Review and research progress of wireless power transfer for railway transportation

Abstract

This paper discusses the history and research progress of wireless power transfer (WPT) for railway transportation. In the field of railway transportation traction power supply, the problems caused by the traditional contact‐type power supply method have become increasingly prominent: the overhead contact network prone to breakages, scraping and wearing the pantograph, etc. WPT technology, which avoids direct contact with the power supply sources and loads, effectively solves these problems. This paper focuses on the application of WPT technology for railway transit, and introduces the research status in China and abroad. Moreover, the main technologies and primary problems of WPT, including magnetic coupler, segmented power supply, design of high‐frequency inverter, system optimization and control and practical applications for trams, maglev vehicles, and high‐speed trains, are reviewed. A detailed analysis and summary on the technologies is also provided. By reviewing the state‐of‐the‐art development of WPT in railways, it is hoped that researchers could be encouraged by these achievements and pushed forward the further development in WPT. © 2018 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.