IET Electrical Systems in Transportation

Research Article

Energy evaluation of the power network of a

DC railway system with regenerating trains

ISSN 2042-9738
Received on 13th May 2015
Revised on 22nd September 2015
Accepted on 30th September 2015
doi: 10.1049/iet-est.2015.0025
www.ietdl.org

Zhongbei Tian 1 , Stuart Hillmansen 1, Clive Roberts 1, Paul Weston 1, Ning Zhao 1, Lei Chen 1,
Mingwu Chen 2
1

School of Electronic, Electrical and Systems Engineering, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
School of Electrical Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Peoples Republic of China
E-mail: zxt279@bham.ac.uk

Abstract: Regenerating trains are now in common use on many DC fed railway systems, and train operating companies
are able to get a discount on their energy costs if regeneration is active. The electrical energy consumption in a DC system
is significant, and a comprehensive understanding of how regeneration affects the overall system energy consumption
has not been developed. This study presents a simulation method in which a multi-train analysis is used to determine
the system energy consumption with and without regeneration in operation, as well as the impact on the system
energy consumption of different headways. The results are used to determine a full energy audit of the system based
on the data of the Beijing Yizhuang subway line. This includes the energy supplied by the substations, the energy
wasted in the power transmission network, the energy used by the train in traction and regenerated by braking trains.
The initial results show that regenerating trains have a significantly lower substation demand, but slightly more energy
is lost within the network. The results also indicate that, the available regenerative energy and total substation demand
vary with different timetables, and there is a 27% difference between the best and worst headways.

Nomenclature

M
l
s
t
F
g
R
K
r
A
B
C

Pmech
Pelec
motor
Pregen
Rsub
Vopen circuit
Vrated
Irated
PT
UT
IT
T
N
t0
Ttotal
ri

li

With the continuing focus on rising energy prices and environmental

concerns, reducing energy consumption and ensuring the
environmental sustainability of railway systems is becoming a key
topic which is being paid increasing attention. As a solution which
aims to minimise trafc congestion and reduce air pollution in
urban environments, urban rail systems have been developing
rapidly in recent years. Although the railway system is arguably
the most efcient form of land based transport, there is still room
for saving more energy.
Several comprehensive approaches for energy saving include
energy-efcient driving, regenerative braking, reduction of traction
losses, and smart power management, which have been
investigated and assessed [1]. Regenerative braking and
energy-efcient driving are assumed to have the greatest potential
and suitability for reducing energy consumption compared with
other energy-saving methods. Studies of driving strategy
optimisation commonly focus on saving traction-energy by
applying coasting control. A genetic algorithm (GA) was applied
to nd proper coasting points to achieve the best energy saving
results [2]. Both classical and heuristic approaches are presented in
[3], and multi-coasting points control shows a better energy saving
performance in a long inter-station section. Rather than searching
for the coasting point, a combined function of energy consumption
and journey time was optimised by a fuzzy logic technique [4].
Dynamical programming was proposed for optimisation, and
performed better than both GA and ant colony optimisation [5]. A
multi-train simulator was developed to reduce energy cost and
penalty cost caused by delay [6, 7]. With the development of
communications-based train control systems, designing an optimal
automatic train operation (ATO) speed prole became a preferred
research [8, 9]. In an attempt to achieve a fast-response online
optimum control system, a mathematical algorithm proved by

mass of the train (kg)

rotary allowance
distance of the train (m)
time (s)
tractive effort applied at the wheels (N)
acceleration due to gravity (m/s2)
resistance of motion (N)
curvature resistance coefcient (Nm)
radius of curvature of the track (m)
Davis equation constant (N)
Davis equation linear term constant (N/(m/s))
Davis equation quadratic term constant (N/(m/s)2)
gradient angle (rad)
mechanical power of the train (W)
electrical power of the train (W)
electrical motor efciency
regenerative power of the train (W)
equivalent resistance of the substation ()
no-load voltage of 12-pulse rectier unit (V)
rated voltage of 12-pulse rectier unit (V)
rated current of 12-pulse rectier unit (A)
instantaneous power of the train (W)
instantaneous voltage of the train (V)
instantaneous current of the train (A)
journey time of a single trip (s)
total number of running cycles
headway (s)
whole-day operation time (s)
resistance of the contact line segment i ()
resistivity of contact lines (/m)
length of the contact line segment i (m)

