What is OpenPowerNet?
OpenPowerNet is a
traction power supply and train performance simulation software developed by Institut
für
Bahntechnik GmbH, BO Dresden, and is certified according EN 50641:2020. OpenPowerNet does
the traction Power Supply
Calculation in module PSC as well as the Advanced
Train Model
simulation in module ATM. The operational simulation is done by OpenTrack
in
co-simulation with the electrical simulation. OpenPowerNet has a
retroactive
effect to OpenTrack.

OpenPowerNet is developed by Institut für Bahntechnik GmbH, BO Dresden as an in-house tool. Since July 2009 a commercial and since March 2010 a academic license is available. In case you are in need of a traction power supply simulation respective simulation tool please contact us. We provide OpenPowerNet licenses as well as the service to simulate and analyse traction power supply systems.
OpenPowerNet main functionality:
- Load flow analysis for 1AC, 2AC and DC networks
-
Modelling of
- Power supplies such as rectifier/inverter, transformer, converter (SFC)
- Wayside energy storage for stabilisation of line voltage or energy saving
- Onboard energy storage chargeable from OCS and allowing running on OCS free track sections
- Booster transformer
- Voltage limiting device
- Engines with tractive and braking current limitation, power factor versus voltage, recovery braking, eddy current braking, onboard energy storage, ...
- Engine with multiple propulsion systems, e.g. AC and DC
- Consideration of coasting behaviour of the courses
- Calculation of
- Applicable tractive effort for OpenTrack
- Braking effort and recovered energy
- Magnetic coupling between conductors, allowing to evaluate the effect of conductor position onto loop impedance and magnetic field
- Short circuit currents for any position along the track
- Line voltages for constant current loads to analyse the electrical network
- Energy balance
- Visualisation
- Analysis Tool generates Microsoft Excel and PDF files
- User defined translation can be used to generated files in any language.
- Shows compliance to standards
- EN 50163: evaluation of minimum line voltage
- EN 50122-1: evaluation of maximum touch voltage
- EN 50122-2: evaluation of stray currents
- EN 50388: calculation of Umean useful (zone) and Umean useful (train)
- and threshold violation regarding
- Rating of devices such as rectifiers and transformers
- Rating of feeder cables regarding load demand
- EMC / EMI
- Induced voltage into cable shields or any parallel structure
- ...
- Convenient execution of multiple simulations and analysis managed by the Simulation Suite.
What's
in version 1.11.0 ?
- Improved productivity by the new
Simulation Suite
- Allows the user to define multiple simulation scenarios including analysis and execute those scenarios automatically one after the other. This will improve productivity as there are fewer manual actions required and there are no delays between the execution of multiple simulations.
- Handles OpenTrack as well as all processes of OpenPowerNet. After the batch run has finished, all analysis output is available for evaluation.
- Beside the co-simulation it’s also possible to run batches of OpenTrack simulations only.
- Supports the user during the whole project lifecycle.
- The Selection Editor has a new option to set the analysis time window to include the whole simulation as alternative to define a specific analysis time window.
- Complete makeover of the user manual to improve usability.
- Improved user experience when cancelling a running simulation.
- A number of minor bugfixes.
- See a 13min video presenting the new main features.
- More detailed information is available at the Release Notes.
Graphical User Interface
Engine Editor
Analysis Tool
Simulation Suite
Software Structure:
Network Model:
Substation Model:
Engine Model: Single Components
Engine Model: Mean Efficiency
Engine Model: Efficiency Table
Engine Energy Storage Charging Models:
Engine Energy Storage Discharging Models: