Spain’s RENFE CERCANIAS Selects Saft Battery Systems for 160 New CIVIA Trains
10 October 2007 12:21
RENFE Cercanias has selected Saft fully integrated MATRICS MRX nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) rail battery systems to provide on-board back-up power for 160 new Civia electric train-sets under construction by Siemens, CAF and Alstom for Spain’s urban and commuter lines. The key factor in the selection of the Saft MRX battery systems for this demanding application is their capability to provide exceptional reliability and a low TCO (total cost of ownership) in a compact weight-saving package to ensure that the technologically advanced Civia platform operates with maximum energy efficiency.
RENFE's Civia is a modular family of trains composed of two to five section vehicles built up from a selection of four different car types. It features a lightweight, energy-efficient structure and is designed to offer a large passenger capacity to improve services in the rapid-transit rail networks of Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Bilbao, and in all Cercanias' lines in Spain.
Two 72 V, 145 Ah, integrated Saft MRX battery systems will be mounted on the underframe of each Civia train-set to provide back-up electrical power for key safety and auxiliary circuits including brakes, lights, door opening, ventilation and communication systems. Saft has developed the MRX battery to meet the needs of customers who require compact, lightweight battery packages optimised for maximum performance, reduced maintenance and low TCO. It provides the low maintenance and long service life benefits of sintered/pbe technology within a slim, light-weight block battery package, housed in a flame retardant polypropylene case, which shows a major size and volume advantage compared with conventional batteries. The MATRICS MRX design is also extremely reliable and does not suffer from the 'sudden death' which can affect some batteries, even in extreme temperatures ranging from -30° to +70°C.
Saft has helped Siemens, CAF and Alstom to take maximum advantage of the weight and space saving capacity of the MATRICS MRX batteries by taking complete responsibility for the design, manufacture and supply of integrated battery systems for their specific Civia variants, fully vibration and shock tested to the appropriate rail standards. The systems are housed in bespoke trays, complete with connectors, and centralised filling system, designed to make optimum use of the restricted underframe space available.
For RENFE, the train operator, the MRX integrated water filling system is important. This simple to use feature fills all the cells from one central point and substantially reduces the battery maintenance requirements by enabling cells to be topped-up quickly, safely and accurately, maximising the battery's useful life. By 2009 Saft will have supplied a total 320 Civia battery systems, comprising 56 MRX145 cells, for installation on 160 Civia train-sets (80 Civia 2 and 80 Civia 3 variants). Half of these will be supplied to Alstom and the other to Siemens.
For more information on this company:
Saft - Nickel-Cadmium Batteries for Mass Transit Applications
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