IET Electr. Syst. Transp., 2016, Vol. 6, Iss. 2, pp. 4149

& The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2016

Introduction

41

Pontryagin maximum principle was utilised to compute the optimal

speed prole [1013].
Trains in subway systems are generally powered by DC electricity.
The modelling of a DC railway power network has been studied over
many decades [1418]. To analyse the non-linear power ows in the
electrical power network, algebraic equations with various iterative
methods, such as NewtonRaphson iterative method, point-Jacobi
method, Zollenkopfs bifactorisation and incomplete Cholesky
conjugate gradient method, have been studied and applied
[1921]. In recent years, trains using regenerative braking have
been widely adopted, which can convert kinetic energy into
electrical energy to reduce net energy consumption at the train.
The efciency of using regenerative energy has been investigated,
and the results show that both the braking trajectory and timetable
(headway) can contribute to the effective usage of braking energy
[22, 23]. Based on the power network modelling, energy
management techniques for energy storage devices in a power
feeding network were studied [2427].
In a DC-fed railway system the substations are often rectiers,
which only allow the electricity to ow from the AC side (utility
grid) to the DC power network. As a consequence, when the
global regenerative power is higher than the power required from
other motoring trains, the surplus power will increase the voltage
level of the transmission line. To avoid the danger caused by over
voltage, a voltage limitation control will be applied in this case,
and the surplus power will be wasted in the braking rheostat [28].
This paper proposes a simulation method combining the vehicle
movement and electrical network model. Based on the route data
of Beijing Yizhuang subway line, a set of energy-efcient speed
trajectories with coasting control is applied in the simulation. The
power ow in the network is calculated for a whole-day. System
energy consumption is evaluated with regeneration turned on, and
then turned off. Furthermore, the energy consumption is compared
using different headways, and the efciency of the utilisation of
braking energy is analysed.

2
2.1

Model formulation
System overview

Considerable work on simulation and optimisation has been done

over a long time. However, conventional research has often
separated the study of train operation and power systems. Most of

the previous work focused on how much mechanical energy can

be saved by various driving strategies, but ignored the effect of
driving strategies on electrical energy consumption from
substations [4, 5, 12, 13]. As minimising the electrical energy
transferred from substations is the nal objective of reducing
carbon footprint and nancial cost, a whole energy evaluation
simulation has been developed. The modelling structure is shown
in Fig. 1. This approach combines single-train motion simulation
and multi-train power network simulation. The driving strategies
as dynamical input parameters with xed traction and route data
are imported into the motion simulator. Then, the output single
train trajectory and power requirement with a whole-day timetable
and power network parameters are imported into the power
network simulator, which will export the electrical energy
consumption, including substation and transmission losses, as well
as the actual used and wasted regenerative energy. According to
the energy evaluation results from the multi-train power network
simulation, the dynamic inputs (driving strategies and timetable)
can be modied to optimise the total energy consumption.
2.2

Train movement modelling

The train movement can be determined by standard Newtonian

equations of motion. In the longitudinal direction, the motion of
the vehicle is governed by the tractive effort, the gradient, the
resistance of motion and the curvature resistance in the following
equation
M (1 + l)

d2 s
= F Mg sin (a) R K/r
dt 2

(1)

where the resistance characteristic described by the Davis equation in

(2), in which A, B and C are vehicle specic coefcients measured by
run-down experiments [29]
R=A+B

2
ds
ds
+C
dt
dt

(2)

In general, the curvature resistance is small and it is neglected in this

paper [30]. The train speed curve is generated by the simulator using
different driving strategies, which include accelerating, cruising,
coasting, braking and so on. The accelerating mode is generally
active at the beginning of the journey with maximal tractive

Fig. 1 Modelling structure

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42

& The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2016

Fig. 2 Beijing Yizhuang subway tractive effort and resistance and power characteristic

efforts. Cruising mode is invoked when the train reaches the speed
limit and partial power is utilised at this time. When the coasting
mode is utilised, no power is needed to draw the train. Braking
mode is applied when the train is approaching a stop or a lower
speed limit. The maximal feasible braking efforts lower than the
rail adhesion are usually utilised to regenerate electrical energy.
These energy-efciency controls have been proved by the
Pontryagin maximum principle under the assumption of train
traction simplication [1012, 31], in which the maximum
acceleration and braking must be the most energy efcient.
The driving strategies should full the constraints determined by
tractive ability and speed limits. In Fig. 2, the Beijing Yizhuang
line vehicle tractive effort and train resistance of motion with
standard passenger load is illustrated. According to the generated
speed trajectory, the mechanical power of the train can be
computed in (3), which is negative when braking
Pmech = F

ds
dt

(3)

