Design and Demonstration of a Locally Commutated Linear Synchronous Motor

The Locally Commutated Linear Synchronous Motor (LCLSM) concept was analyzed and demonstrated. Design and analysis of an 8 MW propulsion motor for a Maglev vehicle resulted in an LCLSM system capable of generating smooth thrust with non-overlapping propulsion coils. Each coil is separately powered by a dedicated H-bridge inverter operating from a DC bus and controlled by a dedicated microcontroller which communicates to a base station via fiber optic bus. A 1/10th scale experiment was built which demonstrated the viability of the LCLSM concept. Very high efficiency, power factor, reliability, system flexibility, ride quality and levels of safety can be achieved with LCLSM.