Monitoring the Technical Condition of AC Electric Locomotives using Traction Energy Consumption Rates

Abstract

Currently, the methods of monitoring the technical condition of locomotives using data of on-board microprocessor-based control systems are widely used. This monitoring of Russia has become an operating technology of the locomotive maintenance and repair system.The main problem of monitoring is the limited set of sensors in locomotive circuits. Increased number of sensors leads to a decrease in reliability and to an increase in the cost of a locomotive and of its life cycle, while allowing to achieve better quality of diagnostic information.Besides, it is advisable to have integrated indicators of the technical condition of a locomotive. The article presents a computer software product for analysing the technical condition of a locomotive based on dynamic data on consumption of traction active power and generation of reactive power. The software was developed by using algorithmic language Visual BASIC for Applications, embedded in MS Excel, using probabilistic and statistical methods of analysis.The method for diagnosing the technical condition of a locomotive within the monitoring system is based on a comparison of dynamics of consumption of active and generation of reactive power by two sections of the same locomotive according to the principle of functional benchmarking. For monitoring the technical condition of locomotives, the term «pre-failure» is suggested, which is defined as the operable condition of a locomotive while there are internal hidden defects or damage. Pre-failure manifests itself in power consumption. To analyse the technical condition of AC electric locomotives in terms of electricity consumption, the initial data must have a high degree of unimodality, which is determined by uniformity of operating conditions.The resulting data obtained following the analysis of the technical condition of a locomotive based on the dynamic data on consumption of tractive active energy and generation of reactive power can be used to determine a defect that causes a change in consumption of electricity at the moment when the locomotive enters technical maintenance and repair depot. *Information about the authors: Semenov, Alexander P. – Ph.D. (Eng), General Director of JSC Research Institute of Technology, Control and Diagnostics of Railway Transport, Omsk, Russia, corp@niitkd.ru. Semchenko, Victor V. – Ph.D. (Eng), General Director of JSC Railroad Centre of Technology Implementation of Krasnoyarsk Railway, Krasnoyarsk, Russia, office@dcv.ru. Khromov, Igor Yu. – Business Analyst of LLC2050-Integrator, Moscow, Russia, KhromovIYu@yandex.ru. Article received 13.05.2020, accepted 23.10.2020. For the original Russian text of the article please see p. 62.