MAGNETICALLY LEVITATED TRAINS
MAGLEV
TECHNICAL SEMINAR PRESENTATION
PRESENTED BY :
Indrajeet kumar singh EE, 3rd Year 0909720021
April 12, 2012
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ABSTRACT
Maglev systems represent a promising evolution in the high-speed ground transportation, offering speeds in excess of 500 mph along with the potential for low operating costs and minimal environmental impact. The goal of this effort is to investigate the feasibility and viability of maglev systems in the Japan. The emergence of a sophisticated technology such as maglev requires a need for a coordinated research test program and the determination of test requirements to identify and mitigate development risk and to maximize the use of domestic resources. The study is directed toward the identification and characterization of maglev systems development risks tied to preliminary system architecture. Research objectives are accomplished by surveying experiences from previous maglev development programs both foreign and domestic, and interviews with individuals involved with maglev research and testing. Findings include ninety-four distinct development risks and twenty risk types. Planning and implementation requirements are identified for a maglev test program, including the development of a facilities strategy to meet any operational concept that evolves out of early development effort. Also specified is the logical development flow and associated long-lead support needs for sub-scale and full-scale testing.
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CONTENTS
CHAPTER 1: Introduction CHAPTER 2: Magnetically Levitated Trains (Maglev)
CHAPTER 3: Technology & Working of Maglev
CHAPTER 4: Advantages & Disadvantages of Maglev
CHAPTER 5: Accidents & Precautionary measures
CHAPTER 6: Scope of Maglev in future References
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CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
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Magnetic levitation transport - MAGLEV
Maglev is a form of transportation that suspends guides and propels vehicles via electromagnetic force. This method can be faster than wheeled mass transit systems, potentially reaching velocities comparable to turboprop and jet aircraft (500 to 581 km/h).
The only notable currently operating commercial application of a high-speed maglev line is the IOS (initial operating segment) demonstration line of Shanghai, China that transports people 30km (18.6 miles) to the airport in just 7 minutes 20 seconds (top speed of 431 km/h or 268 mph, average speed 250 km/h or 150 mph). Other maglev projects worldwide are being studied for feasibility. However, scientific, economic and political barriers and limitations have hindered the widespread adoption of the technology.
All operational implementations of maglev technology have had minimal overlap with wheeled train technology and have not been compatible with conventional railroad tracks. Because they cannot share existing
infrastructure, maglev must be designed as complete transportation systems. The term "maglev" refers not only to the vehicles, but to the railway system as well, specifically designed for magnetic levitation and propulsion.
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CHAPTER II MAGLEV
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Magnetically Levitated Train
The principal of a Magnet train is that floats on a magnetic field and is propelled by a linear induction motor. They follow guidance tracks with magnets. These trains are often referred to as Magnetically Levitated a train which is abbreviated to Maglev. Although maglev don't use steel wheel on steel rail usually associated with trains, the dictionary definition of a train is a long line of vehicles traveling in the same direction - it is a train.
A super high-speed transport system with a non-adhesive drive system that is independent of wheel-and-rail frictional forces has been a long-standing dream of railway engineers. Maglev, a combination of superconducting magnets and linear motor technology, realizes super high-speed running, safety, reliability, low environmental impact & minimum maintenance.
Research and development of Maglev, which adopts superconducting technology, has been underway at RTRI of JNR since 1970. After fundamental tests in the laboratory to verify the feasibility of high-speed running at 500 km/h, the construction work of a 7-km test track began in Miyazaki Prefecture in 1975. The manned two-car vehicle MLU001 registered a speed of 400.8 km/h in 1987. And the latest vehicle MLU002N, which debuted in 1993, was running on the Miyazaki Maglev Test Track.
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One main development aim of RTRI is the enhancement of reliability and durability of the superconducting magnet (SCM). The SCM suffers from external magnetic disturbances caused by ground coils and from mechanical vibrations generated by vehicle dynamics; these disturbances cause quenching troubles, or the sudden disappearance of magneto motive force of the SCM. We have studied these problems through many tests and studies, and have developed countermeasures.
Other development aims are as follows: aerodynamic brakes, which use the aerodynamic drag of panels on the car roof, and disc brakes for high-speed running; ground coils which consist of sidewall levitation coils; a high-power supply system for pulse width modulation (PWM) inverters using gate turnoff (GTO) thyristors; turnout for high- or low-speed passing.
