Train washing station: predictive maintenance

The train wash facility of the Société Nationale des Chemins de Fer Luxembourgeois (CFL) is the most modern in Europe today. It cleans local and long-distance trains daily in its 200 metre wash hall, which uses a sophisticated system.
In order to be able to wash different train lengths efficiently in the large hall, the 200 metres are divided into 66-metre-long segments where washing trolleys are available. There are four washing trolleys on each side of a train, which travel along the 66 metre long sections of the train and thus clean the entire length.
The centrepiece of this process is the energy chain, which enables the washing trolleys to move. These have the task of safely guiding the large number of hoses and cables for energy, data, compressed air, water and cleaning agents.
The system must function reliably in high humidity, wet conditions and when using chemical cleaning agents.
The high load was evident in the previous energy chain of a competitor, which repeatedly caused interruptions in the operating process, as they partially rose or otherwise failed. This was particularly problematic as the washing system is operated autonomously and a failure of an energy chain system could bring the entire washing process to a standstill. The necessary repair work was time-consuming and sometimes had to be carried out at night and at weekends. When the energy chain failed, it could not be ruled out that a rail vehicle would become trapped in the wash bay, which could mean the cancellation of several train journeys.

The train company CFL realised that it needed an energy chain system that not only functions reliably, but also ensures predictive operation without surprises.
The answer was found in polymer energy chains designed for long travel distances, which are equipped with intelligent sensors for condition monitoring and predictive maintenance.
The condition monitoring (i.Sense EC.P) enables permanent monitoring of the e-chain® solution by measuring the tensile and shear forces. If, for example, the chain falls or rises out of the guide trough, the technology registers this, stops the system and can thus prevent an expensive total loss.
There are also sensors for predictive maintenance (i.Cee ) of the system. Taking into account condition monitoring data such as temperature, travel speed or distance travelled, this gives the operator an assessment of the service life of the system and provides maintenance and inspection instructions.
The interaction between i.Sense EC.P and i.Cee not only allows the operator to avoid total damage, but also to know exactly when damage will occur and how to avoid it. Unforeseen downtime is therefore a thing of the past.