High-power batteries on the rails in N Ireland
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Saft Industrial Batteries product story
Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team
Aug 4, 2003
Saft SRX batteries will save weight and space on the 23 three-car DMUs which Spanish company CAF is currently manufacturing on behalf of NI Railways.
Saft SRX high-power rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries will provide onboard starting and auxiliary power for the 23 three-car diesel multiple units (DMUs) which the Spanish company CAF is currently manufacturing under a GBP 80 million contract for NI Railways.
The first train is expected to be commissioned and in service by mid 2004, and all 23 are planned to be in service by late 2005.
The new trains, which are designed to offer the state of the art in terms of passenger comfort, will be capable of travelling at a top speed of 160km/h and will run on Belfast suburban routes as well as the Belfast-Dublin main line.
They will replace the existing Class 80 rolling stock and each train will be fully air conditioned and have seating for 200 passengers with additional space for wheelchairs and bicycles.
Saft is supplying three 24V batteries for each car set - a total of 69 batteries - to provide onboard power to start the diesel engine as well as supporting the auxiliary electrical system and emergency lighting.
Each battery, mounted in an under-frame battery compartment, will comprise 20 SRX 190 FR (190Ah capacity) cells in polyamide flame retardant plastic containers.
The SRX is a high power battery, developed specifically to deliver short-duration high-current discharges of up to 1min and up to five times its capacity, which makes it ideal for instantaneous starting of diesel engines.
Discharges of up to three times capacity for up to 3min can also provide power for high speed train emergency braking.
The SRX operates over a wide temperature range, from -50 to +70C.
Even at -20C the SRX battery retains more than 70% capacity, this avoids the need to oversize the battery while ensuring power availability at low temperatures.
The SRX design features sintered positive and plastic-bonded negative electrodes which make it up to 40% smaller and lighter than conventional batteries of similar performance, an important consideration for modern rolling stock which places a key emphasis on low weight for maximum energy efficiency.
In addition it is extremely reliable, it does not suffer the "sudden death" failure that can afflict lead acid batteries, and can provide a long service life of up to 15 years.
This extended lifetime exceeds the minimum lifetime required by the UIC 854 R railway specification by more than six times.
A further advantage of the SRX for the train operator is that the battery will need no special attention between normal rolling stock maintenance examinations.
Topping up with distilled water is only required at two-year intervals, and there is no need to change the electrolyte during the battery's lifetime.
An optional centralised water filling system provides fast and accurate top-ups to further reduce maintenance costs.
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Contact Saft Industrial Batteries
Tel +33 1 49 93 1807
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