Design and Performance Analyses of Multi-pole HTS Maglev Guideways for the Electromagnetic Launch

A prototype of the high temperature superconducting (HTS) Maglev system for the electromagnetic launch was built in our laboratory. To meet the higher carrying capacity requirement of this practical application, multi-pole permanent-magnet guideways (PMGs) with different flux concentration methods and various arrangement schemes of HTS bulks have been proposed. The magnetic field distribution of these multi-pole PMG with the iron and permanent magnet (PM) concentration schemes has been estimated by employing both analytical and finite element methods. Meanwhile, a two-dimensional simulation model was established to evaluate the levitation and lateral performance of the Maglev system with several arrangement cases of HTS bulks. It has been validated that the total levitation force of the system can be significantly improved by increasing the pole number of the PMG and applying the optimal arrangement scheme.