Press Releases

High-Speed Train Relies on Moeller

An upgrade to the power supply of one of Spain's high-speed AVE (Alta Velocidad Espaņola) rail links has cut inter-city travel time along the route by one hour.

AVE trains now reach speeds of over 300 km/h for 100 kilometres of the 530 kilometre journey between the cities of Madrid and Lleida, relying on Moeller circuit-breakers and other system components to ensure their power supply.

The upgrade to the link included no fewer than 960 of Moeller's 1000 volt circuit-breakers, all equipped with motor operators.

Moeller components were selected because of the particularly demanding requirements specified for components in systems supplying power to high-speed railways.

Operating conditions are extremely harsh, and components must be especially rugged in order to ensure reliable and safe service over a long lifespan.

Specified standards for component products in the Madrid-Lleida power supply upgrade stipulated ambient conditions such as shock and vibration, extended temperature ranges, and variances in humidity and voltage.

The AVE link has a power supply network incorporating sensors along its entire distance, with twelve different types of sensor detecting potential dangers such as fallen objects on the rails in front of tunnels and overpasses, tunnel fires and abnormal wind speeds.

The network provides a constant power supply to the system, which integrates a number of its own substations, transformers and generators for control from a central station in Saragossa via fibre optic cables.

Altogether 241 sections were installed along the line, comprising consumer panels for supplying the different sensors, and supplier panels that guarantee the constancy of power supply.

The line is fed with a 750V AC single-phase voltage which is transformed in each section to 230V AC. All elements are remotely controlled with 24V DC and 125V DC.

Moeller supplied various products for the AVE, such as model NZM2 and NZM10 circuit-breakers up to 1600 amps, Xpole modular rail-mounted devices, DIL contactors from the xStart series, and easy control relays.

The NZM circuit-breakers are designed with an operating voltage of
690 V AC for switch operations in two-phase systems, and are used for an operating voltage of 1000 V and various current ratings from 20 amps.

All circuit-breakers are remotely controlled and fed with a 24 V DC auxiliary voltage.

Around 1000 Xpole protective switches are used with different current ratings for various applications, each switch being remotely controlled with a 24 V DC supply and control voltage.

A system involving Moeller easy800 control relays is used for the selective tripping of circuit-breakers that protect and co-ordinate the 750-volt AC power supply (operation at normal and maximum load), and where the specified current rating must be observed precisely.

The Spanish AVE high-speed rail system is based on the French TGV.

Three connections are in operation: Madrid-Toledo, Madrid-Lleida, and Madrid-Seville.

A fourth section from Madrid to Barcelona is currently under construction.

All sections have been constructed in the European standard gauge system (1435mm) instead of the wide gauge (1668mm) used throughout Spain's national rail network, to enable future connection to the high-speed rail network in France.

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