Importance

Loading Importance Indicators...

Abstract

A superconducting electromagnet arrangement includes a high temperature superconducting (HTS) coil surrounding a multiple-pole iron core for levitating and propelling a MAGLEV transport vehicle along a guideway. The HTS coil operates in the DC mode at approximately liquid nitrogen temperature of 77 K to induce in the iron core magnetic forces of attraction to levitate the transport vehicle a desired distance above a set of guideway rails. A preferred embodiment includes a Bi 2223 HTS coil surrounding a C-shaped iron core. The coil is constructed from a layer of pancake coils, the windings of which are fabricated from short lengths of commercially available conductor tape. The field strength in the core and the windings of the HTS coil are respectively approximately 1.8 T and approximately 0.3 T. To ensure vehicle stability, control coils are placed around the core legs to maintain the desired air gap length. The control coils may be copper coils, or may themselves be HTS superconducting coils operating in the AC mode at 77 K (nominal). A variation of the preferred embodiment includes three HTS coils surrounding respectively the three legs of a W-shaped iron core.

Loading the Abstract Image...

First Claim