To analyse the power ow in the power network simulation, the

power requirements can be transformed from mechanical power
results in (4) and (5). Equation (4) is used to calculate the tractive
power requirement and (5) is used to calculate the regenerative
power requirement, which is a negative value. The efciency of
the motor can be obtained in Fig. 2
Pelec = Pmech /hmotor

(4)

Pregen = Pmech hmotor

2.3

(5)

Power network modelling

In a DC railway power network, traction rectier substations are the

main electricity source for vehicles. Fig. 3 presents a typical DC
traction power network with multiple trains modelling system.
There are four DC substations with rectiers which can prevent
regenerative current from owing back. The resistors present the
overhead line and return running rail resistance, which are split by
the running vehicle or substations. The value of resistance depends
on the length and the resistivity of the conductor, which are 15
and 10 /m for overhead line and return rail, respectively. The
running trains are located on both up and down tracks, which can
be presented by a power source, and power ow analysis can be
utilised to solve the whole system, which will be explained in the
following section.
2.3.1 Rectier substations: Generally, the electrical supply
substations are equipped with three phase 6-pulse or 12-pulse
rectiers shown in Fig. 4. With the development of power
electronic techniques, equivalent 24-pulse rectiers are being
applied in modern rapid transit systems, which are combined with
two 12-pulse rectiers in parallel. The voltage regulation
characteristic of the rectier units has a non-linear feature, in
which the ratio of output voltage and current depends on different
loads [32]. To simplify the analysis of simulation, this study limits

Fig. 3 Typical DC traction power network with multiple trains

IET Electr. Syst. Transp., 2016, Vol. 6, Iss. 2, pp. 4149

& The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2016

43

Fig. 4 12-Pulse rectier unit and voltage regulation characteristics

the working region of the rectier units. Thus the simplied voltage
regulation characteristic becomes linear as shown in Fig. 4. This
diagraph illustrates the output voltage and current at normal load
states. Based on the data from Beijing Yizhuang line, the no-load
voltage of each 12-pulse rectier unit is 850 V, while the rated
voltage and current are 750 V and 2500 A, respectively. As there
are two 12-pulse rectiers in parallel, the equivalent resistance for
the rectier substation can be calculated in the following equation
Rsub =

DV Vopen circuit Vrated 850 750

=
= 0.02 V
=
DI
2500
Irated 0

all the junctions. Analysis method can be applied to solve the

network in the following equation
[I] = [Y ] [V ]

(7)

Due to the trains acting as an ideal power source, the train power
formula (8) can be utilised as constraint of the power analysis,
where PT is the train power demand

(6)

PT = UT IT

(8)

2.3.2 Train loads: Previous research often utilised constant current

source models or constant efciency of regenerative braking energy
usage to present trains in a traction power network [13, 33, 34],
while in this study, trains are considered as dynamical power sources
or power loads for a better simulation performance. Most modern
metros use asynchronous motors, such as the Beijing Yizhuang
metro. There are several working states for trains, as follows:

According to the nodal analysis and power load requirements, the

non-linear power ow problem can be solved. The approach to
develop the admittance matrix and to solve the power ow
problem of multi-train power network is presented below.

(i) Motoring: When the train is motoring, the rotors of the vehicle
turn slower than the synchronous speed, transforming the input
electrical power into mechanical power. This input power comes
from the power network supplied by substations and other
regenerating trains.
(ii) Normal regenerative braking: When the train is braking, the
rotors are turning faster than the synchronous speed controlled by the
driver. Thus, the motor will transform mechanical energy available at
the drive shaft into electrical energy, which can be transferred back to
the network system to power other motoring trains. For normal
regenerative braking, all of the regenerating energy can be transferred
into the transmission network to power other trains.
(iii) Over-voltage regenerative braking: As regenerative braking
can increase the voltage of a train, a high regen voltage will occur
when there are not enough motoring trains absorbing the
regenerative energy in the power network. In the case of a high
voltage hazard, some braking energy cannot be transferred to
contact lines, but is wasted in the on-board braking rheostat as
heat when the regen voltage exceeds a safe value. Therefore, it is
essential to analyse the amount of usable regenerative energy in
performance evaluation simulation.

