How BLOCK power supplies ensure smooth rail services in one of the world’s largest metro systems.
Construction began in May 1993, and more than 10 million people now use it every day to travel through the urban network in the metropolis with a population of 24 million people on the Yangtze. The Shanghai Metro is one of the largest in the world with a network around 640 km wide and featuring 393 stations. An unparalleled project - fast, modern and reliable - and it keeps on growing. By the end of 2020, the overall network will have expanded to 800 kilometers. Line 13, which has long been more than the Expo Line from 2010, is being expanded further in 2018. Changping Road and Zhangjiang Road are being incorporated in phase III of the major project.
The new Line 13 will then be able to connect more people once again with 31 stations over a distance of 41 kilometers. BLOCK power supplies are being used in the important safety-related section of the station, i.e. the infrared control modules at the metro entrance gates.
Stops in cycles of 2 minutes - a logistical challenge
Very busy rail traffic in metropolises such as Shanghai give rise to safety-critical and logistical challenges in terms of ensuring smooth movement of passengers. Automated metro entrance gates mark out the area between the platform and the track, and thereby ensure improved safety when boarding and exiting trains in the dense turmoil of the Chinese metropolis. The opening and closing of these gates also coordinates the passenger flows, and thereby optimizes the cycles to up to two minutes in what is probably the most reliable metro in the world.
BLOCK power supplies - reliable supplies for very busy rail platforms
BLOCK power supplies are installed at all stations on the Metro line. BLOCK has proven to be a reliable partner with the highest quality standards and expertise in research and development. One of the company’s sites in Kunshan near Shanghai allows the company to react flexibly to requests from Chinese customers and delivers products “Made in China”. Switched mode power supplies and redundancy modules, such as the Power Compacts installed in Shanghai, are developed, tested, and certified at BLOCK’s Research and Development Center in Germany.
The highest engineering standards in the world
Junfeng Wu, Engineering Manager for the Shanghai Metro, is convinced by the BLOCK power supply solution: “With BLOCK’s products we have a secure and reliable system solution that meets the highest engineering standards for equipping our line. And we also have an international point of contact in close proximity with the BLOCK site in Kunshan.”
Aside from being fail-safe, the solution used for Line 13, made up in each case of a redundancy module and two single-phase switched mode power supplies, also needs to withstand the vibrations from the arriving trains and the climactic conditions of the densely populated metropolis. The Power Compact product range has proven to be particularly robust and compact. At operating temperatures of up to 70°C, it is also fit for service in Shanghai’s oppressive heat. The robust support rail mounting and push-in connection technology ensure that the power supplies can be installed in the control cabinet for the door automation. Any vibrations transmitted through the support rails are withstood automatically. Operated in parallel with a redundancy module, BLOCK’s power supply solution ensures fail-safe supplies in safety-related areas of the very busy platforms of Shanghai Metro’s Line 13.
Components installed
Redundancy module PC-0624-400-0
• Safe parallel operation enables maximum system availability
• Compatible with top boost and power boost for power supplies
• Active operation for lowest possible power dissipation
• MOSFET technology for maximum efficiency
• Operation at relative humidity of 56 – 96%
• Vibration-proof in accordance with DNV GL
