A new type of active-Maglev system using YBCO bulk and multiple electromagnets

We have been developing a new type of active-Maglev system that is a transporter in the vertical direction, consisting of high-temperature bulk superconductors and multiple electromagnets piled up on the vertical axis. In a previous paper, using an active-Maglev system composed of a disk-shaped YBCO bulk and five electromagnets, we have demonstrated continuous levitation and verified that its levitation height, as well as stability, can be remarkably improved by adjusting the operating current of the electromagnets individually. Electromagnetic behavior within the bulk has been also investigated numerically by a newly developed computer program based on the finite-element method adopting the Bean model. Agreement of levitation force and height between experiments and numerical analyses was good. The levitation force properties strongly depend on the field-cooling condition and the distribution and magnitude of the external magnetic field generated by the electromagnets. We clarify electromagnetic phenomena within the bulk superconductor by the computer program developed to improve the levitation properties for applications of continuous levitation to real Maglev systems.