Device for traction supply
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to an installation for transmitting electric power to a contact line, carrying dc voltage, for a trackbound vehicle, comprising a converter with a first rectifier/inverter connected to a three-phase ac voltage network.
BACKGROUND ART
In such installations, a three-phase, medium or high voltage (typically 10-220 kV) is converted into a dc voltage, either the contact-line voltage (typical nominal voltages 600-1500 V for streetcars, underground railways and the like, and 1500 or 3000 V for full-scale railways) , a higher dc voltage between the contact line and a return conductor at the opposite polarity according to, for example, SE 9803519-9, or a higher dc voltage between a supply line at the same polarity as the contact line according to, for example, JP 1-160745.
The word "contact line" is here to be understood in a broad sense and is intended to include both a contact line suspended over the rail and a contact rail, or a so-called third rail, adjacent to or between the rails.
It is desirable to increase the efficiency of the entire chain from the generation of the electrical energy to the contact line. In addition, certain types of power generation, such as wind power, subject electric networks to fast and irregular fluctuations in generated power, which may be unfavourable to weak three-phase networks .
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The object of the present invention is to provide an installation of the kind defined in the introduction, which satisfies the above-mentioned requirements and extensively reduces the above-mentioned disadvantage of prior art installations of this kind.
This object is achieved according to the invention in that, in such an installation, at least one generator for generating ac voltage is connected via a rectifier to an intermediate link which comprises the dc voltage side of this rectifier as well as the dc voltage side of the rectifier/inverter which is connected to the three-phase ac voltage network for feeding electric power to the three- phase ac voltage network and/or a dc voltage network for a trackbound vehicle.
By using the dc voltage intermediate link of such an installation in this way also for feeding electric power via at least one generator, a higher efficiency during the generation of the dc voltage power may be achieved by avoiding the "detour" around the three-phase ac voltage network. In addition, this makes the installation more flexible, since the electric power delivered by the generator to the dc voltage intermediate link may be used for feeding the dc voltage network via the above-mentioned contact line, where this is necessary, and, in case of reduced need of feeding of power to the dc voltage network, for feeding parts thereof into the public three-phase ac voltage network for supplying additional power thereto. In addition, the device retains the function of converting three-phase power to the dc voltage power if the generated power is not sufficient or is temporarily completely lost.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the above-mentioned generator is of the type allowing the speed
thereof, and hence the frequency of the ac voltage generated thereby, to vary according to the prevailing conditions, to achieve as high an efficiency as possible, under various conditions, during its generation of energy. Because of the above-mentioned dc voltage intermediate link, such a generator may be used for delivering electric power to the three-phase network and/or the dc voltage network for traction supply. This enables an efficient utilization of wind power and hydroelectric power, since generators operated by such power give the best efficiency if their speed is allowed to vary in dependence on the wind speed and on the volumes of water/heights of fall. Such generators will also deliver an electric power which may vary greatly in dependence on the prevailing conditions. This varying power may be difficult to manage for weak three-phase ac voltage networks in the sparsely populated areas where wind power plants are installed. The electric system of the railway, that is, the dc voltage network, on the other hand, is characterized by large and rapid load variations and is therefore designed to withstand this. Consequently, the dc voltage network of the railway may take up at least part of the large power variations which may occur during supply from the generators and, in particular, cope with peaks which the three-phase ac voltage network would have had difficulty coping with. An additional advantage of this embodiment is that cost-saving coordination advantages are gained by coordinating generation and conversion in this way.
According to another preferred embodiment of the invention, several generators are connected to the intermediate link which forms a so-called dc voltage busbar common thereto. By connecting several such generators to one and the same dc voltage intermediate link, additional cost-saving may be obtained.
According to still another preferred embodiment of the invention, the intermediate link is connected to a supply line along the railway with a higher dc voltage and the same polarity as the contact line according to, for example, JP 1-160745. This makes possible transmission of greater power with reduced losses on the dc voltage network.
According to yet another embodiment of the invention, the intermediate link is connected to a higher dc voltage between the contact line and a return conductor at the opposite polarity according to, for example, SE 9803519-9. In addition to increased power transmission capacity, also the rail current is reduced, which may give cause to corrosion problems and problems with electricity safety, among other things. The return conductor at opposite polarity may consist of the contact line over a second, parallel track according to GB 98024215.9.
Further advantages and advantageous features of the inven- tion will become clear from the following description and the independent claims .
