Extended 2-D magnetic field modeling of linear motor to investigate the magnetic force parameters of high-speed superconducting maglev

Abstract

A 2-D numerical finite-element model of a linear synchronous motor (LSM) is extended based on the magnetic field and moving mesh properties to investigate the magnetic flux and magnetic force characteristics of the high-speed electromagnetic levitation Maglev system, by using high-temperature superconductor (HTS) coils rather than lower current-carrying copper coils on the onboard unit and permanent magnets (PMs) on the ground. In this 2-D LSM model, the transient time-dependent solver is used to obtain the magnetic flux densities. Both the propulsion and levitation forces increased with increasing supercurrent J(c0) values indicating the advantage of using the superconducting windings in PM-LSM of Maglev vehicles as compared with the copper wires. It was also determined that, although the propulsion force is obtained on a comparable level with the studies in the literature, the lower levitation force issue than the electrodynamic suspension (EDS), despite the better propulsion to levitation force ratio, can be overcome by using the high flux trapping capacity bulk HTSs on the onboard unit together with the superconducting coils. The determined higher propulsion force in this PM-LSM Maglev model indicates that the Maglev vehicle can reach higher velocities in a short distance, and thus, this vehicle can be effectively used in short-distance travels in addition to the long-distance transportation. On the other hand, since the EDS system to be accelerated in a certain time interval via conventional wheels to achieve sufficient levitation, PM-LSM system can be integrated into the EDS Maglev system to ensure higher acceleration in a short time interval in addition to the higher levitation and propulsion force performances.