The Influence of Pantograph Arcing on the Current Collection of Electrified Trains Under Different Air Pressures

As well as the off-line phenomenon between the pantograph strip and the contact wire that occurs frequently, the current collection quality of trains is potential under threat. Pantograph arcing can bring about overvoltage and harmonics in the traction circuit, which can seriously threaten the construction’s strength and efficiency of current collection. Meanwhile, the electrified railway might meet very complex environments, including the various routes under different air pressures. When the train runs in a medium- or low-pressure area, the reduction in air pressure may result in significant differences in the dynamic evolution characteristics of pantograph arcing. So it is necessary to carry out a detailed study on the influence of pantograph arcing on the current collection of electrified trains in a low-pressure environment. In this paper, we proposed an improved pantograph arcing model suitable for medium-to-low-pressure regions, with the pressure parameters taken into consideration. Furthermore, we examined the influence of pantograph arcing under medium-to-low-pressure environments on the traction power supply system. The arcing dynamics, including the arc duration, the current zero-crossing, and the arcing-released energy at different air pressures were compared. The overvoltage and the harmonic distribution of the traction drive system were also analyzed. This work may be helpful for the design and maintenance of electrified railways under medium-to-low-pressure environments.