Power Quality Conditioning in Railway Electrification: A Comparative Study

Electric transportation systems are a challenging load for three-phase transmission lines due to load variations, reactive power, imbalance, and harmonic pollution. Many power quality conditioners and compensation technologies have been developed to ensure compatibility with power systems. The most important ones are investigated, identifying parameters and performances for comparison, including evaluation of cost and size. A reference case is used for simulation, focusing on three-phase current intensity, current rate of rise, dc-link voltage, and dynamic response under various combinations of traction line load. The objective is to identify key characteristics supporting the selection of the appropriate compensation strategy for a new electrified railway system.