Dening the substation and train positions is the initial step of

development of the admittance matrix. The locations of substations
are permanently xed, whereas according to the single-train
trajectory from the train motion simulation, the location of the
single-train can be conrmed at any time, which can be explained
by dtrain(t) where 0 t T. Adding an input of the timetable and
the total number of running cycles, the total whole-day operation
time and location of trains can be derived in (9) and (10), where t0
is the headway

The auxiliary load of the train is assumed as a constant, including

the air conditioning and lighting power. The vehicle power
requirement is computed by summing the auxiliary load power
and input power of the motor.

Power flow analysis

To obtain the solution of the power network requires solving a set of

equations which describe the internal electrical relationship between

3.1

Admittance matrix development

Ttotal = T + (N 1) t0

(9)

 i

Dtrains (t) = dtrain
(t n t0 ), 0 t Ttotal , 0 (t n t0 ) T
(10)
After conrming the location of trains, each resistance of contact
lines segment split by running trains and substations can be
computed in the following equation
ri = r li

(11)

In terms of a complex circuit model, current sources are easier than

voltage sources in iteratively computing the power ow. Using
Nortons theorem the rectier substation circuit can be replaced by
a current source with a parallel resistance. As the trains in the
power network are moving all the time, the network circuit should
be recongured at every simulation time step. To establish the
complex admittance matrix of the DC power network more
effectively, sparse matrix ordering methods can be utilised [16].

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& The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2016

3.2

Power flow algorithm

In the equivalent circuit of a DC-fed traction power system, the bus

connected to the substation can be referred to as a slack bus, where
the voltage can be conrmed, while the bus connected with trains
can be considered as a load bus, where the power can be
conrmed. The solution to the power-ow problem is to identify
the power of slack buses and the voltage of load buses. There are
several different iterative approaches to solve the nonlinear system,
for instance GaussSeidel and NewtonRaphson iterative schemes,
point-Jacobi method, bi-factorisation iterative algorithm and so on.
The bi-factorisation iterative algorithm has been utilised in some
previous studies, whose feasibility has been proved by
mathematical and geometrical explanations in [19, 20]. However,
using the original bi-factorisation iterative algorithm can cause

some errors, due to the fact that iterative results cannot converge
in some conditions. This is because of the non-receptivity
characteristic of the DC railway power network. To achieve a
more accurate computation, an improved method based on the
bi-factorisation iterative algorithm is utilised in this paper. Two
specic conditions which can cause non-convergence problem are
explained and the improved programming structure for solving DC
power system is depicted in Fig. 5.
(i) Too much regenerative energy surplus: When too much
regenerating power is exported from braking trains, this will
increase the voltage of each substation and reduce the voltage of
each braking train at the rst iterative calculation. In this way, the
power ow algorithm cannot work at the next calculation and it

Fig. 5 Programing owchart for non-linear DC power system calculation

IET Electr. Syst. Transp., 2016, Vol. 6, Iss. 2, pp. 4149

& The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2016

45

Table 1 Simulation parameters

route length
number of stations
number of substations
substation no-load voltage
substation inner resistance
overvoltage limitation
vehicle mass
passenger mass
max. tractive effort
max. tractive power
auxiliary power

22.73 km
14
12
850 V
0.02
950 V
199 tonnes
88 tonnes
289.45 kN
3680 kW
45 kW

leads to an error. The improved simulation detects this condition, and

uses over-voltage control to reduce the regenerative power, shown in
Fig. 5.
(ii) Energy demand exceeds substation capacity: When all the
substations are switched on, this situation does not occur with a
normal headway. Therefore, this problem is always because
regenerating trains lead to some substations being switched off,
and then the remaining substations cannot provide the power
demanded by other motoring trains. As a result, the power ow
calculated cannot converge and no results will output. The
improved programming will nd this situation where there is not
enough energy supply and switch on all substations, limiting the
regenerating power by over-voltage control.

Case studies

In this section, some energy evaluation results based on the Beijing

Yizhuang subway line are presented. The Yizhuang subway line,

which connects the suburbs of Beijing and city centre, covers a

length of 22.73 km and contains 14 stations including both
underground and over ground segments. The electrical network is
made up of 12 rectier substations with nominal 750 V supply.
The no-load voltage set in the simulator is 850 V with an 0.02
equivalent resistance. The parameters of simulation are shown in
Table 1. Fig. 6 describes the speed trajectory of up and down
track by efcient coasting control, which have been proven to
achieve 15% energy saving compared with normal driving
without coasting control [35]. This optimised trajectory has been
validated experimentally in September 2014, which achieved 16%
saving of traction energy compared with current ATO driving and
10% compared with current human driving. In general, the line
speed limit is 80 km/h. Based on the speed trajectory, the
time-domain power requirement can be computed, which is
shown in Fig. 6.
4.1

