EN 50641:2020

Railway applications - Fixed installations - Requirements for the validation of simulation tools used for the design of electric traction power supply systems

Publication date:   Oct 14, 2020

Scope

This document specifies requirements for the acceptance of simulation tools used for the assessment of design of electric traction power supply systems with respect to TSI Energy.
This document is applicable to the simulation of AC and DC electric traction power supply systems, in the frame of assessment required by Directive (EU) 2016/797. The methods and parameters defined in this document are only intended for use in the design of the electric traction power supply system, and hence this document solely considers validation of tools within the TSI energy subsystem for all envisaged railway networks.
This document does not deal with validation of simulation tools by measurement.
This document focuses on the core simulation functions comprising the equations and functions which calculate the mechanical movement of trains and also which calculate the load flow of the electrical traction power supply system. In doing so this document provides all requirements necessary to demonstrate that a simulation tool may be used for the purposes of TSI approval of electric traction power supply systems. Any simulation tool which meets the acceptance requirements of the test cases in this document can be used to determine TSI compatibility for all systems of the same voltage and frequency without any requirement for further validation as part of the TSI assessment process.
This document includes controls for the modification of simulation tools, in particular the limits of applicability of certification when tools are modified. These controls focus on determining whether the core functions of the simulation model are modified.
This document provides only the requirements for demonstration of the algorithms and calculations of core functions. The use of a certified simulation tool in accordance with this document does not, in itself, demonstrate good practice in electric traction power supply system design, neither does it guarantee that the simulation models and data for infrastructure or trains used in the tool are correct for a given application. The choice and application of any models and data, of individual system components, in a design is therefore subject to additional verification processes and not in the Scope of this document. Competent development of design models and full understanding of the limits of design tools remain requirements in any system design. This document does not reduce any element of the need for competent designers to lead the design process.
The test cases and data shown in Clause 6 in this document do not represent an existing network, but these data are used as theoretical/virtual network only for the purpose of verification of the core functionality.
NOTE A new test case will be drafted considering metro, tramways and trolleybuses using DC 600 V or DC 750 V. Until this test case is available, this document can also be applied to subway, tram and trolley bus systems. This test case will also integrate rail systems using DC 750 V.
Additionally, the application of this document ensures that the output data of different simulation tools are consistent when they are using the same set of input data listed in Clause 6.
This document only applies to the simulation of electric traction power supply systems characteristics at their nominal frequency for AC or DC systems. It does not consider harmonic studies, electrical safety studies (e.g. rail potential), short circuit or electromagnetic compatibility studies over a wide frequency spectrum. This document does not mandate the use of a particular simulation tool in order to validate the design of an electric traction power supply system.
This document does not consider complex models with active components such as static frequency convertors.

Related legislation

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