Ensuring accurate energy records with On-board train metering

Much has been discussed and written over the years about the rail industry moving away from its dependence on such fossil fuels as oil and gas and its attempts to graduate towards offering genuinely ‘green’ transportation.

However, having environment-friendly trains is more than merely switching power sources. It is important to be able to measure and evaluate energy consumption with better granularity for transparent energy billing and to forecast, adjust and optimise electricity production and consumption.

A key solution to being able to manage energy consumption in railway applications is to adopt the use of on-board train energy metering, which involves combining energy measurement system (EMSs) with ground-based data collection systems (DCSs). Together, these systems give railway operating companies the ability to manage energy costs for individual trains by having access to precise and controlled measurements under the European regulation (EU) 2018/868.

Such systems also need to be capable of operating within challenging environments, including extremely low and high temperatures, while being able to satisfy every railway standard that covers such aspects as vibration, fire protection, shock and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC).

LEM has earned a reputation for leading the market in equipment for measuring electrical parameters and has developed a range of solutions suited specifically to the rail industry. Recently, LEM has focused on helping rail companies to bring their rolling stock and their networks into the 21st century by making it easier and more efficient to manage and optimise energy costs in rail transport.

The latest product that makes this possible is a new plug-and-play on-board energy metering solution called TEMA4G. The device enables timestamped and localised energy billing data (CEBD) to be measured and transmitted to ground-based DCSs, with ultra-precise energy measurement (class 0.5 R) made possible by TEMA4G's analog-to-digital converters. 

In compliance with the EN 50463:2017 standard, the TEMA4G is designed for use in multi-system AC or DC environments and in a wide range of temperatures – from -40°C to +85°C. Excellent long-term stability is ensured in a vast array of operating conditions.

LEM designed the TEMA4G meter’s architecture to enable rapid retrofit implementation as well as the device being incorporated into new designs where easy connectivity is crucial. This means the meter is able to meet the requirements of railway operating companies of any size who are involved in creating new projects as well as large retrofit programmes and who want to have a better grasp of energy monitoring and management.

A key feature of TEMA4G is that it processes measurement signals from current sensors and voltage sensors then generates energy measurement and associated load profiles. These are recorded in datasets with five-minute intervals (other timings can be selected), which include such information as time, date, location co-ordinates and any events that may have happened. These measured energy datasets are stored for 300 days in the LEM device in consumption profiles.

Well suited to demanding railway applications, TEMA4G combines LEM’s EM4TII+ on-board energy meter – used in many trains – with an industrial modem offering 4G and GPS connectivity. TEMA4G has been designed to simplify the transition towards 4G networks and its web interface allows users to access detailed load profiles, as well as numerous system parameters.

LEM’s aim has been to build sufficient versatility into TEMA4G for it be suitable for use with any kind of trains and projects. Features incorporated into the TEMA4G especially for the particular requirements of railway applications include four input channels offering multiple configurations via the unit's Ethernet port as well as data exchange security.

Discover TEMA4G

Florent Balboni, LEM Global Product Manager for energy metering solutions, says: 

“Greater energy management and optimisation are essential in the modern rail transport sector and it is vital that solutions are developed to meet the need to improve the efficiency of electrical systems. Thanks to our experience in on-board train sensors and complex systems using embedded software, we have been able to develop TEMA4G to meet the very latest challenges the railway sector is facing in terms of energy management. On-board energy metering is the future for today’s rail operators.”