The definition of the location and capacity of the compensating device in the ac electrical power system of railways by minimum of active power losses

The article considers one of the ways of improving the energy efficiency of AC electrical system railways 25 kV, 50 Hz. The proposed approach allows to determine the optimal location and capacity of an unregulated device for compensation reactive power according to the criterion of minimum active power losses in a traction electrical system. Modeling of trains on the site was made using instant schemes. Description of the traction power supply system implemented by the node potential method and Steinmetz’s symbolic method. Optimal value of reactive power for all possible locations of a compensating device was calculated numerically by an optimization method of Hooke-Jeeves according to the criterion of minimum active power losses in the traction network. The mathematical model allows to consider the elements of the traction network, schedules of trains, change of traction loads of electric locomotives, schemes of overhead network. The proposed approach was considered on the example test problem, which solution allowed to determinate the optimal location and required value of reactive power of an technical device. The placement of a compensating device in a certain place will allows to minimize the power loss in the contact network, track circuit and traction transformers from the flow of the reactive component of the current in average for all instant schemes with various traction loads. An unregulated technical device for compensating reactive power which is located between two traction substations reduces energy consumption for traction of trains on the 1 - 2 %.