Power quality in high-speed railway systems

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe proliferation of the new high-speed train has resulted in significant distortions in network voltage and current in both traction power supply system (TPSS) and the connected power system. The nonlinear and dynamic natures of the modern trains make the calculation and evaluation of such power quality (PQ) problems quite a difficult work. The typical PQ problems in high-speed railway (HSR) are the unbalance, reactive power, harmonic and harmonic resonance, low-frequency voltage fluctuation, etc. This article presents an overview on these power quality issues based on reported documents and field experiments, and further describes the modelling of the TPSS in China HSR systems, which is used to study the PQ issues. In order to improve the PQ performance, a number of mitigation approaches have been investigated and utilized through railway electrification history. Moreover, with the development of new power-electronics technologies, some novel solutions have been developed and implemented to achieve better PQ performance. Additionally, the article compares and summarizes different PQ improvements with respect to various power quality indices.