A High-Performance Onboard Supercapacitor ESS with SiC Power MOSFET Buck–Boost Converter for Railway Applications
Energies, cilt.19, sa.19, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 19 Sayı: 19
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.3390/en19194743
- Dergi Adı: Energies
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED), Scopus, Compendex, INSPEC, Directory of Open Access Journals, Academic Search Ultimate (EBSCO), Engineering Source (EBSCO)
- Anahtar Kelimeler: bidirectional buck–boost converter, onboard energy storage system, rail transportation, SiC power MOSFET, supercapacitor
- Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
This paper is devoted to the design and implementation of a high-performance onboard Supercapacitor energy storage system (ESS) with a SiC power MOSFET-based buck–boost converter for railway applications. The SiC power MOSFET-based buck–boost converter can be switched at higher frequencies than those of Si-IGBT and Hybrid-IGBT counterparts, resulting in significant volume and cost reduction in the buck–boost inductor. A new operating strategy is proposed for a Supercapacitor ESS to optimize the electrical energy savings of a light rail transportation system (LRTS) while running on a prespecified rail track. In the Optimized Operating Strategy, regenerative braking torque and power profiles are pre-programmed before departing from each station to allow the storage of almost all of the kinetic energy of the vehicle in a Supercapacitor ESS. Details of the proposed Optimized Operating Strategy are described in a comparative manner with the Standard Operating Strategy in the paper. Furthermore, effects of the type of interface circuit between the DC catenary line and the AC grid are also discussed in view of the net energy consumption of the LRTS from the AC grid while operating on a typical rail track. All theoretical results are verified by experimental work conducted on a physical simulator. The results obtained show that an onboard Supercapacitor ESS with an Optimized Operating Strategy provides 36% energy savings with respect to the base case with no ESS of a railway vehicle moving on a prespecified track and supplied from a unidirectional interface circuit between the DC catenary and AC grid. This paper is accompanied by a video demonstrating the experimental work.