AUSZUG | eb - Elektrische Bahnen INT 2/2015

13 113 (2015) INT 2 Rail Power Supply 1 Introduction 1.1 Aurizon’s electric rail system The Queensland heavy haul railway system at 1 067mm gauge was electrified during the 1980s, using an AC 50 kV/25 kV auto transformer (AT) trac- tion overhead line (OHL) system with locomotives operating at 1 AC 25 kV 50Hz [1]. The electric rail- way system is today owned and operated by Auri- zon Network Pty Ltd and consists of two networks: Goonyella and Blackwater [2; 3]. Both networks are located in Central Queensland, servicing the Bowen Basin coal region and linked at Gregory Junction . The Goonyella system delivers coal to the Hay Point and Dalrymple Bay coal terminals, while the Blackwater system links coal mines with the Port of Gladstone (Figures 1 and 2). Aurizon’s electric rail network is conventionally supplied via feeder stations (FS), located at ap- proximately 30 km to 60 km intervals alongside the rail corridor. The electric power is provided by two Queensland’s network authorities, i.e. Powerlink for transmission at 275 kV or 132 kV and Ergon Energy for distribution at 132 kV. Power is distributed via single phase 132 kV/50 kV power transformers to the 50 kV traction network and transmitted using 50 kV overhead and feeder lines. Track sectioning yard (TSY) are connected in between FS to facilitate sectioning (Figure 3). 1.2 Aurizon’s heavy haul traction modes Two classes of Bo’Bo’Bo‘ electric locomotives are used in Aurizon’s system: older generation 3500 class and modern 3700/3800 class (Ta- ble  1, Figure  3). The 3500 class is thyristor con- trolled and a source of significant harmonic dis- tortion and reactive power. The new generation is equipped with 3 AC drives at IGBT converter components and has a considerably reduced har- monic injection spectrum as well as power factor controlled nearly at unity [4]. Figure 3: Electric locomotives 3800 class (Photo: Siemens). TABLE 1 Aurizon’s locomotives for heavy haul coal transport. 3500, 3700 and 3800 electric, 4000 Diesel Class 3500 1 3700 3800 4000 in service Wheel arrangement Weight max. tractive effort power 2 max. speed t kN kW km/h 1986–1989 Bo’Bo’Bo‘ 110 375 2890 80 2003–2007 Bo’Bo’Bo‘ 126 500 4000 80 2007–2010 Bo’Bo’Bo‘ 132 525 4000 80 1999–2005 Co’Co‘ 120 460 2460 100 1 using refurnished bodies of former 3100/3200 class, first QR’s electric locomotives in the 1980s 2 electric at wheel rim, Diesel at engine shaft