Maglev makes a bid for commercial status.

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The Maglev 2000 of Florida Corp. began construction in April of a test guideway to be used to validate the first U.S. advanced magnetically levitated (maglev) transport system at the Maglev Operations Center, Space Coast Regional Airport (SCRA), Titusville, Fla.

"The system has many more advantages than other maglev systems, including 300 mileper-hour (mph) speeds, low operating and energy costs, and no pollution," said John Morena, managing director, Maglev 2000 Operations. "Plus, it's unique in that it can carry truck type freight, switch guideways at high speeds, and be built at a relatively low cost."

Funding for this project has been provided from federal, state, and private sources. The technology validation will prove the practical concept of Maglev 2000's passenger and containerized freight system and develop the basic concept for reusable electromagnetic space and aircraft carrier launch systems. Supported by Florida industry, academia, and government, Maglev 2000's primary mission is to create new high technology transportation.

The Maglev 2000 technology is based on recently patented technology created by the pioneers of U.S. maglev systems, Dr. James Powell and Dr. Gordon Danby and their associates. In the future, Maglev 2000 will extend the 1,000 foot segment of guideway to a 2mile maglev validation guideway operating a full size prototype vehicle through a patented nonmechanical switch system at speeds to 200 mph. Future plans call for the validation guideway to be extended to a 20-mile revenue route connecting SCRA to Port Canaveral.

Morena and his group have taken a conservative approach, building a test facility first in Florida. Presently, they are working with two Canadian mining organizations, the Northern Center for Advanced Technology (NORCAT) and the Canadian Mining Industry Research Organization (CAMIRO). Both organizations are based in Sudbury, Ontario, and they are looking at hardrock and other mining applications.

From a mining perspective, the Maglev 2000 group plans to demonstrate mining applications at the SCRA by first building a demonstration of vehicle propulsion only, then they plan to build a retrofitted mine car with levitation and propulsion, which eventually will lead to a prototype being place somewhere underground.

"A mining material transport system would be based upon the Maglev 2000's patented planar guideway technology," Morena said. "Demonstrations at the Florida test site would validate the ability of maglev hoppers to move bulk loads for mining applications. Maglev 2000 is well-suited for this function because of its ability to climb steep grades at high speeds and haul heavy loads. The system has no wheels, and does not make contact with the guideway surface. It's a cost effective method based upon simplicity of design that does not rely on overhead trolley electrification. The patented planar guideway systems are robust but also portable and reusable."

In the early 1960s, Powell and Danby established the Maglev technology now being built in Japan. Their first publication in 1966, followed by their 1968 seminal patent, created widespread interest in the activity in the United States, Japan, and Europe. Japan continued with a major program leading to its present large scale demonstration project, part of a planned Tokyo-Osaka route. In December of 1997, their first full-size vehicle train reached speeds in excess of 300 mph.

Danby and Powell realized that their initial system would need substantial modifications if it was to become widely accepted in the United States where there are greater distances between cities, heavier concentrations of truck type freight, and a population that demands convenient stations. They realized that an American maglev system must carry both truck type freight and passengers on the same guideway, be capable of high speed switching to many offline stations, and be much cheaper to build than the systems proposed for Japan and Europe.

The maglev scientists developed the new technology, which received patents in the last several years. They engineered dual passenger/freight guideways that are simple and easily constructed, with large elevation clearances (e.g., 6 inches). The costs for their two-way guideway system is estimated by Fluor Daniel to be $10 million per mile, about 25% of the cost for the Japanese system.

The guideway is a low-voltage, narow beam or flat (planar) system that requires between 24 to 40 volts.The only part of the guideway that's energized is that which is diretly below the car. The guideway is loaded with panels of inductance coils and the maglev car has a superconducting magnet built into it. Once the superconducting magnets have been energized, and as long as they are kept at the right temperature, they remains charged.

Basically, the car follows a sinusoidal wave trasmitted through the guideway. In each propulsion panel in the guideway, the coils light up sequentially, similar to how a Las Vegas marquis gives the illusion of movement.

"The relatively low cost, plus the capability to carry up to 40 tons or more per vehicle, makes the maglev economically practical for widespread applications," Morena said. "The new system also enables high speed switching so that vehicles can leave the main guideway to stop at off-line stations without slowing vehicle traffic on the system's main line. The lightweight guideways allow large distances between piers (70 to 120 feet) with only a small footprint."

There could be practical applications for the system in the coal mining industry. For example, a captive mine could use the maglev to transport coal to the power plant. It also has possible surface hardrock applications because of the age and depth of the pits. It's surface coal mining applications, however, would depend on portability and infrastructure costs; it could be used as a surface haulage system. Underground, it could serve as a long-term solution for transporting men and materials as the mine ages and the distance between the working faces and the shaft or portal grows.

Morena is looking for coal companies interested in working with him on future mining-related research. He can be reached at Maglev Operations Center, 355 Golden Knights Blvd., Titusville, FL 32780, Tel: 407/26/0910 CA.

PHOTO (COLOR): A Maglev 2001 passenger and freight system guide