The engine for maglev trains is rather inconspicuous. Instead of using fossil fuels, the magnetic field created by the electrified coils in the guideway walls and the track combine to propel the train.
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Instead of using fossil fuels, the magnetic field created by the electrified coils in the guideway walls and the track combine to propel the train. If you've ever played with magnets, you know that opposite poles attract and like poles repel each other. This is the basic principle behind electromagnetic propulsion.
Maglev (derived from magnetic levitation) is a system of train transportation that uses two sets of electromagnets: one set to repel and push the train up off the track, and another set to move the elevated train ahead, taking advantage of the lack of friction.
Rather than using fossil fuels, these trains are propelled by varying shifts in the horizontal magnetic fields that alternately attract and repel along the rails.
Disadvantages of Maglev TrainsComplications resulting in accidents will usually lead to high human fatalities. Maglev trains are much more expensive to construct than conventional trains because of the high number of superconducting electromagnets and permanent magnets required, which are usually very costly.
Compared to highspeed passenger rail, maglev passenger rail consumes roughly twice the power per passenger kilometer. For commercial freight I found an efficiency figure of 520 ton-miles per gallon (660 kg-km/MJ). Assuming 70kg for the average commuter passenger this gives us an efficiency of (116 kg-km/MJ) for maglev.
In total, Maglev operation would increase net carbon dioxide emissions from 286 to 336 million kilograms per year compared to maintaining existing options, according to NASA scientist Dr. Owen Kelley. The project would also overwhelmingly harm marginalized communities.
In the Superconducting Maglev system, liquid helium is used to cool the superconducting material, niobium-titanium alloy, to 452 degrees Fahrenheit below zero.
If guideway power is lost on the move, the Transrapid is still able to generate levitation down to 10 kilometres per hour (6.2 mph) speed, using the power from onboard batteries.
Hermann Kemper (* April 5, 1892 Nortrup, Germany, in the district of Osnabrueck, † July 13, 1977) was a German engineer and is considered by many the inventor of the basic maglev concept. In 1922, Hermann Kemper began his research about magnetic levitation.
Even if the power goes out, levitation forces keeps the train in the air while it is traveling at high speed. The vehicle comes safely to a stop rather than suddenly falling onto the track.
Cost concerns over innovative railThe primary challenge facing maglev trains has always been cost. While all large-scale transportation systems are expensive, maglev requires a dedicated infrastructure including substations and power supplies and cannot be integrated directly into an existing transportation system.
Efficiency: Due to the lack of physical contact between the track and the vehicle, maglev trains experience no rolling resistance, leaving only air resistance and electromagnetic drag, improving power efficiency.
The proposed Chuo Shinkansen MLX maglev in Japan is estimated to cost approximately US$82 billion to build, with a route blasting long tunnels through mountains. About 80% of the line is expected to run through tunnels - which explains the high investment costs in this case.