Damping control method utilizing overvoltage resistor under light load condition

High feedback gain of the light‐load regenerative brake control increases the regenerative brake power. However, if the regenerating load changes suddenly, higher gain causes more rapid change of the motor current. And because of the delay in the motor control, it increases the filter capacitor (FC) voltage and may activate the overvoltage protection. This letter proposes a damping control method to reduce the spike of the FC voltage utilizing the overvoltage resistor. The proposed method is verified by numerical simulation assuming an actual railway vehicle under the condition of load shutdown. By means of this method, the overvoltage resistor can be effectively utilized to reduce the FC voltage spike, which results in saving the substation energy. © 2017 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.