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the following a few preferred embodiments of the invention will be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Figure 1 is a schematic, very simplified representation of an installation for transmission of electric power according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
Figure 2 schematically shows the connection of an installation according to Figure 1 with a traction supply device with a return conductor at the opposite polarity.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION
Figure 1 illustrates how a public three-phase ac voltage network 1, which may carry an ac voltage of, for example, 20 kV with a frequency of 50 Hz, is connected via a transformer 2 to a first rectifier/inverter 3 of a converter 4 for transforming the ac voltage into a dc voltage of a dc voltage intermediate link 5 of the converter. The dc voltage intermediate link is connected to a contact line 6 for a trackbound vehicle 7.
Four wind-power generators 8-11 are also connected to the dc voltage intermediate link 5 via rectifiers 12-14 for delive- ring electric power to the dc voltage intermediate link, whereby this electric power, depending on the prevailing load conditions of the traction supply line constituting the contact line 6 and the public ac voltage network 1, may be fed to any of these or be distributed between them in desired proportions.
The various rectifiers/inverters 3, 12-14 are of a conventional type with current valves comprising diodes and/or controllable power semiconductors, such as thyristors or IGBTs, which are controlled such that their ac voltage sides are alternately connected to different levels of the dc voltage intermediate link during short periods for converting the dc voltage into an ac voltage and vice versa. In conventional manner, the dc voltage intermediate link exhibits at least one capacitor (not shown) for defining the dc voltage and normally an inductor for forming an LC filter for eliminating harmonics generated during the conversion, which could disturb, above all, the public three-phase ac voltage network.
Figure 2 illustrates how an installation 15 as shown in Figure 1 is connected to a traction supply device with a
return conductor 6a at the opposite polarity. A device 16 according to SE 9803519-9 comprising fast changeover means 17, a capacitance 18 and a control unit 19 redistributes energy between the contact line 6 and the rails 20 on the one hand and the contact line 6 and the return conductor 6a on the other side. Energy may then be fed in from the installation 15 as a dc voltage, symmetrical with respect to ground, which is twice the contact-line voltage, for example 2x1.5 kV = 3 kV for a 1.5 kV dc voltage system for traction supply as, for example, in the Netherlands. The power transmission capacity then becomes higher and the losses lower. The return conductor may also consist of the contact line over a second, parallel track according to GB 9824215.9, this being indicated by a locomotive 7a shown in dashed lines .
An installation of this kind has a number of advantages, which have been penetrated in detail in the introductory description of the present application but which will still be summarized here. The speed of the generators is allowed to fluctuate, which may also entail a completely different frequency of the ac voltage thus generated than in the public ac voltage network 1. In this way, wind-power generators and hydroelectric generators may utilize in a better way, by change of speed, varying wind speeds and volumes of water/heights of fall, respectively. The efficiency during the generation of the dc voltage power via the wind or hydroelectric generators becomes higher by avoiding making a detour over the three-phase ac voltage network 1. The electric system of the railway is characterized by large and rapid load variations and is therefore designed to withstand this, and therefore it is also capable of withstanding a generation with comparable power variations, which may be difficult for weak public three-phase networks in often sparsely populated areas, where wind-power plants are installed. The power generated by the wind-power generators, which is greatly varying due to considerable
variations in wind speeds, may thus, at least in part, be taken up by the dc voltage network of the railway. In addition, the situation may be such that the public three- phase ac voltage network does not manage to receive the additional power which is generated through wind-power plants installed in a place covered by this network. In that case the connection of the wind-power plants to the dc voltage intermediate link of the above-mentioned converter makes possible a utilization of the wind-power energy by allowing the dc voltage network of the railway to take care of this energy. By coordinating generation and conversion, coordination benefits are obtained which are cost-saving. Finally, both wind energy and electrified railway are associated with considerable environmental advantages, so a combination thereof is especially advantageous.
The invention is not, of course, in any way limited to the preferred embodiment described above, but a plurality of possibilities of modifications thereof should be obvious to a person skilled in the art, without, for that matter, departing from the basic concept of the invention.
For example, the wind-power generators could be replaced by other generators, which are preferably of the type which may be operated better if their speed is allowed to fluctuate and deviate from the frequency of the public three-phase network, such as hydroelectric generators, but also other generators may be used.
Any other voltage levels and frequencies, other than those mentioned above, are also within the scope of the invention.
It should be pointed out that the electric power in certain cases may be fed in other directions than what has been stated above, and, for example, electric power is fed from the vehicle 10 to the contact line 9 during braking of the vehicle. Likewise, for example, power may be fed both from
the public ac voltage network to the dc voltage intermediate link and from the latter to the public ac voltage network.