A seminar titled, “Propulsion Equipment for Indian Railway”, was arranged by IEEE-PES and IAS joint Student Branch Chapter of Amrita School of Engineering, Bengaluru, on July 28, 2016. The guest speaker was Mr. Shekar R, DGM, BHEL-EDN. He was accompanied by Mr, V.  Krishna, Sr. Engineer BHEL-EDN. The event was attended by the students of B.Tech and M.Tech of the department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering.

Mr. Shekar began the event with a description of the evolution of Indian Railways from steam to electric locomotives. His main focus was on the role of power electronics in the evolution of electric traction. He also highlighted the use and advantages of IGBTs for the traction purpose of locomotives. Mr. Shekar also described the nomenclature of locos (eg.WAG9, WAP5, WAP7). He also talked about the development, manufacture and supply of 3-Phase IGBT-based propulsion systems for electric locomotives and AC EMUs for Indian Railways.

The session was really a great opportunity for the students to get equipped with the knowledge and ideas related to the advancement of power electronics in the field of traction.