Maryam Aman

Running Head: Electricity and Magnetism 1 Students Name Teacher’s Name Course Name Date ELECTRICITY & MEAGNETISM 2 The use of Electricity and Magnetism in our Future Transportation Issues like traffic jams, congestion, air and noise pollution have been a source of concern for governments for a very long time now. Rapid urbanization of the cities has given rise to increase in use of public transport for work and leisure purposes. But the use of fossil fuel for operation of public transport and private cars has caused major issues that are related to environment as well as world economy in terms of depletion of natural resources. So, experts have come up with a solution for ending all of these problems at once. Sustainable and renewable means of energy generation has been the topic of debate for a very long time now. The use of magnetism and electricity in transportation facilities is not new and these two mechanisms are going to play a vital role in shaping up the means of transportation throughout the world in near future. Owing to innovation of experts all around the world, a new kind of mass transportation has gained popularity in past few decades. This innovation technology is known as Magnetic Levitation or Maglev. This technology uses magnetic fields and electromagnets for power generation. The fundamental postulate that has been followed in this technology is that magnets on the transportation facility, for example, train; are either repelled or attracted by the guide way which is the track of the train which results in levitation of train. For acceleration or deceleration, Maglev can also use magnet propulsion. A speed of 300 mph can be achieved by a Maglev train which is almost half of the speed of a commercial aircraft. There are two major categories of Magnetic Levitation; Electrodynamic Suspension and Electromagnetic Suspension. Apart from these two categories, United States is developing a third type of Magnetic Levitation that is known as Inductrack. Sustainability has become a very important topic in every field of life as natural resources of the world are depleting, scientists are developing new and innovative ways of producing renewable energy ELECTRICITY & MEAGNETISM 3 that is inexhaustible and also do not, in any way, harm the environment any further (Hollenberger, April 09, 2005). Maglev is one such innovation which enables the vehicle to run on electricity instead of petroleum which releases carbon emissions in the atmosphere thereby increasing the carbon footprint which has caused problems like greenhouse gas effects, global warming, plant and animal extinction, extreme changes in weather, depletion of ozone layer and many other environmental and health issues. Countries like Japan and Germany has employed this technology in their transportation after careful and successful testing. Although applied and executed in the countries, the system and method of operation that is being used is quite different in both the countries. For instance, Germany is using Maglev technology in their commercial system known as Transrapid by using electromagnetic suspension (EMS). China has also stared using this technology after importing it from Germany. The Chinese have used this technology by efficiently linking their Pudong International Airport to Shanghai’s city center which is a central hub for most of the city dwellers. Energy efficiency is not the positive point of this technology, Maglev has enhanced the speed efficiency and it takes an astonishingly short time of eight minutes to take people from Shanghai city center and drop them off at the Pudong International Airport. Studies show that 99.7% of the time, Shanghai’s Maglev train is on time and has made it a very reliable source of commute for the people of Shanghai. The train takes about four minutes to reach the speed of 430 km/hr and stays at this speed for about 52 seconds before it starts to decelerate for three minutes before coming to an absolute stop. This ride helps its riders to avoid a forty-five minute drive on a six-lane highway that runs parallel to the Maglev guide way. Osaka and Tokyo has been connected by the innovative technology of Maglev which is using the electrodynamic-suspension (EDS) Maglev which has been developed by the scientists of Japan. Before the implementation of Maglev technology in Japan, this commute was at least two hours long but now, this ELECTRICITY & MEAGNETISM 4 technology has helped is saving more than half of the time by making this ride less than an hour long (Hollenberger, April 09, 2005). Magnetic fields and magnetism is the basic reason for such high speeds in this technology. High powered electromagnetic fields are created so as to produce this magnetic field which then sets the train in motion and helps in acceleration and deceleration accordingly. This technology can enable the train to levitate above the track as well as propel so as to move forward. Wheels, contact with the track, and moving parts are eliminated on a Maglev train, allowing it to essentially move on the air and that too, without any kind of friction. The best thing about this innovative technology is that it offers both, high speed transport as well as low speed transport which makes it even a bigger added advantage over other means of transport that not only uses natural resources but also negatively effects the environment. Short distances are covered by the low-speed vehicles that use Maglev for these short commutes. Between 1984 and 1995, this low speed Maglev was used in England but the researchers are keener on attaining high speeds in this technology so as to shorten the time spent in the train and the distance travelled. The Maglev system is based on the electromagnetic propulsion which is based on one of the most basic laws of magnetics in physics that states that like poles repel each other and opposite poles attracts each other. This implies that North Pole of one magnet will repel North Pole of another magnet and South Pole of one magnet will repel South Pole of another magnet but will attract North Pole of that same magnet. There are three major components of the propulsion system which are as under: i. Electrical power source ii. Metal coils lining the whole guide way iii. Guidance magnets that can be used for alignment (Hollenberger, April 09, 2005). ELECTRICITY & MEAGNETISM 5 As far as suspension system is concerned, there are two main categories of the suspension systems; electromagnetic suspension (EMS) and electrodynamic suspension (EDS). Electromagnetic suspension (EMS) uses the conventional methods of electromagents being attached to the underside of the vehicle which are attracted to the ferromagnets mage of iron, cobalt and nickel. As these ferromagnetic elements have a very high magnetic permeability which helps in creating an electromagnetic field which current passes through the guiderail, to which the ferromagnetic elements are attached. Electrodynamic suspension (EDS), on the other hand, uses superconducting magnets (SCM) which are placed at the bottom of the train so as to help in levitating the train off of the track when current is passed through the magnets. The electrical resistance of the superconductors helps in a better flow of the current which results in a greater magnetic field. The demerit of this system is that it requires very cold temperature for the superconductors to function efficiently (Hollenberger, April 09, 2005). This technology has opened up new horizons for saving time and using a sustainable means of transportation as well as energy generation which is going to help to make the environment livable and greener. Maglev technology has helped in revolutionizing the means of transport for many people who have commute from one city to another for the purpose of work and leisure. . Sustainable and renewable means of energy generation has been the topic of debate for a very long time now. The use of magnetism and electricity in transportation facilities is not new and these two mechanisms are going to play a vital role in shaping up the means of transportation throughout the world in near future. There are two major categories of Magnetic Levitation; Electrodynamic Suspension and Electromagnetic Suspension. Apart from these two categories, United States is developing a third type of Magnetic Levitation that is known as Inductrack. Sustainability has become a very important topic in every field of life as natural resources of the world are depleting, scientists are developing new and ELECTRICITY & MEAGNETISM 6 innovative ways of producing renewable energy that is inexhaustible and also do not, in any way, harm the environment any further. The best thing about this innovative technology is that it offers both, high speed transport as well as low speed transport which makes it even a bigger added advantage over other means of transport that not only uses natural resources but also negatively effects the environment. Short distances are covered by the low-speed vehicles that use Maglev for these short commutes. Countries like Japan and Germany has employed this technology in their transportation after careful and successful testing. Although applied and executed in the countries, the system and method of operation that is being used is quite different in both the countries. This innovative technology has helped thousands of people to experience the future of transportation which is the ultimate answer to all the issues of congestion, pollution and resource depletion. ELECTRICITY & MEAGNETISM Works Cited Hollenberger, M. B. (April 09, 2005). Maglev: Transportation of the Future? Pittsburgh. 7