A Study on

avoidable
Circuit Breaker trippings
at
Traction Sub Stations
Solan Gupta
South Central Railway
Repercussion of CB Trippings
1. Life of the switchgear & Equipment reduces
due to increased operation and switching
surges.
2. Maintenance of the Switchgear & Equipment
increases.
3. Disruption to traffic movement.
4. Train stalling on Gradient.
5. Rail scabbing on Gradient.
6. Signal aspect flowing back/becoming blank.
7. Failure of Loco due to ICDJ.
8. Increased failure of Loco Auxiliary machines
due to switching surges.
9. Standing Power Arc at FP Overlap in case
loco panto being there.
10. Extra operation of loco breakers.
11. Extra strain on Drivers, TPCs

AND …
MANY MORE
Main Causes for CB trippings
1. Bird/animal menace.
2. External Reasons ----- Foreign objects,
Overhead conductors, Trees etc.
3. Due to Loco sheds.
4. Due to Loco operations.
5. Due to TRD Assets such as equipment
failures, testing etc.,
6. Due to Engineering Department.
 Electrical Clearances followed in TRD
416:606/ UIC/EN
Comparision AIR EN50119(N) Polluted
ACTM IIT/KAN
Clearances (mm)
Short Steady Short Steady

Basic Insulation 70 70 70 70
150
Distribution of field 30 30 30 30 excluding
Pollution --- --- 50 50 pollution +
fog.
Surges/Ov.voltages --- 100 --- 100
Safety margines 70 70 70 70 ---
Total to structures 170 270 220 320 270/320* 220
Add
allowance
Line to Vehicle 290 for track+
vehicle
Oscillation
CEEs may relax the safety margin of 70 mm(with Precautions) and permit 200/250
 Bird Menace
• Stray wires dropping from bird nests.

• Bird carrying metallic wires causing

shorting.

• Birds flying between live and earthed parts

of OHE structures.

• Bird dropping deposit on Insulators.

 Action Suggested
• To avoid bird nesting, bird scares with
luminous tape to be provided at the middle of
the portal joint to scare birds.
• The fabricated drop arms to be replaced with
BFB type drop arms made from released/cut
masts.
• Removal of extra length of Bracket tube at
portal locations
• Modification to cantilever chair on platforms
at critical locations i.e. gap to be increased/ 9
ton insulator to be provided
 On Account of Loco Sheds
• Mal operation of Isolators at loco sheds/Trip
sheds/Loading sidings.
• Loco testing.
• Dirty Loco roof insulators.
• Loco ET-2 flashover particularly on VCB locos
• Reduced clearance at pantograph bow end
• Inadequate length of dead section at pit thereby
provision of discharge rod on floating section
 Action Suggested
• Circuit Breakers in the feeder of loco sheds trip
sheds/ Freight sheds/ yards and branch lines to
be provided to identify tripping due to loco
testing.
• Interlocks between Isolators at Loco sheds/
Trip sheds/Freight Sheds to be provided to
avert non-sequential operation by staff.
• Ensuring floating section at end of pit without
discharge rod

• Ensuring horizontal mounting of panto to

ensure required clearance
 Action Suggested
• Arc horn gap of ET-2 to be increased to 90+5
mm . Though instructions are available to
remove ET-2 on locos with VCB (creates more
surges) and LA, some locos are still with ET-2.

• Locos with VCB should not be tested with

panto in raised condition of locos with ACB
 On Account of Loco Operations
• Loco passing short neutral sections without
opening DJ.
• Loco entering into dead section.
• Loco entering in to unwired turnouts.
• Loco troubles on H.T. side.
.
 Action Suggested
• Counseling drivers to open DJ in time at
Neutral Sections and follow the caution boards.
• Use of automatic switched Neutral Sections.
• Paralleling of 2-3 consecutive TSS to reduce
neutral sections.
• Development of Light weight high speed
Section Insulators.
• Auto reclose timing to be less than 500msec to
avoid tripping of Loco circuit breaker
On Account of Engg. Department
• Dropping of rainwater through drain hole of
FOB/ROB.
• Unsafe working by Engineering Staff and
falling of foreign material on OHE used in
Construction works.
• Less clearance at LC Gates.
• Insulator flashover due to paint dropping in
bridge location.
• Improper height gauge clearances.
 Action Suggested
• Re-location of drains holes on FOB/ROB.
• Counseling of Engineering staff about working
in Electrified territory and in Construction
works.
• Ensuring soundness and maintenance of height
of gauge from Road level.
• Ensuring parapet wall of 1.8m at ROB
 On Account of TRD Assets
• Equipment Failures.
• Flashover at TSS IOL.
• Snapping of OHE wires.
• Provision of Discharge rod for Relay testing.
• Mal operation of Relays at TSSs due to improper
settings.
• Less clearance between RC and OHE.
• Less clearance between over line structures to
OHE.
• Improper clearance at middle mast of 4 span
overlaps.
• Flashing of insulators.
• Less electrical clearances.
• Ineffective Lightning Arrestors.
• Pollution – Saline, Cement, Coal, Dust etc.
 Action Suggested
• Every equipment failure to be critically
analyzed and action plan to be formulated to
avoid recurrence.
• Panto flashover protection relays TVG124 to
be provided at TSS with Conventional IOLs.
High speed section insulator may avoid damage
to OHE.
• Recalibration of TSS Relays duly obtaining
fault level of feeder line from concerned
Electricity Authorities.
• Use of Composite insulators on vandal prone
zone.
• Use of high creepage insulators and
development of insulators with creepage of
31mm/KV.
• Application of thick layer of silicon grease at
cement polluted area to utilize absorbing
quality of silicon / use of composite insulators
to utilize aerofoil quality of silicon composite
insulators.
• Application of very fine layer of silicon grease
like shoe polish at Saline polluted area to utilize
hydrophobic quality of silicon
• Rescheduling the insulator cleaning at LC gates,
Construction sites, Ballast sidings, Loading
sidings, ROBs etc.,
• Insulated Catenary to be provided under
FOBs /ROBs having crucial clearances.
• The Cantilevers of different Elementary
sections at the middle mast of 4 spans IOL must
have minimum specified clearance .

