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A transport internet to reduce traffic pollution
Article summary: The internet has brought down the cost of telecommunications by using routing software to make the best use of international communications networks. We
propose applying the same thinking to transport systems. Battery powered
vehicles would have their range extended by being carried on trains for long
journeys. Routing software would identify optimum routes to speed up journeys
and make the maximum use of the railway network. As a spin-off, the train traction system proposed for the Transport Internet could be used to increase the passenger carrying capacity of current rail networks, without the environmental damage and high costs associated with building new routes such as Britain's proposed High Speed Rail Link. The problem to be solved:
Motorists will not be cajoled into giving up their cars in order to save the planet. Battery powered vehicles may be part of the solution, but battery capacity limits the distances that can be covered on a single charge. Our solution is a hybrid system with battery powered vehicles being carried by trains to increase their range. The
internet analogy The following example suggests how a battery powered car could use the Transport Internet to travel from Crieff in Scotland to Swansea in Wales
Figure 1. A motorist using the Transport Internet to travel from say Crieff in Scotland to Swansea in Wales might have the choice of two embarkation stations, Perth or Dunblane and several routes through England. The routing software would suggest fastest and lowest cost options. The computer analysis would be utilitarian; offering the fastest/cheapest services to the greatest number of travellers. A
demonstration route
could be built between two
major cities about 100 miles (160 km) apart, e.g., in the United Kingdom;
between Birmingham and Manchester.
Motorists would be freed up during the train journey to do remote office work,
relax or entertain the kids. Meanwhile, batteries would be recharged to increase
road travel range.
Expanding the system The
Chilterns Bonus
The key problem to be overcome MagTrac: Contact free braking and traction Vehicles
running on the transport internet would require efficient braking systems to
operate safely. A combined electromagnetic braking and traction system is one
possibility. The
basic concept behind MagTrac
Figure 2. In addition to attraction or repulsion between the two solenoids, each solenoid experiences a repulsive force between itself and the enclosed soft iron bar.
Figure 3. To move a lightweight platform along a short length of track, the soft iron bar needs to be bent into a U shape. A practical traction unit In order to produce a net upward force and allow the platform to move along a track of indefinite length, the solenoids need to be opened up to form "half-solenoids."
Figure 4. This is a “half solenoid”. When an electric current is passed through the wires it produces a magnetic field similar to a full solenoid, but its asymmetry results in a net upward force when it rests on a soft iron bar.
Figure 5. An alternative, series winding. The neutralising effect of the upper half solenoid is minimal, because of its greater distance from the soft iron rail.
Figure 6. The
magtrac system can be extended indefinitely.
Figure 7. On fairly straight sections of line, the stators can be laid inside conventional rail tracks, allowing the existing infrastructure and sleepers to be used.
Figure 8. Each unit of rolling stock is fitted with four sets of runners The inner runners are used when travelling along straight sections of track, the outer runners on sharp bends.
Figure 9. Trains
have a tendency to roll over when taking a sharp bend at speed. The MagTrac
solution to this problem involves no mechanical moving parts and is simpler than
a complex tilting train mechanism. Speed and the energy penalty Wind
resistance increases dramatically with travel speed for all forms of land
transport. So, an energy penalty has to be paid for getting to the destination
sooner. Reducing maintenance costs Aging of the tracks is reduced because skidding during acceleration and braking is eliminated and vibrations at speed drop with the reduced loading on the track wheels. Reducing stray magnetic fields Stray
magnetic fields can attract ferromagnetic debris such as nuts, bolts and nails.
A number of steps can be taken to design this problem out of the system.
Figure 10. Design features to reduce stray magnetic fields. Additional measures to prevent damage by small items of debris include mounting miniature "cattle fenders" and scavenging electromagnets ahead of each item of rolling stock.
Keeping the runners and flux shields cold Powering MagTrac trains Electrification adds to the cost of building a new railway line and may not be practical because of the additional current loading required to recharge vehicle batteries on-route. Liquefied hydrogen is a more cost effective fuel, with our proposed cryocoolers being used to keep the stored hydrogen cold. The heat absorbed as the hydrogen evaporates and warms, prior to burning in the engine would constitute the primary MagTrac superconductor cooling system. Cryocoolers would be used to provide top-up cooling for the superconductors. Liquid hydrogen, carbon footprint considerations. The Magtrac proposal is inherently more efficient than using liquid hydrogen to power road vehicles. This is because Magtrac uses the liquid hydrogen twice, first to chill the solenoids to superconducting temperatures, then as the fuel for the train's battery charging and traction systems.
Making stage by stage
progress If this was done promptly and in the South of England, it would give politicians and planners practical experience of a cheaper, greener alternative to the proposed environmentally damaging High Speed Rail Link.
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