Enotrac AG
Interference Current Monitor
In order to prevent the dangerous malfunctions of track circuits, infrastructure managers set limits for the interference current levels in the return circuits of traction units at the frequencies of the track circuits at risk. Compliance with the interference current limits of the rail network must be demonstrated for all vehicle operating states, and in some cases also for fault cases, before the vehicles are approved to operate on the network.
In cooperation with Telma AG, Enotrac has developed the Interference Current Monitor (ICM); a protective device that monitors the primary current of a railway vehicle for potentially dangerous interference current frequencies. If these interference currents exceed the specified limits for more than the permissible time, the ICM opens a relay contact with which, for example, the main switch of the vehicle can be opened.
Installation of the ICM on a traction unit simplifies the formal verification of the compatibility of the vehicles with the track circuits of the respective infrastructure managers. The safety requirements of the ICM have been proven with FMEA and quantitative fault tree analysis.
- Parts of railway or tramway locomotives or rolling stock; railways traffic-control equipment
- Engineering works and construction works