Hybrid Power Source Three-level Inverter System Using Overhead Line and Storage Battery in Combination

The world's first development of a hybrid power source three-level inverter system using overhead line and storage battery in combination for railway vehicles is proposed. In this system, the method for managing the stored electric energy has been clarified, and it was revealed that according to calculations, the highest energy saving effect can be achieved when the voltage of the storage battery is set to about 1300V, and that there is a 13% increase in the power regenerative consumption rate compared to the conventional two-level inverter system. The proposed method is verified by the experimental tests with a scaled-down model. In addition, we carried out the full-scale test and confirmed that the regenerative braking energy obtained by proposed hybrid power source three-level inverter system increased by 20% in comparison with the conventional two-revel inverter.