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Civil-Comp Proceedings
ISSN 1759-3433
CCP: 98
PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RAILWAY TECHNOLOGY: RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE
Edited by: J. Pombo
Paper 172

A Simulation Tool for Train Energy Consumption and Recoverable Energy

J. de D. Sanz Bobi, R. Loiero and A. De Ribera Martín

CITEF - Research Centre on Railway Technologies, Polytechnic University of Madrid, Spain

Full Bibliographic Reference for this paper
, "A Simulation Tool for Train Energy Consumption and Recoverable Energy", in J. Pombo, (Editor), "Proceedings of the First International Conference on Railway Technology: Research, Development and Maintenance", Civil-Comp Press, Stirlingshire, UK, Paper 172, 2012. doi:10.4203/ccp.98.172
Keywords: train simulation, energy consumption, recoverable energy, energy saving, driving modes, train model.

Summary
This paper presents a tool for determining the energy consumption of a train during its operation and the energy that could be regenerated. The energy quantification allows the comparison of different driving modes with the consumption of the train along its route.

This tool is based on a mechanical and an electrical model [1]. It allows the simulation of trips at the maximum speed limit and also with drifts above a certain speed, in order to compare the travel time and the energy consumption. Moreover, it simulates any kind of train used in the different systems DC (urban transport, metro and rail passenger and freight) and AC (high speed), and considers different train driving profiles from continuous traction to drift for sections [2]. The program is organized in several parts allowing the user to introduce the train parameters, to define the track profile with its speed limits, its vertical alignment and its stops along the trips, and to make a simulation to obtain visual graphs and numerical results.

The results of the simulations, taking the S-104 high-speed train and the Madrid-Toledo profile, reflect that it is possible to save energy by modifying the driving style, but the travel time increase must be taken taken into account. It can be seen how the energy savings achieved are four to five times higher than the increase in travel time. For example, increasing 2% the travel time (30 seconds from a 25-minutes trip), the energy savings are 10%, and if it is allowed to increase travel time by 4% (one minute), the result is a reduction of consumption of 18%.

This program also enables the energy that can be recovered during the braking process to be quantified. This energy, in some trains and some lines, can represent up to 25% of the traction consumption. This involves a significant energy and cost saving. The results of this simulation can serve as a starting point for an economic study of the various alternatives to exploit this energy in each particular line, such as a re-injection into the electric transmission network, on-board batteries, and flywheel energy storage.

References
1
A. García Álvarez, "Dinámica de los trenes en la alta velocidad", Documentos de explotación técnica y económica de ferrocarriles, Spain, 2010.
2
A. García Álvarez et al., "Metodología de evaluación de la eficiencia energética del material móvil ferroviario", Fundación de los Ferrocarriles Españoles - IDAE, Spain, 2010.

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