Design and evaluation of a High Temperature Superconducting Maglev system

A High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) magnetic levitation system has been evaluated. The proposed system is a linear motor that generates the propulsion force, the suspension force and stabilization force from a single excitation source. Finite element methods (FEM) were employed to model the behaviour of the machine made from HTS material. This paper presents the results from the simulations showing that the maximum thrust and levitation forces generated by such a machine is a function of the critical current density, the applied magnetic field magnitude and the separation distance between the HTS pellets. The relation between these parameters, which results in the most efficient secondary configuration, has been deduced from simulations as well as the practical implementation of the linear motor.