Optimisation et comparaison energétique des suspensions EMS et EDS pour la lévitation magnétique à grande vitesse

Details

Supervisors

Dehez, Bruno ; Beauloye, Louis

Faculty

Ecole polytechnique de Louvain

Degree label

Master [120] : ingénieur civil électromécanicien, à finalité spécialisée: mécatronique

Abstract

enThe pursuit of ever faster modes of transportation raises significant challenges. In the case of high-speed magnetic levitation trains, a key issue is the improvement of energy efficiency. This thesis presents a comparative study of the energy performance of electromagnetic EMS and electrodynamic EDS suspensions, the two dominant systems in both research and industry, with the aim of reducing energy losses, particularly those associated with magnetic drag. Given the absence of systematic comparative analyses of these two technologies in the literature, this work develops a rigorous methodology for evaluation and parametric optimization, inspired by the specifications of the Hyperloop Hardt project. The main contribution of this study lies in the development of a semi-analytical model for the analysis of EMS suspensions. It combines a static model based on a two-dimensional equivalent magnetic circuit with a dynamic model of the Maxwell-Fourier type. The static model, solved using the Newton-Raphson method, accounts for magnetic saturation effects in ferromagnetic materials. The dynamic model evaluates the impact of eddy currents on the magnetic field distribution within the air gap and computes both the lift and drag forces at high speed. Numerical validation using finite element methods (FEMM, Comsol Multiphysics) confirms the accuracy of the developed model. This model then enables the parametric optimization of EMS and EDS suspension geometries through a genetic algorithm implemented in the Optimeed software. The optimization identifies an optimal geometry that serves as the basis for comparison. The findings demonstrate that the optimized EMS suspension achieves significantly lower energy consumption than the optimized EDS suspension and exhibits a markedly higher lift-to-drag ratio at a speed of 700 km/h. These results highlight the clear energy advantage of EMS technology at high speed.