Optimal design of the electromagnetic levitation with permanent and electro magnets

The successful design of a near-zero-power-loss Maglev system with permanent and electromagnets depends chiefly on its low power consumption even with frequent regulation. This paper presents a systematic approach for designing such a system. The lift force is calculated by the “variable flux permeance” method and detailed investigation of the regulation power consumption is given. Several practical considerations, such as minimal mechanical clearance and maximal magnetomotive force of the winding, together with the objective of minimizing total magnet weight and regulation power consumption are formulated into a nonlinearly constrained optimization problem, and is solved by the sequentially unconstrained minimization technique. Our designs show that, at 8 mm air gap and 5 kgw lift force, the lift force to permanent-magnet weight ratio is approximately 100, and when the lift force is 500 kgw at 10 mm, the ratio is approaching 110. This confirms the superior performance of the new levitation system in both small and large scale applications