Vaisala IceCast Wind Alarm System
High wind gusts cause dangerous movement of exposed overhead wires,
leading to loss of power to the train and de-wirements. In some areas wind
gusts can also blow over empty freight cars.
A typical wind management strategy is based around freely available text
and/or general wide area hazard (Yes/No) type forecasts. The effects of
wind may be highly localised and influenced by local terrain / topography
and vary with wind direction, making wind gusts difficult to forecast.
This often leads to train speed restrictions being introduced too frequently, so
leading to unnecessary delays. Alternatively, it is possible for localised
wind events to occur, which have not been forecast, leading to expensive and
disruptive de-wirements.
The Vaisala IceCast Wind Alarm System warns users
when wind gusts exceed user defined thresholds, so allowing wind related train
speed restrictions to be imposed only when and where required, reducing
delays and costs, while also minimising infrastructure damage under high wind
conditions.
Each wind weather station continuously records wind speed,
direction and gust and 'controls' a particular line section. The
wind weather station is located where wind gusts have been identified as
likely to be greatest. The system provides an effective wind alarm solution,
with the track-side datalogger alarm logic structured to avoid the repeated
alarms which occur under varying wind conditions.
Vaisala Wind Weather Station
The Vaisala IceCast Wind AlarmSystem is
based around a network of strategically located wind weather stations equipped
with a WAA151 anenometer and WAV151
wind vane, or WAS425 ultrasonic wind sensor and with
these reporting real time wind gust alarms into the Vaisala IceCast Rail
Alarm Server in the Control Room.