Design and Development of Prototype Maglev Train

In today?s modern world magnetic levitation train is one of the smart transportation systems. Due to its high speed up to 501 km/hr, eco-friendly, less maintenance, efficient maglev trains are gaining attention day by day. Maglev trains are based on Electromagnetic Suspension (EMS) which uses the at

Project Title

Design and Development of Prototype Maglev Train

Project Area of Specialization

Electrical/Electronic Engineering

Project Summary

In today’s modern world magnetic levitation train is one of the smart transportation systems. Due to its high speed up to 501 km/hr, eco-friendly, less maintenance, efficient maglev trains are gaining attention day by day. Maglev trains are based on Electromagnetic Suspension (EMS) which uses the attraction forces and Electrodynamic Suspension (EDS) which uses the repulsive forces for levitation. For propulsion Linear Induction Motor (LIM) or Linear Synchronous Motor (LSM) is used. Magnetic levitation trains use LIM or LSM for propulsion and electromagnets and permanent magnets for levitation. Maglev trains are famous for its maximum speed up to 500km/hr, its maximum efficiency and low maintenance cost. In this project, it is aimed to design a special track which will provide levitation, propulsion and guidance simultaneously in a controlled manner. This means that the train speed, levitation and guidance will be controlled as desired. The tools from feedback control, power electronics, electrical machine deign, and power system analysis are employed in this project.

Applications may include carriage of goods and items that may strengthen the present trade structure. Other applications include missile launching system. It can be used in urban transport system. It can be used for army aircraft launching system.

Figure 1. Magnetic Levitation Train

Project Objectives

The main objectives of this project are to develop contact-less (no friction) mode of transportation. This magnetic levitated train has no moving parts which means there is less maintenance and hence less maintenance cost. This mode of transportation technology has zero CO2 emission which is highly desirable from the environmental safety and regulatory authorities. Magnetic levitation trains are eco-friendly and green mode of transportation. Aviation contributes about 2% of the world’s global CO2 emission according to IATA (International Air Transport Association). It is predicted that passenger number will be doubled by 2037 which means pollution will also be doubled. The best possible solution for this problem is maglev. Another salient feature is its high speed. The speed of these trains can reach up to 501 km/hr. This technology is moving towards hyper-tubes trains, which has low air pressure tubes. This reduces the air drag and hence speed can reach up to 1000 km/hr which will reduce the travelling time.

Figure 2. Levitation, Propulsion and Guidance

Project Implementation Method

The project has two distinct parts; Levitation and Propulsion. Levitation is achieved by controlling electromagnetic attraction between permanent neodymium magnets and electromagnets. Hall sensor is used to measure the levitation gap. The signal from hall sensor is fed to the microcontroller (Arduino), which generates control signal (based on the control algorithm), that is fed to the current amplifier circuit. Thus, current through the electromagnet is regulated (and thus attraction force), and a specific levitation gap is maintained. The electromagnets would be the part of train body, so one of the fundamental engineering challenges is to design the electromagnets as light as possible that could generate reasonable attraction force.

The propulsion is achieved through Linear Induction Motor (LIM) that uses application of electromagnetic induction. The stator of the LIM would be the part of the track consisted of E-shaped iron cores that are copper coil-wound. The rotor would be a light aluminium plate (part of train body). The three-phase voltage applied across the windings of the LIM will produce travelling magnetic field that would induce currents in the rotor (aluminium plate) making the rotor (thus train body) move freely over the track.

 The final task is to integrate both the levitation and propulsion. Integration is an engineering challenge in itself. The levitation system should be robust enough to withstand the dynamics of the moving train.

Figure 1. Control Based Levitation

Figure 2. Block Diagram of Controller for Levitation

Figure 3. Linear Induction Motor

Figure 4. Block Diagram of Propulsion System

Benefits of the Project

The project envisions a transportation system that can offer contact-free (thus friction less) mode of transportation. This has several advantages. The train can operate at much higher speeds and will only be hindered by the air drag, which, by using special vacuum tubes can also be eliminated and thus the train can operate at speeds higher than that of an airplane. The efficiency of the system is far greater than that of the conventional engine-based trains. As the train levitates over the track, no moving parts are involved that can cause wear and tear, and thus maintenance cost is greatly reduced. The system is eco-friendly (i.e. no CO­­2 emissions involved). One of the major advantages is that low speed maglev can be used for intra-city transportation as it does not contribute to noise pollution, thus locals won’t be affected. The propulsion system offers bi-directional control. Simply switching any two phases reverses the direction of motion of the train.

Applications include Hyperloop, Pneumatic capsule pipeline (PCP), efficient and fast freight carriage,

StarTram (space launch system), semi-conductor wafer transportation in semiconductor industries, magnetic bearings etc.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

The final deliverable will consist of a train body made of General-Purpose Polystyrene plastic. The body will be 15cm X 15 cm in dimensions. The components that will be installed in the train body include:

Electromagnets (for levitation purpose), hall sensors SE49E (measuring gap), aluminium plate (15cm x 5cm x 0.2 cm), microcontroller (Arduino), current amplifier modules (L298N) and a 1500 mAh Li-Po battery.

The track will consist of E-cores with copper wound on them in the center. On both sides, two arrays of Neodymium permanent magnets (N52) will be positioned along the length of the track.

The system has been designed for speed up to 36 km/h . Theoretically, the system can be designed to reach supersonic speeds.

                   

Figure 5. Magnetic Levitation Using Infrared Sensor        Figure 6. Magnetic Levitation Using Hall Effect Sensor

Final Deliverable of the Project

Hardware System

Core Industry

Transportation

Other Industries

Manufacturing

Core Technology

Others

Other Technologies

Sustainable Development Goals

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

Required Resources

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