Design and Concept of Renewable Energy Driven Auto-Detectable Railway Level Crossing Systems in Bangladesh

Abstract

Bangladesh’s railway system mostly uses typical manual railway crossing techniques or boom gates through its 2955.53 km rail route all over the country. Accidents frequently happen at railway crossings due to the lack of quickly operating gate systems, and to fewer safety measures at the railway crossing as well. Currently, there are very few automatic railway crossing systems available (without obstacle detectors). Additionally, all of them are dependent on the national power grid, without a backup plan for any emergency cases. Bangladesh is still running a bit behind in generating enough power for its consumption; hence, it is not possible to have a continuous power supply at all times all over the countryside. We aim to design and develop a smart railway crossing system with an obstacle detector to prevent common types of accidents at railway crossing points. We use two infrared (IR) sensors to operate the railway crossing systems, which are controlled by an Arduino Uno. This newly designed level crossing system is run with the help of sustainable renewable energy, which is cost-effective and eco-friendly, and applied under the national green energy policy towards achieving sustainable development in Bangladesh as a part of the global sustainable goal to face climate change challenges. We have summarized the simulated the results of several renewable energy sources, including a hybrid system, and optimized the Levelized Cost of Energy (LCOE) and the payback periods.

Application of HOMER in assessing and controlling renewable energy-based hybrid EV charging stations across major Turkish cities

“…When the electricity produced from the PV array and the energy stored in the battery bank fail to meet the load demand, a diesel-based generator is employed to cover this shortfall. The amount of fuel consumed by the DG is dependent on the volume of electricity generated [17]. The simulation was conducted assuming the price of DG fuel to be $1 per liter.…”

“…In this equation, 𝐹(𝑡) denotes the fuel consumption rate of the DG, 𝐹 0 (L/h/kW) is the fuel curve intercept coefficient, 𝐹 1 (L/h/kW) signifies the slope of the fuel curve, 𝑌 𝑔𝑒𝑛 (kW) represents the nominal power of the DG under STC, and 𝑃 𝑔𝑒𝑛 (kW) indicates the output power of the DG in the current time interval [17].…”

“…A sensitivity analysis was performed on the system for different minimum load ratios and average output powers for each province included in the study. Comparative charts depicting the sizing of the EVCS, along with its economic NPV and LCOE values, are presented inFigures 14,15,16,17,18,and 19.…”

Automated Railway Crossing System: A Secure and Resilient Approach

“…Ghosh et al [6] proposed a smart railway crossing system in Bangladesh using two infrared sensors controlled by an Arduino Uno. The system operates on sustainable renewable energy, aligning with the national green energy policy.…”