A landmark for Maglev occurred in 1990 when it gained the status of a nationally-funded project. The Minister of Transport authorized construction of the Yamanashi Maglev Test Line, targeting the final confirmation of Maglev for practical use. The new test line called the Yamanashi Maglev Test Line opened on April 3, 1997 and is now being used to perform running tests in Yamanashi Prefecture. In the same year, the Maglev vehicle MLX01 in a three-car train set achieved world speed records, attaining a maximum speed of 531 km/h in a manned vehicle run on December 12, and a maximum speed of 550 km/h in an unmanned vehicle run on December 24. On March 18,
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1999, MLX01 in a five-car train set attained a maximum speed of 548 km/h. On April 14, 1999, this five-car train set surpassed the speed record of the three-car train set, attaining a maximum speed of 552 km/h in a manned vehicle run.
In March 2000, the Maglev Practical Technology Evaluation Committee of the Ministry of Transport of Japan concluded, "the JR-Maglev has the practicability for ultra high speed mass transportation system". The Committee also pointed out the necessity of further running tests for the following purposes:
(1) Confirmation of long-term durability and reliability. (2) Cost reduction of its construction and operation. (3) Improvement of the aerodynamics of vehicles for environmental impacts.
According to these recommendations, another five-year test was planed to improve these technical issues. The technical development of the Maglev has been in the second phase since fiscal 2000. On December 2, 2003, this threecar train set attained a maximum speed of 581 km/h in a manned vehicle run.
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CHAPTER III TECHNOLOGY & WORKING PRINCIPLE OF MAGLEV
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Technology of Maglev
There are two primary types of maglev technology:
Electromagnetic suspension (EMS) uses the attractive magnetic force of a magnet, beneath a rail to lift the train up.
Electrodynamics suspension (EDS) uses a repulsive force between two magnetic, fields to push the train away from the rail.
Let us have a look at both the technologies.
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Electromagnetic Suspension (EMS)
In current EMS systems, the train levitates above a steel rail while electromagnets, attached to the train, are oriented toward the rail from below. The electromagnets use feedback control to maintain a train at a constant distance from the track.
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Electrodynamics suspension (EDS)
EDS Maglev Propulsion via propulsion coils. In Electrodynamics suspension (EDS), both the rail and the train exert a magnetic field, and the train is levitated by the repulsive force between these magnetic fields. The magnetic field in the train is produced by either electromagnets (as in JR-Maglev) or by an array of permanent magnets (as in Inductrack). The repulsive force in the track is created by an induced magnetic field in wires or other conducting strips in the track.
At slow speeds, the current induced in these coils and the resultant magnetic flux is not large enough to support the weight of the train. For this reason the train must have wheels or some other form of landing gear to support the train until it reaches a speed that can sustain levitation.
Propulsion coils on the guide way are used to exert a force on the magnets in the train and make the train move forwards. The propulsion coils that exert a force on the train are effectively a linear motor: An alternating current flowing through the coils generates a continuously varying magnetic field that moves forward along the track. The frequency of the alternating current is synchronized to match the speed of the train. The offset between the field exerted by magnets on the train and the applied field create a force moving the train forward.
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Working of Maglev
A maglev train floats about 10mm above the guide-way on a magnetic field. It is propelled by the guide-way itself rather than an onboard engine by changing magnetic fields. Once the train is pulled into the next section the magnetism switches so that the train is pulled on again. The Electro-magnets run the length of the guide-way.
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Maglev vs. Conventional Trains
Due to the lack of physical contact between the track and the vehicle, there is no rolling friction, leaving only air resistance (although maglev trains also experience electromagnetic drag, this is relatively small at high speeds).
Maglev can handle high volumes of passengers per hour (comparable to airports or eight-lane highways) and do it without introducing air pollution along the right of way. Of course, the electricity has to be generated somewhere, so the overall environmental impact of a maglev system is dependent on the nature of the grid power source.
The weight of the large electromagnets in EMS and EDS designs are a major design issue. A very strong magnetic field is required to levitate a massive train. For this reason one research path is using superconductors to improve the efficiency of the electromagnets.
Due to its high speed and shape, the noise generated by a maglev train is similar to a jet aircraft, and is considerably more disturbing than standard steel on steel intercity train noise. A study found the difference between disturbance levels of maglev and traditional trains to be 5dB (about 78% noisier).
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CHAPTER IV ADVANTAGES & DISADVANTAGES OF MAGLEV
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Advantages of Maglev
Well it sounds high-tech, a floating train; they do offer certain benefits over conventional steel rail on steel wheel railways.
