Tram interference with lighting?

[yourenotfunnytom]

Hi all,

Had a client from bar in Melbourne contact us regarding their LED lighting dimming and flickering when a tram drives past (they're on a busy inner city street).
There's been a fair bit of development surrounding this place (multiple apartment blocks/hi rises) and i'm wondering whether there's an issue with the supply not coping with demand with the load of a tram going by? Or does it have something to do with an inductive load dirtying up the network?

I suppose i'm also wondering if anyone can suggest a fix. Perhaps a load correction device across some of the lighting groups might be a good start?

Appreciate any input.
Cheers

 

[yourenotfunnytom]

Hi all,

Had a client from bar in Melbourne contact us regarding their LED lighting dimming and flickering when a tram drives past (they're on a busy inner city street).
There's been a fair bit of development surrounding this place (multiple apartment blocks/hi rises) and i'm wondering whether there's an issue with the supply not coping with demand with the load of a tram going by? Or does it have something to do with an inductive load dirtying up the network?

I suppose i'm also wondering if anyone can suggest a fix. Perhaps a load correction device across some of the lighting groups might be a good start?

Appreciate any input.
Cheers

Just now realising i'm posting on a UK forum. Do you guys even have trams?
Love from Australia

 

[UNG]

Hi all,

Had a client from bar in Melbourne contact us regarding their LED lighting dimming and flickering when a tram drives past (they're on a busy inner city street).
There's been a fair bit of development surrounding this place (multiple apartment blocks/hi rises) and i'm wondering whether there's an issue with the supply not coping with demand with the load of a tram going by? Or does it have something to do with an inductive load dirtying up the network?

I suppose i'm also wondering if anyone can suggest a fix. Perhaps a load correction device across some of the lighting groups might be a good start?

Appreciate any input.
Cheers

I would suggest you need a power quality analyser connected to the supply for a few days to record what is happening to the supply when a tram passes. If the supply is being affected then you would need to talk to the power supply company. I'm not familiar with Australian power supply wiring but it could be a failing joint on the on incoming supply and the vibrations from the passing trams are causing the problem

Just now realising i'm posting on a UK forum. Do you guys even have trams?
Love from Australia

A number of UK cities do have trams

 

[timhoward]

Just now realising i'm posting on a UK forum. Do you guys even have trams?

We have trams!

Trams in the UK : TheTrams.co.uk

 

[Lucien Nunes]

The trams themselves operate on 600V DC so there is no direct interconnection between the power feed to the building and the traction circuits. The traction supply is produced at substations that might share power infrastructure with the general utlilty distribution, but a problem there would cause flickering wherever the trams were.

Two or three likely alternatives:

• There are loose connections in the AC distribution cabling, as suggested by @UNG, which are being disturbed and revealed by the tram movement. This could escalate into a total failure as they would likely be arcing and heating.
• The LEDs have some electronic control scheme that is susceptible to radio-frequency interference from the large motors and overhead pickups of the trams.
• A fault in the grounding of the tram tracks is impressing voltage on the building supply MEN conductor. This could cause a shock risk but would most likely already have been detected by the tram infrastructure as a loss of traction voltage would occur.

As stated above, a power analyser would show whether the AC network is being disrupted, if it is not then you can look for RF issues.