• Development of Insulated bracket assembly for

4 span IOL and polluted areas .
• Bird/monkey gel may be used .However its
effect is very short duration and inconvenient to
staff during maintenance
ANTI BIRD DISC DRAWING
 External Reasons
• Un-authorized persons coming in contact with
OHE.
• Foreign Objects falling on OHE from
FOB/ROB.
• Falling of Overhead conductors passing across
the track.
• Derailments/accidents.
• Falling of Trees/tree branches.
 Action Suggested
• Intensive tree trimming to be being done (Post
& pre-monsoon).
Power saws, telescopic pruners (Petrol
operated as well as manually operated) of M/s.
Kaiser India limited bearing a cost of Rs.
45,000/- can be used for quick trimming of tree
branches.

• Vulnerable trees like Gulmohar, Eucalyptus

need to be identified.
• Parapet wall on ROB to be ensured of proper
height as indicated in manual
 Spurious CB trippings of TSSs
Over South Central Railway

% 05-06
Div 03-04 04-05
improvement (Up to Aug. 05)
SC 1362 920 -32.45% 334
BZA 1193 860 -27.91% 380
GTL 89 102 +14.61% 79
SCR 2644 1882 -28.82% 793
Bird Nest on BFB Mast
Bird nest on Portal Boom at
Fabricated Drop Arm arm
Birds Carrying stray /metallic wires
Birds on Cantilever
 Bird shorting
portal boom
with bracket
tube with stray
wire
Bird shorting
runners of SI
with Contact
wire of other
OHE
Bird shorting
bracket tube
with Chair of
cantilever
 Bird standing
on isolator
blade with stray
wire causing
live OHE to
earth at MCC
Bird shorting Arc catcher to live
OHE at PTFE Neutral Section
Fabricated
Drop arm
 BFB
Drop arm
Bird scare
Bird Scare on Portal Boom Joint
Cantilever Chair with less gap
Chair with Increased Gap
Provision of 9 tonne Insulator at Chair
location
Telescopic Pruner -manual
Telescopic
Pruner
Motor Operated Pruner
Pruning of tree branches
Telescopic
Pruning
of trees
 Less clearance between
Portal boom to Bracket tube
Bracket tube after
cutting extra length
Four Span Insulated Overlap

Central Mast with Two different

Elementary sections of OHEs
 Arrangement of OHE at Loco Sheds / Trip Sheds

B
A

S.P.Isolator 'A' & D.P.Isolator 'B' are inter locked

1. While Opening, S.P.Isolator 'A' is to be opened first and the

interlock key should be inserted in D.P.Isolator 'B' & then only it
should be operated.
2. While closing, D.P.Isolator 'B' should be closed first & the
interlock key should be inserted in S.P.Isolator 'A' & then it will
be closed.
 Arrangement of OHE at Loco Sheds / Trip Sheds

B
A

Pantograph Discharge Rod

Correct Method

I ncorrect Method
Contd..
Contd..
 LV IDMTL Relay Settings
Setting Setting
Equi. Equi.
available in available in
Current at Current Current
Rated Ashida make Alind make
Sl TR setting setting
current in relays relays
No Cap
Amps.
150 % CT Ratio 500/5

7.0 700 6.3 630

13.5 8.0 800 8.0 800
1 500 750
MVA 9.0 900 10.0 1000
10.0 1000
CT Ratio 750/5
8.0 1200 8.0 1200
21.6 9.0 1350 10.0 1500
2 800 1200
MVA 10.0 1500 12.5 1875
12.0 1800
Both make of relays are not adjustable for 13.5 MVA Transformers
 Over Current relay Settings
Setting Setting
Equi. Equi.
Current available in available in
Current Current
Rated at Ashida make Alind make
setting setting
Sl TR current relays relays
No Cap in
Amps.
200 % CT Ratio 500/5

10.0 1000 8.0 800

13.5
1 500 1000 15.0 1500 10.0 1000
MVA
20.0 2000 12.5 1250
CT Ratio 750/5
10.0 1500 8.0 1200
21.6
2 800 1600 15.0 2250 10.0 1500
MVA
20.0 1800 12.5 1875
Both make of relays are not adjustable for 21.6 MVA Transformers
Position of Shunt
Position of Shunt