Investigation of Shunt Active Power Filters in Railway Systems, Substation Installation

This paper investigates the performance of SAPFs （shunt active power filters） which are introduced in order to address the quality issues in electrified railway supply systems. These filters can be installed at either the S/S （substation） end or at the SP （sectioning post） of the railway feeding power system. In this investigation novel control algorithms, based on the synchronously rotating frame of reference, are proposed for the case when the SAPF is installed at the substation end and its performance is assessed. The effectiveness of the proposed control algorithms are illustrated via Matlab/SimPower computer simulations and validated via comparisons with other publications. This investigation demonstrated that when the SAPF is installed at the substation side, it can effectively compensate for the higher harmonic supply current. In addition, the reactive power demand is fully compensated for, leading to close to unity power factor. However, the voltage drop/sag at the locomotive power supply feed point is only partially compensated for.

Optimal control and energy storage for DC electric train systems using evolutionary algorithms

Electrified railways are becoming a popular transport medium and these consume a large amount of electrical energy.Environmental concerns demand reduction in energy use and peak power demand of railway systems.Furthermore,high transmission losses in DC railway systems make local storage of energy an increasingly attractive option.An optimisation framework based on genetic algorithms is developed to optimise a DC electric rail network in terms of a comprehensive set of decision variables including storage size,charge/discharge power limits,timetable and train driving style/trajectory to maximise benefits of energy storage in reducing railway peak power and energy consumption.Experimental results for the considered real-world networks show a reduction of energy consumption in the range 15%–30%depending on the train driving style,and reduced power peaks.

Traction power substation balance and losses estimation in AC railways using a power transfer device through Monte Carlo analysis

The high dynamic power requirements present in modern railway transportation systems raise research challenges for an optimal operation of railway electrification. This paper presents a Monte Carlo analysis on the application of a power transfer device installed in the neutral zone and exchanging active power between two sections. The main analyzed parameters are the active power balance in the two neighbor traction power substations and the system power losses. A simulation framework is presented to comprise the desired analysis and a universe of randomly distributed scenarios are tested to evaluate the effectiveness of the power transfer device system. The results show that the density of trains and the relative branch length of a traction power substation should be considered in the evaluation phase of the best place to install a power transfer device, towards the reduction of the operational power losses, while maintaining the two substations balanced in terms of active power.