Control methods and characteristics of power converter with large capacity for electric railway system

A new type DC electric railway system is under development for high speed and mass transportation in Japan. This system needs large power conversion stations consisting of PWM converters on the ground. The PWM converter is required to supply power stably according to the running conditions of the electric rolling stock. In this system, the PWM converter is required to control the DC feeding voltage of 1,500 V at the error rate of 0.5% or less to suppress magnetic disturbance. Moreover the PWM converter has to suppress the oscillating current occurring between the PWM converter and electric rolling stock This paper describes the PWM converter for the DC electric railway system, with emphasis placed on its control methods, characteristics and experimental results.