Train power assessment

To illustrate the working performance of a DC power network

simulation for a whole-day operation, some results at a specic
simulation time are rstly explained. Table 2 shows the power
analysis result at 20,033 s, where the whole-day operation time is
approximately 18 hours (64,800 s). There are 13 trains running in
the network with a total traction power of 3690 kW and braking
power of 7681 kW. The total usable regenerating power is 878
kW, because of overvoltage limitation. In this case, the output
substation power equals zero, which means all the traction power
demand could potentially be supplied by other regenerating trains.
However, only 878/7681 = 11.43% of the braking power is reused
by other trains. The efciency of potential regenerative energy at

Fig. 6 Up and down direction speed trajectory and electrical power requirement

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& The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2016

Table 2 Train power detection at simulation time = 20,033 s

Headway = 300 s, Simulation time = 20,033 s
Train no.

Location, km

Direction

Over voltage

Power, kW

Final power, kW

Voltage, V

1.35
2.57
4.70
6.22
8.96
9.84
11.94
13.26
14.95
16.46
18.82
19.91
22.63

up
down
up
down
up
down
up
down
up
down
up
down
up

yes
yes
yes
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
no

2957
3637
952
45
45
45
50
45
45
47
45
45
3727

2
24
717
45
45
45
50
45
45
47
45
45
3727

950
950
949
934
909
901
885
875
864
855
843
833
776

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13

Table 3 Substation output results at simulation time = 20,033 s

Sub no.
location, km
voltage, V
power, kW

10

11

12

0
950
0

2.62
950
0

4.71
950
0

6.97
928
0

9.31
906
0

10.66
895
0

13.48
874
0

14.47
867
0

16.46
855
0

18.82
843
299

20.10
832
780

22.73
786
2739

20,033 s is low, 88.57% of which has been dissipated in the on-board

braking rheostat. This is because that the rst three trains are braking
and regenerating power at this time, but only the last train 13 is
motoring which requires a lot of power. Due to the long distance
between them, only a little of regenerated power can be transferred
which also causes the rst three trains reach the over-voltage
limitation. In Table 3, the substation output results are described.
Only the last three substations output power to supply the train 13.
Table 4 shows the results at 20,066 s, where the total traction
power, braking power and usable regenerating power are 9892,
5548 and 4839 kW, respectively. Therefore, 87.22% of braking
power has been reused, and substation output power is 6728 kW.
Compared with the previous case, a regenerative efciency with
87.22% is better. From the results in Table 4, the voltage of train 7
is the lowest with 745 V, because the tractive power train 7 is very
large which makes the line voltage drop considerably. The highest
voltage is 947 V, at train 4. This is because train 4 can regenerate a
large amount of energy and transfer it into other motoring trains
nearby, thus the voltage of train 4 is high. Due to the over-voltage
limitation, the voltage of train 4 cannot exceed 950 V; as a result,
the output regenerative power is 2929 kW which is less than the

Table 4 Train power detection at simulation time = 20,066 s

Headway = 300 s, Simulation time = 20,066 s
Train no.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13

Location,
km

Up/
down

Over
voltage

Power,
kW

Final
power,
kW

Voltage,
V

1.33
2.62
4.70
6.80
8.40
10.35
11.84
13.48
14.48
16.50
18.81
20.10
22.13

up
down
up
down
up
down
up
down
up
down
up
down
up

no
no
no
yes
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
no
no

51
54
652
3637
45
45
3727
51
1820
3727
1938
52
45

51
54
652
2929
45
45
3727
51
1820
3727
1938
52
45

915
916
919
947
895
841
745
829
841
795
814
832
840

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& The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2016

braking power of 3637 kW. The power and voltage output from
substations at this simulation time is described in Table 5.
The following section shows some energy evaluation results for
the whole journey.
4.2

