HVDC feeding with OPF and unit commitment for electric railways

In this paper a railway power system design based on an HVDC feeder is suggested. The converter stations between the public grid and the HVDC feeder can be sparsely distributed, in the range of 100 km or more, whereas the converters connecting the HVDC feeder to the catenary are distributed with a much closer spacing. The ratings of the catenary-connected ones can be lower than substation transformers or rotary converters, since the power conversion can be fully controlled. Simulations of the proposed solution show clear advantages regarding transmission losses and voltages compared to conventional systems, especially for cases with long catenary sections, and when there are substantial shares of regeneration from the trains.