Railway Traction Power Supply

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Power Electronics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2023) | Viewed by 11499

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Guest Editor
Laboratory of Plasma and Energy Conversion (LAPLACE), University of Toulouse, Toulouse, France
Interests: new topologies of power converters for medium and high voltage power systems; characterisation and implementation of new semiconductor devices in high power converters
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, electrified railway networks are considered one of the most environmentally friendly transportation systems. In the context of the need for increased rail transportation both for freight and passenger services, the efficiency of the electric traction system, from the power supply to the rolling stock, is of central concern. This Special Issue will focus on advances in the domain of railway traction power supply at different aspects levels: modelling, technologies, converters and systems. All electrification systems, both Direct Current and Alternating Current, are addressed.

Papers on the following topics are welcome:

New solutions for interconnection to public grid (reversible substation, voltage balancer, frequency changer …);

New solutions for power supply (FACTs, three-wire DC power supply, MVDC power system, Integration of renewable energy sources, Energy storage systems …);

Interactions between rolling stock and power supply (low frequency stability, harmonics interactions ...).

The objective of this Special Issue is to gather papers from industries and academia in order to compare their experiences, visions and research in the field of railway electrification systems.

Prof. Dr. Philippe Ladoux
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • rail transportation
  • traction power supplies
  • power converters
  • renewable energy sources
  • energy storage systems
  • power quality

