Optimization of the wireless power transfer system in an electric railway

Wireless power transfer (WPT) can be an effective way to solve the energy supply problems in electric railways (ER). In order to develop the desired system, design optimization can be a solution to optimize the objective function (e.g. mass of a system, transfer efficiency, and air-gap) while satisfying constraints such as electromagnetic field (EMF), magnetic saturation, and induced voltage. In this paper, the optimization framework for the railway-specific WPT systems was developed by connecting between an optimization module and the electromagnetic commercial software. The framework was then applied to minimize the mass of a WPT system of the Wireless Low Floor Tram (WTRAM) under the multiple constraints. As a result of optimization, the mass of the system could be successfully reduced by 64.3% while the performance-related constraints were being satisfied. The proposed framework would help us to reduce time and cost for the development of next-generation ER systems.