementshas,therefore,tobestruck.

viii)HarmonicVoltageDistortion

TheconsumerisrequiredtocarryoutHarmonicAnalysisunderfullloadconditions.Itisstipulatedthatthe
individualharmonicvoltagedistortion(Vn)andtotalharmonicvoltagedistortion(Vt)atthepointofsupply
shallnotexceed1%and3%respectively.

VRMSvalueoffundamentalvoltage.

VnRMSvalueofharmonicvoltageoforder"n",expressedaspercentageofRMSvalueofthefundamental
andshallbecalculatedusingthefollowingexpression:

d)ThetariffchargedfortractionshouldbereviewedperiodicallywiththeSEB.Itshouldbeensuredthatthe
ratesdonotexceedthosechargedinEHVtariffoftheSEBapplicabletootherconsumers.

20103MonthlyMeterReadings

a)InearlierRailwayElectrificationinstallations,onlyonesetofmetersownedbytheSupplyAuthoritieshas
beeninstalledtometerthetractionload.Inlaterinstallations,asecondsetofmetersisbeingprovidedonthe
substationswitchboardatRailwayscost.Whereonlyonesetofmetersbelongingtothesupplyauthorityis
installedyearlytestingofthemetershouldbecarriedout.Ifitsaccuracyisindoubtatanypointoftime,the
Railwayisentitledtoaskfortestingandcertificationofthemeter.Whereasecondsetofmetershasbeen
providedatRailwayscost,thefiguresforbillingpurposesshouldordinarilybebasedontheaveragereadings
ofthetwosetsofmeters,unlessspecificallyprovidedforotherwiseintheAgreement.Theexactprocedure
coveringtheseaspectsshouldbeembodiedintheAgreementwiththeSupplyAuthorities.

b)Themonthlymeterreadingsshouldbetakenonanagreeddateeachmonthjointlybyrepresentativesofthe
SupplyAuthorityandtheRailway.Themetercardaswellastheprintornaxigraphchartreadingshowingthe
maximumdemandforthemonthshouldbeinitialledbyrepresentativesofbothparties.Onlyreadingsjointly
recordedasaboveshouldbeacceptedforbillingpurposes.

c)Whenvisitingthegridsubstationsfortakingmeterreadings,thesupervisoryofficialconcernedwillalso
obtainadditionalinformationsuchasdailymaximumdemandfortraction,powerfactor,loadfactor,variation
ofvoltage,changesinthesystemofinterconnection,whichhaveabearingonpowersupplyfortraction.
SuggestionsforsuitablechangesintheSupplyAuthority'snetworkmaybemadeatappropriatelevelandif

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necessaryconcreteproposalsinitiatedformakingpowersupply100%reliable.

20104ScrutinyofBills

a)TheSupplyAuthoritiesbillsshouldbecarefullyscrutinizedintheDivisionalofficewithreferencetothe
Agreementandthetariff.AtimescheduleshouldbelaiddownjointlywiththeAccountsDepartmentfor
scrutinyandpassingofthebillsoastotakeadvantageoftherebateadmissible,ifany,forpromptpayment.
Penalchargeslevied,ifany,shouldbecarefullyscrutinizedandappropriateremedialmeasurestakento
preventrecurrence.Iftheminimumchargepayableisinexcessoftheamountwarrantedbytheactualenergy
consumption,thisfactshouldbepromptlybroughttothenoticeofCEEaswellastheoperatingDepartmentto
takespecialstepstoarrangeformovementofadditionaltraffic,totheextentpossible,intheaffectedsection,
includingdiversionfromotherroutes.

b)Detailedinstructionsshouldbeissuedlocally,jointlywiththeAccountsDepartment,listingtheitemstobe
checkedpriortopassingthebillsfromtheSupplyAuthorities.Anillustrativelistisgivenbelow:

i)Arithmeticalaccuracy.

ii)Meterreadingsshownonthebilltallywiththosereceivedearlierfromthesubordinates.

iii)Thetariffappliedisintermsoftheagreement.

iv)Themethodofcomputationofthemaximumdemandforbillingpurposesisinaccordancewiththe
agreementandthattemporaryincreaseinmaximumdemandonaccountofemergencyfeedinghasnotbeen
takenintoaccountwherethisprinciplehasbeenaccepted.

v)Thetimeallowedforpaymentisinaccordancewiththeagreement,

vi)Thereisnoduplicationinbilling.

vii)Thepayeeasprovidedforintheagreementisclearlyindicated.Thefullparticularsofthepayeeshouldbe
advisedtotheAccountsBranchtoenablethatBranchtoissuechequesaccordingly.

viii)Eachnewbillshouldbeanalyzedandcomparedwithearlierbillandthereasonsforanysignificant
departuresinvestigated.

