INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS All locomotive manufacturers use transducers and LEM is an internationally recognised transducer manufacturer
Photo by: Duane Daws
Electrical parameters measurement solutions company LEM launched the new LTC series closed-loop transducers, which control energy in rail transportation systems, in South Africa in January.
Johannesburg-based electronic-components specialist and sole distributor of LEM products in South Africa Denver Technical Products (DTP) MD Mervyn Stocks notes that all locomotive manufacturers use transducers and LEM is an internationally recognised transducer manufacturer.
“The LTC series transducers can be fitted into modern locomotives, without the need for customisation. The LTC series transducers are versatile, as they can be mounted in different configurations. It is a smaller and more accurate series of transducers that is also more cost effective, owing to higher production volumes.
“LEM transducers provide control and protection for power converters, choppers and inverters, which regulate energy to electric motors for propulsion, and to auxiliaries, such as air conditioning, lighting, electrical doors and ventilation,” says Stocks.
He notes that international rail specifications for transducers are more stringent than for other applications, as trains require transducers to last for longer periods under harsh conditions.
“LEM transducers for rail applications are designed according to international standards and comply with EN50155, EN501241 and NNF16101, besides others. LEM also has a worldwide ISO 9000 rating for its production facilities in Switzerland, Japan, China and Bulgaria,” Stocks highlights.
DTP receives LEM products from LEM’s production facility in Switzerland.
DTP is the transducer supplier to State-owned rail operator Transnet’s 18E class locomotive refurbishment project.
The company also offers a range of transducer solutions for trackside applications such as substations, voltage and current monitoring of points machines and the status of signalling equipment.
“With more than 2 500 current and voltage transducers in its portfolio, LEM offers a complete range of accurate, reliable and galvinically isolated devices for measurement of currents from 0.1 A to 20 000 A and voltage transducers from 10 V to 6 400 V in various technologies, such as open-loop, closed-loop and isolation amplifiers,” Stocks concludes.