Quantification of the Recoverable Braking Energy in a Reversible Railway DC Traction Power Substation

In conventional electric railway transportation systems supplied in DC, regenerative braking energy cannot be generally sent back to the electric power grid due to the non-reversible diode rectifiers used in traction power substations. However, a DC substation could be made reversible by connecting an inverter in parallel with the existing rectifier, hence allowing the energy recovery. This paper presents the development of a simulation program to quantify the braking energy that could be recovered with the addition of this power electronics device.