Online Performance Optimization for Railway Traction System Based on PnP Structure

The railway traction system (RTS) serves as a key subsystem in railway train. However, the train speed may deviate from the target values when trains encounter unknown disturbances, e.g. uphill slopes and adverse weather conditions. To this end, this paper introduces an online speed tracking performance optimization method for RTS with variable operating conditions. This method using a Plug-and-Play control structure and allows to suppress the degradation in the train speed tracking performance caused by unknown loads. The presented method, which does not change the nominal controller, is validated through a simulation experiment. The results show that it makes RTS adapt to the unknown load disturbances, and improves the accuracy of the speed tracking performance.