In its continuous eandeavour to enhance safety in Railway operations, the Indian Railways is now adopting first ever unique modern technology for maintenance of its passenger coaches, wagons and locomotives. The new maintenance technique which uses acoustic method of diagnostics is known as Acoustic Bearing Detectors (ABD) & Wheel Impact Load Detectors (WILD). When used in combination together they are known as Online Monitoring of Rolling Stock (OMRS) systems. This technique involves placing arrays of microphones and sensors that record the audible noise and forces generated by the running coaches, wagons and locomotives. Conventional method to maintain passenger coaches, wagons and locomotives is to physically examine when these are in stationary condition at the maintenance depots. Under the new technique, the faults in the Rolling stock can be detected while on run which is a big advantage as it will make maintenance faster reducing turn around time for Rolling stocks thereby ensuring availability of high number of wagons/coaches etc. for operation.
The OMRS equipment is so sensitive and accurate that it is often able to indicate the specific sub-component that is not behaving the way it should and therefore causing abnormal noise. Moreover, this can be monitored remotely using mobile communication facilities. In the conventional method, it is nearly impossible to detect this problem unless major assemblies are completely dismantled and checked in the maintenance depot.
One such system, which is a combination of ABD, OMRS & WILD systems, is installed near Bakkas in Lucknow division of Northern Railway as a pilot project. It has successfully detected a number of wheel bearing faults avoiding the problem of wheel bearing becoming hot which results in the stoppage of the train at the station or worse still-in between two stations. WILD have been installed in 15 locations across the country in the initial phase and these have also detected faulty vehicles that have caused higher than normal impact force on the rails. These 15 locations are; Ajni, Asansol, Mughal Sarai-I, Mughal Sarai – II, Barwadih, Vishakhapatnam, Arakkonam, Gunakal, Mahalimarup, Dongargarh, Bilai, Hospet, Bina, Itarsi and New Katni.
Courtesy: Press Information Bureau (pib.nic.in)
1 comment:
Very interesting that ministry of railways has focusing on passenger safety, reduction of down time through using advanced safety measures like "ABD", " WILD" & "OMRS" in addition it will be necessary and need of the hour that INDIAN RAILWAYS need to focus on the following for ensure at most safety of passengers and marginalizing accidents, reduction of loss of human life..
The safety aspects of platform, track etc should be taken care to improve safety on and around train tracks.
Advanced electronic sensors and radar based technologies for railroad applications which can provide precise, reliable information in all weather conditions about speed and distance of rail vehicles.
The detection systems can be installed in platform, the railway crossings, in detecting the objects on the tracks etc.
Also the optical fibre track detention should be ideal to detect the breakages in the track for more safety.
The Platform Track Intrusion Detection System (PTIDS) is a radar transponder assembly for the surveillance of the tracks in front of a platform. An advanced sensor using radar technology provides surveillance coverage in front of platforms, between trains and at tunnel entrances. The sensor will trigger the safety systems in the stations to stop the train if an object is detected on the tracks. Virtually maintenance free, PTIDS provides weather proven safety without being compromised by rain, fog, paper, plastic bags etc. Bodies larger than 30 cm will trigger an alarm. The radar sensors are placed in modules. The length of a module is 2.5 meters.
Vehicle Detector is a radar based sensor that uses Doppler and FMCW mode simultaneously for detection of vehicles, e.g. trains, trucks, cars, moving or stationary. Speed and distance are measured simultaneously, providing high accuracy while being maintenance free. The vehicle detector is used in rough environments, e.g. railway tunnels to determine the presence and speed of a train. A sensor assembly along the track supports a system software to decide if the train is moving or has stopped, to determine it’s speed and direction and detect if a train has separated. The sensor is operating is therefore not disturbed by moisture, dust or smog. The sensor is maintenance free and does not require scheduled cleaning.
Radar Scanner is an automatic monitoring system for detection of objects (roadway traffic) located between the gates of a level crossing. It increases the safety for people and vehicles crossing the tracks, especially if they are trapped in full barrier level crossings. The systems sends and output signal “crossing clear’ or “crossing occupied”. The detection of obstructions occurs by means of a radar sensor measuring distances. With every rotation the radar generates a horizontal scan of the section of roadway between the railway gates. If an object is found to be inside the area that is being monitored, then a corresponding signal is send out to the level crossing control system that prevents clearance for the train passage.
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JAI HIND
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