Analysis of guidance and levitation forces between HTS magnets and conductive tubes for Hyperloop

High-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets combined with linear synchronous motors and electrodynamic suspension (EDS) are considered as one of the most suitable technologies for Hyperloop. However, HTS magnets on pods generate strong magnetic fields, inducing eddy currents on conductive tubes when pods undergo movement through conductive tubes. The induced eddy currents affect HTS magnets, leading to electromagnetic (EM) drag, guidance, and levitation forces on the pods, thus reducing the propulsion efficiency and dynamic stability of pods. This study continues the existing research on EM drag forces between HTS magnet and tube for Hyperloop by comprehensively analyzing the EM guidance and levitation forces between HTS magnets and conductive tubes. Importantly, the full-scale 3D finite element analysis (FEA) simulations show that different steel tubes, such as AISI 1010 and high-manganese (Hi-Mn) steels, should be adopted, depending on the operating velocities, v, to avoid attractive forces in the guidance direction decreasing horizontal stiffnesses, For example, Hi-Mn tubes generating repulsive guidance forces are adopted when v is below 300 km/h while AISI 1010 tubes are used when v is over 300 km/h to minimize the construction cost of vacuum tubes to guarantee the increase in kx. For the proposed concept, the effect of the different tube connections on guidance and levitation forces is confirmed by the full-scale 3D FEA simulation. Moreover, levitation forces generated between HTS magnets and conductive tubes are nearly 0.5% of the EDS forces of pods, i.e., 200 kN over v of 150 km/h in the levitation direction. Therefore, the effect on vertical stiffnesses, ky, might be limited. In the end, to validate the proposed tube connections, the effect of the two different tube connections on guidance and levitation forces is confirmed by the full-scale 3D FEA simulation, and it was found that the sudden change in the guidance and levitation forces could be low enough to be neglected in the acceleration (from Hi-Mn to AISI 1010 steel tubes) and deceleration (from AISI 1010 to Hi-Mn steel tubes) regions.