Operating a MagLev Train Prototype with Supercapacitors and Charge by Opportunity

This work presents an alternative energy supply for urban MagLev vehicles, using supercapacitors. The concept is known as \charge by opportunity". During the necessary stops for passengers0 embarkation and disembarkation, and the few seconds for the completion of this activity, supercapacitors inside the vehicle will be charged. The supplied energy is calculated to ensure the movement until the next station. The low friction of MagLev trains, the short distance between stations for public transportation inside a city, and the at track given by elevated lines, all contribute to small energy storage requirements. This study not only describes the application, but also maps the market for supercapacitors, describing the main suppliers, prices and characteristics. In this way, an innovative power supply option for urban MagLev vehicles will be offered, which, unlike the existing options, does not visually pollute with overhead cables or extra rails. Experimental results would have been presented with tests on the prototype MagLev-Cobra, from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. However, due to a lack of financial support and the coronavirus pandemic the tests were canceled. MagLev-Cobra is a levitating vehicle based on the diamagnetic property of superconductors in the vicinity of rails made up of rare earth magnets. As a prototype system, the ideal test conditions are available. Furthermore, a converter DC-DC is specified to work with the supercapacitors.