Utilisation of regenerative braking energy in adjacent power sections of railway systems

Huge regenerative braking (RB) energy is generated in the AC traction power supply system (TPSS) which is related to safe operation and comprehensive energy utilisation. For the RB energy utilisation, the authors propose a railway regenerative braking power conditioner (RBPC) with no energy storage system (ESS) integrated which is located at the end of the power sections between adjacent traction substations (TSSs). First, the RB characteristics are studied based on a large amount of measured data, and the load power states are classified according to the load powers of adjacent power sections. Then, the RB energy utilisation scheme, transferring the RB power to the adjacent power section where traction power exists, has been studied. Moreover, a dual closed-loop control strategy for a back-to-back converter is adopted to achieve RB energy utilisation. Finally, a case study and an engineering application are carried out. The results have verified the feasibility of this method, which can illustrate that more than half of the RB energy can be mutually utilised in adjacent power sections.