Sensitivity of the Model of Traction Current Distribution in Rails to Variability in Impedances and Admittances of the Rail Network

The traction network of electrified railways is a powerful spatially distributed source of electromagnetic interference over a wide frequency range, which affects the operation of railway signaling systems. The problem solved in this work is related to the sensitivity analysis of the model of the distribution of return traction current in the rails to the variability of their electrical parameters. The construction of a fairly complete and adequate model of the traction network is complicated by a number of factors, including its large length, differences in design and parameters in its different sections, nonlinearity of the electrical parameters of some of its elements, non-stationary processes in the traction network, which is caused by changes in the position and operating modes of the rolling stock, as well as a large number of wires of various types in the network, including rails that are electrically connected to the ground, which leads to variability in their parameters under the influence of external factors. Significant variability in rail parameters affects not only the uncertainty of modeling results, but also the possibility of model validation. The purpose of this work is to study the sensitivity of the differential return traction current distribution model in rails to the variability of rail impedance and rail-to-earth conductance. Sensitivity analysis of the model to the variability of its parameters allows us to determine the degree of its adequacy in relation to a specific task.