Optimal Energy Management of a Hybrid Train: Focus on Saving Braking Energy

Without electrification on the half of the French rail network, the energy's train is provided by an on-board diesel generator. For this kind of train, the problematics are the greenhouse gas emission, the fuel consumption, and diesel generator maintenance. Moreover, the braking energy is dissipated through rheostats. The hybrid diesel power train is a relevant solution to increase the energy efficiency, reduce the pollution and decrease the exploitation cost. Thus in parallel to the diesel generator, an energy storage system supply the power traction. This hybrid configuration is more complicated to manage. Thus, the paper focuses on the energy management method of a hybrid diesel power train with energy storage system. It presents and compares two management methods: rule-based and Pontryagin's minimum principle. The objective is the minimization of the fuel consumption. The braking energy is stored and the diesel generator is used at its nominal operating point.