Multi-train modeling and simulation integrated with traction power supply solver using simplified Newton-Raphson method

Multi-train modeling and simulation plays a vital role in railway electrification during operation and planning phase. Study of peak power demand and energy consumed by each traction substation needs to be determined to verify that electrical energy flowing in its railway power feeding system is appropriate or not. Gauss-Seidel, conventional Newton-Raphson, and current injection methods are well-known and widely accepted as a tool for electrical power network solver in DC railway power supply study. In this paper, a simplified Newton-Raphson method has been proposed. The proposed method employs a set of current-balance equations at each electrical node instead of the conventional power-balance equation used in the conventional Newton-Raphson method. This concept can remarkably reduce execution time and computing complexity for multi-train simulation. To evaluate its use, Sukhumvit line of Bangkok transit system (BTS) of Thailand with 21.6-km line length and 22 passenger stopping stations is set as a test system. The multi-train simulation integrated with the proposed power network solver is developed to simulate 1-h operation service of selected 5-min headway. From the obtained results, the proposed method is more efficient with approximately 18 % faster than the conventional Newton-Raphson method and just over 6 % faster than the current injection method. © The Author(s) 2015.