Field and current flow analysis of the buried feeding line of the innovative electric transport concept STREAM

STREAM is the acronym of a new concept of mass transit system designed and developed by Ansaldo Trasporti S.p.A. to provide an efficient solution to rubber‐tyred transportation problems in urban areas. One of STREAM's most distinctive feature is the power supply system, which uses a magnetic lift contact line embedded in the road surface to deliver traction power and to provide operating and control information. In this paper the field and the current flow analyses of this buried feeding track are presented and discussed. Analyses are aimed at determining the highest values of accessible voltages on the ground under different environmental and operating conditions. Results provided by a numerical simulation of the 3D model representing the feeding track allow us to identify the most critical conditions and to verify the safety and reliability of the system.