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 8408 KiB  
Article
Fixed (Trackside) Energy Storage System for DC Electric Railways Based on Full-SiC Isolated DC-DC Converters
by Joseph Fabre, Philippe Ladoux and Hervé Caron
Electronics 2023, 12(7), 1675; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12071675 - 1 Apr 2023
Viewed by 1705
Abstract
At present, in several European railway networks using traditional DC electrification systems, it is not possible to increase traffic nor to operate locomotives at their nominal power ratings. Trackside energy storage systems (TESSs) can be an alternative solution for the creation of new [...] Read more.
At present, in several European railway networks using traditional DC electrification systems, it is not possible to increase traffic nor to operate locomotives at their nominal power ratings. Trackside energy storage systems (TESSs) can be an alternative solution for the creation of new substations. A TESS limits contact line voltage drops and smooths the power absorbed during peak traffic. Thus, the efficiency of the power system can be increased while limiting costs and the environmental impact. This paper proposes a new topology of a TESS based on full-SiC isolated DC/DC converters associated with lithium-ion batteries and galvanic isolation, offering major advantages for operational safety. In the event of a fault, the input and output terminals of the converters are electrically separated, and the contact line voltage can never be directly applied to the batteries. In addition, the use of SiC MOSFETs makes it possible to obtain excellent efficiency with a high switching frequency. The first part of this paper presents the main characteristics of an elementary TESS module, while the second part proposes a sizing methodology for the typical case of a 1.5 kV DC line, which shows the limits of using TESSs to reinforce a power supply. Finally, the experimental results of an elementary module prototype are presented. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Railway Traction Power Supply)
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25 pages, 4857 KiB  
Article
Low Frequency Stability of AC Railway Traction Power Systems: Analysis of the Influence of Traction Unit Parameters
by Paul Frutos, Philippe Ladoux, Nicolas Roux, Igor Larrazabal, Juan M. Guerrero and Fernando Briz
Electronics 2022, 11(10), 1593; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11101593 - 17 May 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2495
Abstract
Dynamic interactions between AC railway electrification systems and traction unit power converters can result in low frequency oscillation (LFO) of the contact-line voltage amplitude, which can lead to a power outage of the traction substation and the shutdown of train traffic. Several system [...] Read more.
Dynamic interactions between AC railway electrification systems and traction unit power converters can result in low frequency oscillation (LFO) of the contact-line voltage amplitude, which can lead to a power outage of the traction substation and the shutdown of train traffic. Several system parameters can influence the low frequency stability of the railway traction power system, including contact-line length and traction unit parameters such as transformer leakage inductance, DC-link capacitance, control bandwidths and synchronization systems. This paper focuses on the influence of these parameters on the LFO. The methodology is based on a frequency-domain analysis. Nyquist and Bode diagrams are used to determine the stability limit. The validation of the method is performed through the use of time-domain simulations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Railway Traction Power Supply)
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16 pages, 3920 KiB  
Article
Calculation of the Voltage Unbalance Factor for High-Speed Railway Substations with V-Connection Scheme
by Didier Flumian, Philippe Ladoux and Emmanuel Sarraute
Electronics 2022, 11(4), 595; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11040595 - 15 Feb 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1757
Abstract
In France, high-speed railway lines are powered by a 2 × 25 kV/50 Hz electrification system. The substations include two single-phase transformers connected to the high-voltage electrical transmission network on different pairs of phases according to a so-called “V-connection scheme”. In practice, due [...] Read more.
In France, high-speed railway lines are powered by a 2 × 25 kV/50 Hz electrification system. The substations include two single-phase transformers connected to the high-voltage electrical transmission network on different pairs of phases according to a so-called “V-connection scheme”. In practice, due to the large variations in the power absorbed by the trains, this connection does not make it possible to satisfactorily limit the unbalance in the three-phase voltages. In order to correctly size a balancing system to be associated with the substation, it is necessary to calculate, with precision, the voltage unbalance factor as a function of the power drawn by the trains. In its first part, this paper presents modelling of the substation and proposes an algorithm which allows for the calculation of the upstream line voltage as a function of the power consumption at the secondary of the transformers. The voltage unbalance factor can then be determined over a long period of operation. In the second part of this paper, the same approach is applied with an unbalance-compensator based on Steinmetz circuits controlled by AC choppers. Finally, in both cases, the results of the calculations are validated by simulations performed with PLECS simulation software. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Railway Traction Power Supply)
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17 pages, 6159 KiB  
Article
Integration of Distributed Energy Resources and EV Fast-Charging Infrastructure in High-Speed Railway Systems
by Miad Ahmadi, Hamed Jafari Kaleybar, Morris Brenna, Francesco Castelli-Dezza and Maria Stefania Carmeli
Electronics 2021, 10(20), 2555; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10202555 - 19 Oct 2021
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2484
Abstract
Low carbon emission transportation is attracting global attention where electric railway power systems (ERPS) and electric vehicles (EVs) act as a load. Besides the main utility grid, renewable energy sources (RES) including photovoltaic (PV) panels and wind turbines are implemented to supply the [...] Read more.
Low carbon emission transportation is attracting global attention where electric railway power systems (ERPS) and electric vehicles (EVs) act as a load. Besides the main utility grid, renewable energy sources (RES) including photovoltaic (PV) panels and wind turbines are implemented to supply the loads fully or partially. In this paper, a novel smart DC catenary system is proposed in which renewable sources, storage systems, and DC fast-charging stations are connected to the overhead DC catenary line of the high-speed railway power system. The generated power from renewable sources and consumed power by charging stations are processed by their dedicated DC-DC power electronics converters. Furthermore, a storage system is used as a backup system not only for the case of blackouts but also because of the intermittent nature of renewable energy sources to supply the loads continuously. The paper presents an optimal power control for various parts and a power management system (PMS) that manages the power flow from wind-PV-storage system to EV-ERPS system. The proposed system has been investigated using a real Italian Rome-Florence 3 kV high-speed line as a case study with real data of ERPS load. The EV fast-charging station power demand, wind speed, solar irradiance, and temperature were recorded for 24 h in order to provide us with realistic output data. The simulation results obtained by MATLAB/Simulink are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed system. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Railway Traction Power Supply)
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18 pages, 3939 KiB  
Article
Feedforward Compensation of Railway Static Power Conditioners in a V/v Traction Power Supply System
by Yaoguo Li, Jiaxi Hu, Zhaohui Tang, Yongfang Xie and Fangyuan Zhou
Electronics 2021, 10(6), 656; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics10060656 - 11 Mar 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1894
Abstract
Railway static power conditioners (RPC) usually improve the power quality of traction power supply systems only according to the active power of the load, which leads to inaccurate compensation. There are two factors that restrict the performance of RPC, one of which is [...] Read more.
Railway static power conditioners (RPC) usually improve the power quality of traction power supply systems only according to the active power of the load, which leads to inaccurate compensation. There are two factors that restrict the performance of RPC, one of which is the reactive power of the load, and the other is the system error. In order to eliminate the compensation error, a compensation optimization method is proposed. First, calculate the reactive power compensation value for the reactive power of the load. Second, introduce the amplitudes and phases of the primary currents of the V/v transformer as references for the compensation error caused by the system loss and then use fuzzy control to optimize compensation. The compensation method proposed in this paper is actually a feedforward control. In addition, this method balances the three-phase currents and enables RPC to be used in railway power supply systems with low locomotive power factors. The effectiveness of the method proposed in this paper has been confirmed by the simulation results. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Railway Traction Power Supply)
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