SYNOPSIS

The principal objective of the Talk is to provide a general understanding of the specialized role of traction power/energy system which is becoming a major sectorial consumer of the electricity supply industry, in tandem  with the Government pushing ahead several major railway infrastructure projects for mass public transportation service. The Talk will outline the basic electrical structure of traction power supply system for Malaysia’s railway infrastructure projects which utilize both the 750V DC Railway scheme for the KL Metropolitan Light Rail Transit (LRT) and My Rapid Transit (MRT) public transportation systems and the 25kV AC Railway scheme for both the KTMB Klang Valley Commuter Service and the Express Train Service of the North-South Double-Track Railway Systems.

The supply of rail traction vehicles (moving electrical loads) through contact lines represents a most unique challenge to the design consultant, the client/customer and the public utility company TNB in terms of power system modeling, simulation, analysis and performance specifications of the equipment/sub-systems of the electrical train system.. The electrical train system is the most important deliverable component of the railway infrastructure project. The Talk is referenced on two projects which the Author’s Team undertook as part of the  design consultancy works for the Government that is:

i.    Electrical system design for traction power and power distribution of     the Kelana Jaya LRT Extension Project which uses the four-rail 750V DC Railway scheme (for this part of the Talk, we will highlight the use of the Linear Induction Motors (LIM) for gear-less linear  propulsion on the KLJ LRT Line compared to the more conventional rotary propulsion squirrel-cage induction motors with gearing systems on the train wheel-axles of most railway traction which are of three-rail configuration such as the Ampang Line LRT and the new KVMRT.Line 1 Sg.Buloh-Kajang Line.

ii.    Power System Assessment of the Existing KTMB Klang Valley 25kV Traction Power System  Adequacy to Support the  new 6-car Train with Shorter Headway Commuter Service Operation  (for this part of the Talk, we will describe the necessary Traction Power Simulation (using industry-standard  Software) of the moving accelerating/braking  electrical loads  (the  electrical trains)  that receive     their power supply through single-phase AC 25kV contact lines and  to assess the adequacy of the  existing single-phase AC 132/25kV traction power sub-stations that feed the  25kV overhead catenary system  equipment (OCS).


BIODATA OF SPEAKER

Ir. Dr  Amir Basha Ismail served LLN/TNB for 33 years (1974-2007). He was one of those several local pioneer engineers who were involved in the  planning,design and  operation of the 500kV/275kV/132kV National Power System  Grid (1979-1993), holding positions  of senior engineer and chief engineer in the Development Planning and System Operation divisions of TNB. In 1994, when TNB was instructed by the Government to set up its own university, Dr. Amir was one of those several engineers from TNB who were entrusted to the university project and was made the Founding Dean of College of Engineering ,Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) . When TNB Research Sdn. Bhd. (another subsidiary of TNB and located next to UNITEN),) and its associated laboratories were being  set up at about the same time as UNITEN, Ir. Dr. Amir was then assigned to TNB Research as its General  Manager and later became its Managing Director from 1998 -2002. He was then assigned again to UNITEN as the Dean of College Graduate Studies/Professor of  Power Engineering Centre until his retirement  from TNB in 2007.

From 2008, he joined Minconsult Sdn. Bhd. as the Senior Consultant/General Manager leading/assisting   teams that were involved  in power system projects , such as power generating  plants, electric traction railway projects (LRT/MRT and KTMB), renewal energy projects (large-scale  FiT Solar PV projects, mini-hydros), Management & Engineering Audits of electricity supply industry and formulation of Feasibility Study Reports/Master Plan Study Reports  related to Energy/Electricity Planning. In 2013, he was appointed by University Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP) as the Visiting Professor at the School of Electrical Engineering Systems.