H2020-S2RJU-2018
Flexible medium voltage DC electric railway systems (HVDC-ERS)
MAIN OBJECTIVES
- To introduce new high-efficiency topologies of power conversion systems to convert medium-voltage AC power into medium-voltage DC power with the capability of limiting the short circuit current.
- To introduce high-power density topologies of power converters for on-board DC transformers.
- To investigate the impact of the forthcoming wide band-gap semiconductor devices in terms of efficiency and voltage level for the converters of the feeder stations and in terms of weight and volume for the traction converters.
- To understand how the new railway electrification system should be controlled and protected when renewable power sources are integrated.
- To understand how on-board energy storage can be exploited and how it can optimize the operations of the network.
- To work with industrial stakeholders to investigate the marketability of the new electrification system and trains.
Project benefits
- Contribute to future S2R exploratory research by developing innovative and breakthrough technological concepts
- Investigation of next generation railway electrification systems, DC power electronic traction transformers and other technologies for a better compatibility with renewables integrating them easier in the system
- Open new possibilities and ideas for the S2R stakeholders and rail research community for integrating renewable sources to facilitate future deployment within the industry
- Develop new and existing expertise in this area, generating a team (PhD graduate, existing research and academic staff) of experts in the development of the technology and its application within the rail domain
- MVDC-ERS project will produce a base and knowledge on next generation railway power supplies and on-board traction systems for the integration of electric railway transport into the EU roadmap for deployment of new green transport technologies in Europe and worldwide
UTCN main contribution
- Undertake a comparative evaluation of topologies of static converters for the medium voltage DC transformers;
- Define the optimal topology for application to railway traction and evaluation of the performance of the converter;
- Develop a software model for the prediction of static and dynamic performance of the DC transformer for different train operations
- Design and implementation of the small-scale prototype of on-board traction converter, integration with the experimental demonstrator at UOB
- Disseminate the key results of the project and support University of Birmingham with a contribution to the dissemination and communication activities during the project
- Contribution to the activities and organization of events
Funding
This project has received funding from the Shift2Rail Joint Undertaking (JU) under grant agreement No 826238. The JU receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme and the Shift2Rail JU members other than the Union.
