Rail Systems
S-RASS (STATIC – RAIL ACCESS SAFETY SYSTEM)
Every day thousands of maintenance and construction staff can be at risk of serious injury or death from a go-live situation when working on track. The safety of personnel who need access to High Voltage risk areas, or entry to electrically powered active rail systems, is of paramount importance. The solution to securing their safety is the S-RASS system: a permanently mounted device positioned in full view of the access point to the track or high voltage area. Its main purpose is to give a clear indication of the status of the live system.
How Does S-RASS Work?
The S-RASS system is self-powered from the high voltage source, so there is no separate supply required from infrastructure to maintain the system. Therefore, it can be used anywhere there is a risk of electrocution or for protection from unexpected go-live train operations.
The function is simple; the displays show the status of the voltage as either “ON” or “OFF”. If the system develops an internal defect or loses connection, it switches into “FAULT” mode. This clearly indicates to all individuals that a manual check of the system is required.
How We Developed S-RASS at NISCAM
S-RASS stands for Static-Rail Access Safety System and is a product our team of expert engineers at NISCAM Rail have been developing over the last three years. With many years’ experience servicing electronic systems in a rail environment, NISCAM has a unique knowledge of the operational requirements of rail access systems.
The image above shows S-RASS in a powered rail protection format. The Dual connections are shown to each of the power rails with positive and negative DC supply. The System is protected by a track fuse (also supplied by NISCAM). The main casing earth is shown connected to the running rail, and the Earth Check sensing connection must be made to a separate earth point. The S-RASS constantly checks all rail and earth terminations are actively connected, ensuring a reliable and accurate interpretation of the field conditions.
Main Benefits of the
S-RASS System
– Direct 1000v Working Capability
– HT Connections continuously tested
– Checks up to two voltage sources
– Single Side Disconnect checks both sources to earth
– Earth Check – checks for true connection to earth
– Up to 100 hours OFF circuit life
– Dual audible & visual indication of power “ON”
– Battery charge management system
– Battery shutdown management
– Advance HT conversion circuit
– High resistance to EMC
– Long life LED display
– HT disconnect system maintenace handling
– Simple and Fast Battery maintenance/replacment
– All conditions rugged Stainless steel external casing
– Fault memory
– system buffers the last 16 faults
Further Options
– Bluetooth Local Diagnostics using mobile App
– WiFi/Mobile Network Connetable for system Diagnostics and monitoring
– Remote System Status, Fault, Battery Condition and Line Voltage monitoring
– External Battery Pack to support longer down time requirments
– Full Turnkey Installation and Supply from Thales
– Additional swapout spares for scheduled maintenance – Full Maintenance Contracts including Spares and Batteries