Optimal Energy Speed Profile of Medium-Speed Maglev Trains Integrating the Power Supply System and Train Control System

Abstract

As a new type of transportation serving the suburban passengers, the medium-speed maglev (MSM) is gradually becoming the focus of scholars. This paper addressess the speed profile optimization problem for MSM train operations by integrating the power supply system and train control system under various constraints. Unlike the model for optimizing the mechanical energy of the train, this approach aims at the lowest energy consumption of the substation for the MSM system. First, a speed profile optimization model for the MSM train is built by combining the mathematical control model of the long stator synchronous linear motor and dynamic equation of train, in which the stator current is the control variable. Next, a dedicated dynamic programming approach is proposed to solve the optimization model. The results of the numerical experiments show that the proposed model outperforms the model that only considers the train mechanical energy, and the energy consumption is reduced by 10.3% and 6.5% in the two case studies, respectively. Furthermore, the relationship between energy consumption and travel time is analyzed to reflect the optimal results of the proposed model limited to different fixed travel time.