Low maintenance. Because the train floats along there is no contact with the ground and therefore no need for any moving parts. As a result there are no components that would wear out. This means in theory trains and track would need no maintenance at all.
Frictionless operation. The second advantage is that because maglev trains float, there is no friction. Note that there will still be air resistance.
High Speed. The main advantage is speed, as a result of the three previous listed it is more viable for maglev trains to travel extremely fast, i.e. 500km/h or 300mph. The maximum speed that was recorded is 581 km/h.
Reachable in varied terrains. The guide ways can be made a lot thicker in places, e.g. after stations and going uphill, which would mean a maglev could get up to 300km/h (186mph) in only 5km where currently takes 18km. Also greater gradients would be applicable.
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Disadvantages with Maglev
There are several disadvantages with maglev trains.
Energy Requirements. A large amount of electricity is required for its operation.
Costly guide ways. Maglev guide paths are bound to be more costly than conventional steel railways.
High noise. It produces very high levels of noise, (similar to jet aircrafts) which is quite disturbing for humans.
Lack of existing infrastructure. It needs entirely new guideways as it cannot be incorporated into the traditional rail tracks.
A possible solution
Although I haven't seen anywhere a solution could be to put normal steel wheels onto the bottom of a maglev train, which would allow it to run on normal railway once it was off the floating guide-way.
A lot of R & D is going on across several countries and many new solutions are in the process of being approved to commercial application.
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CHAPTER V ACCIDENTS & PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES
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Accidents with Maglev Trains
Most significant accidents and incidents
1. August 11, 2006 fire
On August 11, 2006 a fire broke out on the Shanghai commercial Transrapid, shortly after leaving the terminal in Longyang.
2. September 22, 2006 crash
On September 22, 2006 an elevated Transrapid train collided with a maintenance vehicle on a test run in Lathen (Lower Saxony / north-western Germany). Twenty-three people were killed and ten were injured. These were the first fatalities resulting from a Maglev train accident.
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Maglev is Safe
Maglev trains have a remarkable safety record. By the end of 1989, the HSST series of German-type experimental maglev trains in Japan and Vancouver Canada had carried 2.67 million paying passengers at speeds up to 191 miles per hour, with a reliability factor of 99.96%, and no accidents. No other form of transportation has ever come close to that record. Several other types of maglev trains have traveled over 300 mph, also with no accidents. A Seattle Times headline read: Forty-two-Vehicle Pileup on I-5. Chainreaction crash injures 24, closes rain-slick freeway for hours. Two in critical condition. That type of thing happens frequently on our highways; but it could never happen on dual mode guideways. A major factor in the above chain accident and others like it is following too closely for the conditions and the speed being traveled. The recommended two-second spacing (headway) between cars (three or four seconds is recommended at the higher speeds) is seldom being observed. The more it is violated the higher the accident rates, but the more it is followed the lower the capacity of our highways.
On the driverless 200-mph guide ways the synchronized cars will have a minimum time-spacing of roughly five-hundredths of a second at one-foot clearance between cars. This very close spacing will make the system even safer: It is impossible for things practically touching each other to collide very hard. A knockout punch starts way back, not at the opponents jaw.
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CHAPTER VI SCOPE OF MAGLEV
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Scope of Maglev
Provided maglev can be proved to be commercially viable (which has not yet been done) it should be a success. Most people have their eyes on Germany, where the first maglev will run in commercial service. This may decide whether or not maglev will be used across the world. Maglev may become the preferred path for new high speed railway lines although it would depend whether or not services were needed to stretch beyond a high speed line.
For example, if you have 300km of conventional track between two cities cleared for over 200km/h but there was a 60km long section only cleared for 80km/h then it would make sense to build a new high speed (300km/h) line for the 60km distance. If a maglev train were to be used a track 300km long would have to be built. However if there is no existing rail network (only the case in the USA) then it makes sense to build a maglev line. Whether or not new railway lines stopped being built in favor of maglev, one thing is certain, there is 31932km of track in the UK, 34449km in France and 40726km Germany, no one is going to convert all of this into maglev track, conventional trains are here to stay for a long time.
Therefore the future of Maglev holds an undisputed demand at the global level.
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References
www.ieee.com www.chron.com www.dbamanufacturing.com www.singnet.com.sg
www.21stcenturysciencetech.com/articles/Summer03/maglev2.html en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_levitation_train The Official Transrapid Site- lots of information about Maglev. Japanese Technical Research Institute- Japanese projects.
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