A pantograph arcing model for electrified railways with different speeds

Pantograph arcing is an unavoidable phenomenon in electrified railways, which not only causes damage to the carbon strip and the catenary contact line but also results in voltage surge and electromagnetic interference. In recent years, there are more cases of pantograph arcing due to the increase in speed of trains. Therefore, it is essential to understand the basic electrical characteristics of pantograph arcing at different running speeds of trains. In this work, a pantograph arcing model was proposed, which considers the effects of the speed of a train on the arc-dissipated power. An overall electrical model, concerning the traction power system and the traction drive system, was further established. The results indicated that the running speed of trains significantly influenced the arcing voltage, duration of arcing, and the zero-crossing time. A qualitative relation between the average power of the arc and the speed of the train was also presented. Finally, field tests were carried out, and comparisons between the field testing data and the calculated results were made, which validate the accuracy of the developed model