Recuperation efficiency as a key factor in choosing the type of traction for new railways

The paper is devoted to the evaluation of the possibility of effective use of recuperation as a key factor for the traction selection on a prospective railroad in the Russian Far East. The planned line will carry coal and general cargoes, shipping to Sea of Okhotsk ports and overseas. The construction of a new railroad will push development in the north of the Khabarovsk Territory and the northeast of the Amur Region. Due to the line will have a long descent to the seacoast, the main idea is to use the potential energy to generate electricity that covers power needed for oncoming trains going uphill. Performed traction-energy calculations allowed determining the available speed and energy consumption for uphill trains. Shown the ability of power self-sufficient train operations that provided under the condition of ensuring efficient energy exchange between electric locomotives located on the common feeding zone, which is possible only when freight trains operate on a fixed schedule. Given volumes of recuperated energy considered in the research cannot be stored onboard at autonomous locomotives using the existing level of technology, which confirms the need for electrification. The implementation of electric locomotives with an asynchronous traction drive and energy-efficient four-quadrant traction converters can provide an increase in the level of regenerative energy use compared to electric locomotives with zone-phase voltage regulation on traction motors. The proposed solution can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of railroad transportation on the line in question. The possibility of effective use of recuperative energy can use as a key selection factor for the type of traction on prospective railway lines.