Energy audit

According to the single-train power requirement, whole-day energy

consumption has been calculated for all trains operating in the
system. This includes the energy supplied by the substations, that
used by the train in traction, that regenerated by the trains with
regen and that wasted in the transmission network. For simplicity,
the headway remains constant all day. As the substation energy
consumption is compared with different headways, the total
number of running cycles is set at 121 to make the total traction
energy consumption and braking energy the same with different
headways. Fig. 7 shows the energy results of the one days
operation with regeneration turned off versus different headways,
which range from 300 to 400 s. The total traction energy and
braking energy are 64.31 and 43.56 MWh, respectively, and they
are xed values with different headways. The substation energy
consumption ranges from 68.90 to 70.62 MWh, and there is only
2% difference with various headways. Of the substation output
energy, 79% has been dissipated by the substation inner resistor
and contact lines, with an average value of 5.01 MWh.
Fig. 8 illustrates the energy results with regenerating trains. As
there are no changes in the number of operating trains and train
trajectory, the traction energy and braking energy are also the
same for the results without regeneration. The energy consumption
at the substations is reduced by 2242% by having regeneration.
The gure shows that the effective use of regenerated energy is
highly variable, and is not simply related to headway. This is
because the stations positions are at unequal distances and the
braking and accelerating trains randomly overlap. The energy
consumption as measured at the substations ranges from a
minimum of 39.77 MWh (307 s headway) to a maximum of
55.02 MWh (350 s headway). In principle, more than 27% of the
energy saving from the substation can be achieved by optimising
the headway. However, in practice, even small deviations in
timings of a single train could result in a signicant reduction
(or even increase) in the effective use of regenerated power.
The network losses are a little higher, with an average value of

47

Table 5 Substation output results at simulation time = 20,066 s

Sub no.
location, km
voltage, V
power, kW

10

11

12

0
915
0

2.62
916
0

4.71
919
0

6.97
936
0

9.31
870
0

10.66
833
733

13.48
829
902

14.47
841
389

16.46
800
2116

18.82
814
1525

20.10
832
756

22.73
843
308

Fig. 7 Energy audit with regeneration turned off

5.60 MWh, when regeneration is turned on, but this is not signicant
compared to the net energy reduction. In the current model, the
usable regenerated energy accounts for 3568% of the overall
braking energy. The variability of the substation energy

consumption is due to the complex interaction between the

headway, the inter-station journey time, and line receptivity. Small
changes in the otherwise constant headway vary the effective use
of available regenerated energy signicantly (Table 6).

Fig. 8 Energy audit with regeneration turned on

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Table 6 Energy evaluation of different rail system

System with
regen off

System with
regen on

Difference

121

121

64.31

64.31

43.56

43.56

70.62

55.02

22%

68.90

39.77

42%

30.28

15.56

5.01

5.60

12%

simulation duration
(running cycles)
traction energy demand,
MWh
braking energy demand,
MWh
max substation
consumption, MWh
min substation
consumption, MWh
max available regen
energy, MWh
min available regen
energy, MWh
average network energy
loss, MWh

Conclusion

The contribution of this paper is to propose a DC power network

modelling method combining train motion and power network
simulation, which can be utilised to evaluate the energy
consumption for a whole subway traction power system. Rather
than focusing on mechanical energy optimisation, the method
illustrated in this paper aims to develop a global energy audit
simulation system and achieve energy saving from the sources
(substations). The development of an integrated simulation
combining the train motion and traction power network is
illustrated and the simulation results based on the Beijing
Yizhuang subway line are described.
Train power assessment results show that the amount of
regenerated braking energy that can be used effectively in a
non-reversible substation power system is highly variable. The
effectiveness of regeneration depends on the relative positions of
the motoring trains and regenerative braking trains. The energy
audit result shows different system energy consumption with the
regen on and off as well as the energy consumption with various
headways. It has been noted that the system energy consumption
with regen on can be reduced by 2242% compared with the
system with regen off, although the transmission loss is slightly
increased due to higher current transmission. Furthermore, the
system energy consumption with regeneration turned on can
benet from timetable optimisation, which can, in principle,
increase the efciency of regenerative energy utilisation and
additional 27% energy saving can be achieved.
The conclusions are relevant for systems with a mix of standard and
regenerative trains on the network. It is recommended that the energy
bill should not be based on the traction energy consumed, but on a
value which is derived from the cost of the traction energy, and the
(lower) value of the regenerative energy. The future work will focus
on developing various algorithms to optimise the traction power
system based on this detailed energy audit simulation.

Acknowledgments

This research was jointly supported by Guangzhou Metro Corporation

and Guangzhou Metro Design & Research Institute Co., Ltd. The
authors also thank due to the nancial support from Anhui
Birmingham International Research Institute in Rail Transportation
and Anhui Comprehensive Transportation Research Institute.

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