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On May 26, during a collective interview event for the rail transit industry in Chengdu organized by the Chengdu Municipal Government Information Office, reporters learned that the “Multi-functional High-speed Operation Simulation Test Bed” at Southwest Jiaotong University (SWJTU) is expected to be operational by the end of this year.
This test bed, which is still under construction, is primarily designed to test the operational response of high-speed trains in various conditions including rain, snow, and wind, as well as to study the impact of earthquakes and crosswinds on the operational safety of high-speed trains. “The test bed is equipped with aircraft catapult-like devices similar to those on aircraft carriers, enabling model trains to accelerate to speeds of 300 to 400 kilometers per hour within 50 meters,” explained a staff member. The test bed can also create vacuum tubes, simulating the operational environment of the “Hyperloop” currently being developed in the United States, “allowing for the testing of various train models in multiple scenarios.”
All high-tech innovations were initially considered fantastical. Earlier this month, a test lasting just a few seconds in the Nevada desert sparked worldwide curiosity – Hyperloop One successfully completed a test of its ultra-high-speed tube transportation system. This transportation system, known as the “Hyperloop,” accelerates from zero to 96 kilometers per hour in just one second and has a theoretical maximum speed of 1,200 kilometers per hour. The “Hyperloop” uses magnetic levitation technology to suspend transportation pods within evacuated tubes, enabling high-speed travel with minimal energy.
Upon hearing the news, many netizens exclaimed that “a formidable competitor for China’s high-speed rail has arrived.” In fact, such concerns are premature. The American “Hyperloop” is still in the initial testing phase and is far from actual operation. On the other hand, research on China’s “Hyperloop” actually began at the beginning of this century, with the “research center” located in Chengdu. On May 26, a reporter from West China City Daily visited the State Key Laboratory of Traction Power at SWJTU and witnessed the Chinese version of the “Hyperloop” in its infancy.
Testing at speeds up to 600 kilometers per hour
Within the State Key Laboratory of Traction Power at SWJTU in Chengdu, China’s first “manned high-temperature superconducting maglev circular test track” has been basically completed. The test track will simulate the operation of high-speed trains in a vacuum environment, with testing speeds reaching up to 600 kilometers per hour. China’s “Hyperloop” may be born here.
The path of exploration
Magnetic levitation technology is the core technology of the future “Hyperloop,” and after 30 years of research, Chinese research teams, represented by SWJTU, have mastered the key technologies of medium- and low-speed magnetic levitation transportation systems. Magnetic levitation trains in China have initially gained the ability for industrialization.
Very sci-fi
Chinese version of the “Hyperloop” test track
Resembling the “capsule train” in science fiction
After passing through strict security checks, the reporter entered the periphery of the State Key Laboratory of Traction Power and was greeted by a huge factory-like laboratory. The open, approximately 35-meter-high factory was filled with tracks, locomotive heads, axles, and more. The first thing the reporter had to do was to pick up earplugs at the entrance, as the various train platform tests conducted inside were rather loud. Since its establishment, almost all research on the dynamics of locomotives and rolling stock in China has been completed here. The experimental field for the “Hyperloop” is discreetly located within this laboratory.
As the reporter approached the experimental platform with a fully enclosed tube covered with plexiglass, a fellow visitor exclaimed in surprise, “Isn’t this the legendary ‘capsule train’?” Wang Siming, a teacher in charge of on-site control at the experimental department, explained, “This is China’s first completed ‘manned high-temperature superconducting maglev circular test track,’ preceded only by Germany. This plexiglass cover is for future vacuum operation experiments, as achieving speeds of over 1,000 kilometers per hour requires eliminating air noise and resistance. This is also the initial concept for the ‘capsule train.’”
So, what is it like to ride in a “capsule”? The reporter took a ride to experience it. Since it operates in air, it naturally cannot reach speeds of over 1,000 kilometers per hour. However, when the researcher pressed the remote control, the test train equipped with multimedia entertainment devices started up smoothly. There was almost no noise, and there was no feeling of dizziness during turns. The overall riding experience was quite comfortable.
“If it runs on a straight track, the speed limit of this train body is immeasurable,” said Wang Siming. In ideal conditions, this “ultra-high-speed vacuum tube high-temperature superconducting maglev train” can eventually achieve speeds exceeding 1,000 kilometers per hour in low-pressure tubes, with low energy consumption and no noise pollution.
So, how long will it take for China-made “Hyperloops” to be applied in real life? Wang Siming predicts that based on current technological exploration, significant progress should be made in the next ten years.
High-tech
Lower cost, higher technological content
Material price is only 1/50 of Japan’s Shinkansen
The prototype of the “Hyperloop” experienced by the reporter and Japan’s Shinkansen are both superconducting maglev trains, but the technological content is higher, and the material price is only 1/50 of the latter.
Wang Siming explained the secret behind it. The reason why Japan’s Shinkansen is called a “l(fā)ow-temperature superconducting maglev” is that it requires liquid helium at -269 degrees Celsius to ensure the performance of the superconducting materials on the train. “Liquid helium is expensive, while we choose to use liquid nitrogen at a relatively higher temperature of -196 degrees Celsius to ensure the performance of superconducting materials. The price is only 1/50 of liquid helium, as over 70% of the air is nitrogen, which is easily obtainable.” Because of this, the research at SWJTU is named “high-temperature superconducting maglev.”
Apart from being cheaper, high-temperature superconducting maglev is the only technology in nature that can achieve passive stable levitation: unlike low-temperature superconducting maglev, it does not require complex levitation and control guidance and can levitate even when the vehicle is stationary.
At the experimental site, researchers demonstrated a scaled-down version of the principle of high-temperature superconducting maglev, which can run not only above the track but also below it.
