A Review of Power Transfer Systems for Light Rail Vehicles: The Case for Capacitive Wireless Power Transfer

Kyle John Williams, Kade Wiseman, Sara Deilami, Graham Town () and Foad Taghizadeh ()
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Kyle John Williams: School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
Kade Wiseman: School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
Sara Deilami: School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
Graham Town: School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia
Foad Taghizadeh: School of Engineering, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 15, 1-26

Abstract: Light rail vehicles (LRVs) are increasingly in demand to sustainably meet the transport needs of growing populations in urban centres. LRVs have commonly been powered from the grid by direct-contact overhead catenary systems (OCS); however, catenary-free direct-contact systems, such as via a “hidden rail”, are popular for new installations. Wireless power transfer (WPT) is an emerging power transfer (PT) technology for e-transport with several advantages over direct contact systems, including improved aesthetics and reduced maintenance requirements; however, they are yet to be utilised in LRV systems. This paper provides a review of existing direct-contact and wireless PT technologies for LRVs, followed by an in-depth critical assessment of inductive power transfer (IPT) and capacitive power transfer (CPT) technologies for LRVs. In particular, the feasibility and advantages of CPT for powering LRVs are presented, highlighting the efficacy of CPT with respect to power transfer capability, safety, and other factors. Finally, limitations and recommendations for future works are identified.

Keywords: wireless power transfer; inductive power transfer; capacitive power transfer; light rail vehicles; power transfer systems (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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