Recently, in the face of extreme weather conditions such as heavy snowfall and freezing rain, the high-speed rail network has been paralyzed in a large area, and many trains have had to reduce their speed or temporarily suspend their operation. In such an emergency, the Green Train has shown its resilience and taken the initiative to take on the responsibility of transporting passengers home.
On February 4, in Hubei, some netizens photographed the green train running all the way with wind and snow on the stalled high-speed rail, calling the "old-timers" in the transportation industry stand up.
So why is the high-speed rail delayed in heavy snow and freezing rain, but the green car is fine? This has to mention the problem of "fear of freezing" that has plagued high-speed rail for many years.
Yesterday, Wuhan Railway issued a "Freezing Rain and Snow Weather Travel Announcement", mentioning three unfavorable factors: the poor ice and conductivity of the railway catenary, the inflexible ice conversion of turns, and the deceleration of snow trains on the line. One of the most "fatal" is the poor ice and electrical conductivity of the railway catenary.
As far as we know, there are four common precipitation patterns:Snow, rain, sleet and freezing rain, of which freezing rain is the worst. Raindrops in freezing rain freeze directly when they fall, causing the high-voltage power lines above the high-speed rail to be covered in a thick layer of ice. These high-altitude wires are called "catenary" in technical terms, and the brackets in contact with the catenary on high-speed rail are called "pantographs". When the pantograph is connected to the catenary, the high-speed rail can obtain power supply in the gliding state.
Once it encounters freezing rain and icing, the pantograph and catenary of the high-speed rail may have poor contact, resulting in uneven current reception, resulting inThe pantograph produces the phenomenon of "spark with lightning".。Left in this state for a long time, the pantograph may suffer damage. In addition, ice build-up on the wheels and rails can affect braking performance, making high-speed trains only run at lower speeds, and some trainsets may even need temporary power outagesCausing the train to be unable to run。In contrast, the Green Train is powered primarily by an internal combustion engine**, which burns diesel fuel to drive the generators, which in turn drive the wheels.
In addition, it is crucial that the infrastructure of the green train is extremely simple. Although the green trains rely on ballasted tracks, most of them are located in villages and towns, and maintenance personnel are also stationed around them. As soon as there is ice on the track or any problems arise, it willSomeone immediately carried out emergency repairs, thus effectively eliminating hidden dangers and helping the train to resume operation quickly.
Another lesser-known advantage is that the operating costs of the green train are relatively low. In general, as long asThe parameters of the internal combustion engine are accurate, and with a fully charged battery, you can drive with confidence without having to start other electrical devices.
Netizens sighed
The "old-timer" was still able to show tenacious vitality at critical moments. Some people also say that the original thing is reliable, not the green car is supported, but the diesel locomotive is supported.
*: Jing'an, Shanghai.