Outstanding technical features of traction system in N700S Shinkansen new generation standardized high speed train

Abstract

This paper overviews a traction system for Tokaido Shinkansen trains and presents a novel silicon carbide (SiC)–applied traction system of the new generation Shinkansen train, “N700S”, which began commercial service in the summer of 2020. To achieve compactness and weight reduction, N700S’s traction system aimed to take advantage of the merits of SiC devices, which have a lower power loss, higher frequency, and a higher current than Si devices, not only in the conversion system but also in the entire traction system. This weight reduction and compactness allowed for flexibility in the design of underfloor equipment of the car body and enabled the realization of a lithium–ion battery self–traction system that could operate catenary–free at low speeds in the event of a power outage. It also contributed toward achieving flexibility by the easy redesign of different configurations of trains such as 8–car or 12–car sets rather than the standard 16–car trains used for the Tokaido Shinkansen, the concept of which is referred to as the “Standardized Shinkansen train”. The continuous introduction of energy–saving Shinkansen trains including N700S has also led to a decrease in Tokaido Shinkansen’s energy consumption. This is the first application of an SiC device and a lithium–ion battery to a high–speed train’s traction system in the world.