ABB to enhance power quality for India's longest freight train network

Industrial technology provider ABB Friday said it will supply equipment to enhance power quality at rail line along the country's longest freight corridor, helping trains run at optimum speed.

"ABB will supply a step-less Power Quality Compensator Reactive (PQCR), which helps to regulate and stabilize the power supply when there are dynamic and highly fluctuating loads," the company said in a statement here.

In addition, ABB will also supply fixed and dynamic reactive power compensation panels at 23 traction substations, it added.

The Dedicated Freight Corridor (DFC) is an ambitious infrastructure development designed to enable the efficient movement of freight containers across the vast geography of the country. It is expected to relieve congestion on commuter routes and drive industrial growth and investments in these regions.

"ABB will play a key role by enhancing the system's reliability with an innovative power quality solution," it said.

The solution will be implemented in the western segment of the DFC between Mumbai and Dadri that covers a distance of more than 1,500 km.

The DFC will run between the four cities known as the Golden Quadrilateral - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata - and will be developed by the Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India Ltd (DFCCIL).

DFCCIL expects to transport up to 15,000 tonne of load for long distances and will have a container capacity of 400 units per train, among the highest in the world.

To cope with the volume, DFCCIL is pioneering the operation of double stack containers on electrified routes in India.

The trains will be high-speed, with maximum speed varying between 75-100 kmph.

"Such high speeds and variation of loads can affect power consumption patterns, creating significant voltage fluctuations and low power factor that cause power quality issues in the electrical railway traction systems," ABB said.

This fluctuation could result in equipment malfunction and even downtime. Power quality issues can also spread through the supply grid, creating a domino effect of disturbances to other users.

The potential risk of non-compliance to grid codes can also lead to financial penalties.

By improving the reliability of the grid and reducing downtime, ABB's innovative PQCR technology will help DFCCIL optimise the operating costs of its freight network.

ABB offers power products and solutions in low, medium and high-voltage applications for utility, industrial, infrastructure and transportation sectors.