One of the most common headaches people has regarding subway travel entails outages. Power issues often occur as trains keep from getting the energy they require. Such outages often prevent trains from moving quickly, thus holding up other trains that are functioning normally. The worst outages could even cause entire stations to shut down or even catch fire in the worst cases.
This is where the use of smart power systems for subways will come in handy. Such arrangements are designed for today’s subway operations to ensure they will stay intact and functional with fewer stops. The system keeps subways running while people can get to their destinations on time.
How Would This Work?
A smart power system stores energy for future use. It uses technology similar to what smart electric cars use. Specifically, it uses regenerative braking to secure its power.
The energy generates off of the stopping motion while a battery stores it as the train slows down. The motor causes the train to slow down rather than the added friction imposed onto the wheels. As the train slows down, the motor produces kinetic energy that transfers into electric energy. It runs as a generator with more power available to whoever needs to use it.
A Battery Then Works
A battery connects to a typical station in the next step. The battery collects the kinetic energy that the train produces. Most batteries on subway stations operate with lithium-ion compounds similar to what larger smart vehicles use.
After generating energy, the battery will receive extra power. That energy is then available to power up trains that come along later on. A train quickly taps into the battery’s power storage reserve and uses the energy to accelerate. This improves upon how the train can reach its maximum safe speed and get to the next station on time.
More importantly, it ensures that failures among trains trying to start up are kept at a minimum. Such failures are common hassles that keep trains from running properly throughout an entire system. It only takes one backed-up train for an entire line or even another one that attaches to the same station to slow down and stop working.
The layout especially provides trains with consistent power when they operate. As trains go through a station all day long, the battery gets the power it requires on a regular basis. The source of power gives it the energy required to keep running more trains throughout the whole day.
Also, the battery does not generate as much heat as the kinetic energy from the brakes and wheels would. The risk of overheating and possible fires is less of a threat to the system.
Supercapacitors Are Added
Supercapacitors are key parts of smart energy systems to watch for. These are units that hold more energy on average. They can charge and discharge themselves very quickly. This is critical for getting trains to stay functional as they can draw upon their strong energy storage functions rather quickly.
Analyze Who Uses Energy the Most
Such smart energy features may also link up to a computer network that analyzes individual connections. Each battery features a readout that links wirelessly to a control panel. The battery’s power level and how often trains use it are analyzed. Points on how often the battery works and its energy level changes must be included in the listing process.
Such a readout gives the train station an idea of how often power is drawn. The data gives an idea of how long it takes for a station to operate. The data gives a control station an idea of which trains are running late based on trying to get more people in and out of a station. The data helps with making decisions on which trains need to be deployed first to alleviate tie-ups.
The use of a smart energy system is a necessity for subway systems to keep them operational and active. A proper system will work on time and run as quickly as possible without delays. This ensures the subway is reliable and gets people to their destinations just like it is supposed to.
