Japanese have their own way to roll

subscribe

Japanese engineers are developing a competing version of magnetic-levitation trains, using a system based on the repelling force of magnets.

electromagnets attached to the undercarriage are directed up toward a steel guideway, levitating the train about a centimetre above the guideway and keeping it levitated when it's not moving.

Other guidance magnets embedded in the train's body keep it stable during travel.

The key difference is that the Japanese system uses supercooled, superconducting electromagnets that conduct electricity even when the power supply is shut off.

In the German system, which uses standard electromagnets, the coils conduct electricity only when a power supply is present.

Another difference is that the Japanese trains levitate nearly 10 cm above the guideway and roll on rubber tires until they reach a lift-off speed of about 100 km/h.

Related News

Drax Power Station

How the dirtiest power station in western Europe switched to renewable energy

LONDON - A power station that used to be the biggest polluter in western Europe has made a near-complete switch to renewable energy.

The Drax Power Station in Yorkshire, England, used to spew out millions of tons of carbon dioxide a year by burning coal. But over the past eight years, it has overhauled its operations by converting four of its six coal-fired units to biomass. The plant's owners say it now generates 15% of the country's renewable power.

The change means that just 6% of the utility's power now comes from coal. The ultimate goal is to stop using coal altogether.

"We've…

READ MORE
texas residents line up for water

Texas's new set of electricity regulators begins to take shape in wake of deep freeze, power outages

READ MORE

iec palestinian electricity agreeement

IEC reaches settlement on Palestinian electricity debt

READ MORE

dawn farrell

As Alberta electricity generators switch to gas, power price cap comes under spotlight

READ MORE

justin trudeau

Ottawa hands N.L. $5.2 billion for troubled Muskrat Falls hydro project

READ MORE