Incaseofanydispute/discrepancy,thepaymentbemade"underprotest".

20105PowerFactorImprovement

a)Provisionofpowerfactorimprovementcapacitorsat25kVbusoftractionsubstationsshouldbeplanned
givingprioritytosubstations(i)whichfeedlargemarshallingyardsand(ii)wherepenaltyforlowpowerfactor
and/orexceedingmaximumdemandhasbeenstipulatedinthetariff.

b)TheaveragemonthlypowerfactoriscalculatedasratioofkWhandkVAhoveramonth.Careshouldbe
takentomakesurethatitdoesnotgo'leading'whileP.F.correctingequipmentisusedandiskeptnearunity.
Switchedcapacitorbeusedwhereloadvariationsarewide.

c)TheGuidelinesissuedbyRDSOinrespectofselectionofthekVArratingshouldbekeptinviewatthetime
ofplanning.

20106ShutDownsofTractionSupplytobePrePlanned

a)Atallgridsubstationsandtractionsubstationsownedbytherailways,duplicateEHVfeedersare
available.Mostofthesubstationsalsohavetwosetsoftractionpowertransformersandassociated
switchgear.Maintenanceofequipmentandtransmissionlinesshouldnot,therefore,necessitatetotalshut
downofEHVand25kVsupplyatasubstation.ItshouldbearrangedwiththeSupplyAuthoritiesthatonthe
rareoccasionswhensuchshutdownbecomesinescapable,noticeshouldbegivenwellinadvancetoSr.
DEE/DEE(TrD)statingthereasonsfortheshutdownandtheanticipatedduration.Suchshutdownsshouldbe
arrangedbySr.DEE/DEE(TrD)inconsultationwiththeOperatingDepartmentwhichmayhavetoreschedule
trainsandtakeaothermeasuresasnecessary.

b)AdoublecircuitsetoftransmissionlinesfromtheGridSubstationareruntogivesupplytotractionsub
station.Therefore,maintenanceofthetransmissionlinedoesnotnecessiatestotalshutdownofthesystems.
However,allsuchshutdownsshouldbeplannedwellinadvancegivingthereasonsfortheshutdownand
anticipatedduration.

20107OperatingInstructionsforGridSubStations

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DetailedoperatinginstructionsmutuallyagreedtobetweentheSupplyAuthoritiesandtheRailwayshouldbe
madeoutforeachgridsubstationaswellastractionsubstationownedbytheRailwayandshouldbeissued
toTPCaswellasoperatorsatgridstations.Theseinstructionsshouldcontainthefollowingdetails:

a)Procedureforcarryingoutswitchingoperationsatthesubstation.

b)Procedureforinterchangeofmessageofpreplannedoremergencyshutdowns.

c)Proceduretobefollowedincaseoffailureofsupplyandinformationtobeconveyedbygridsubstation
operatorregardingdurationoffailureandanticipatedtimeofrestorationtoenableemergencyworkingtobe
introduced.

d)RecordstobemaintainedbygridsubstationoperatorandTPCregardingemergencyfeedarrangements.

e)Listofofficeandresidentialtelephonenumbersofimportantgridandrailwayofficialstobecontactedinan
emergency.

f)Mutualassistancetoberenderedfortransmissionofimportantmessagesintheeventoftelephonefailures
atthegridsubstationsorRCC.

20108StatisticalDataRegardingEnergyConsumption

Inthedivisionaloffice,aregistershouldbemaintainedtorecordmonthwisethefollowingparticularsin
regardtoenergyconsumptionateachsupplypoint:

a)Energyconsumption(kWh)

b)Maximumdemand(kVA)

c)Averagepowerfactor(kWh/kVAh)

d)Monthlyaverageloadfactor(percent)

e)Paymentforenergy

f)Paymentformaximumdemand

g)Paymenttowardsmeterrent

h)Paymentoffuelsurcharges,ifany

i)PaymentforP.F.surcharge/penalcharge

j)Paymentofcoveringtheminimumguaranteeload,ifany

k)Otherpayments,ifany

l)Totalamountofbillunderallheads

i)AveragetotalcostperkWh

AconsolidatedstatementgivingtheabovedetailsforallsupplypointsshouldbefurnishedbySr.DEEfTrD)to
CEEeachmonthbyastipulateddate.CEEwillinturnfurnishamonthlystatementintheprescribedproforma
totheRailwayBoardandResearchDesignandStandardsOrganization(RDSO).

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