Electromagnetic emission system and method using high-thrust magnetic suspension

Abstract

The motorized launch system includes a vehicle having at least one electrically conductive coil arranged to interact with at least one ultra-high conductivity material track in the guide rail when the vehicle is moved through the guide rail. The drive device drives the vehicle at a speed at which a current is induced in the track, the current being sufficient to suspend the vehicle and to inhibit the vehicle from colliding with the guide rail and the track by electric suspension when the vehicle is moving along the track, and drives the vehicle at a firing speed to launch the vehicle from the guide rail. The firing speed is at least as high as the first speed. The controller controls the release mechanism to release the payload from the vehicle to launch the vehicle from the rail while the at least one drive device drives the vehicle at the launch speed.

Description

[0001] Priority claim

[0002] This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 455,212, filed March 28, 2023, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0003] Government rights

[0004] This invention was completed with government support under contracts FA9550-05-C-0111 and FA9550-07-C-0018 awarded by the U.S. Air Force. The government enjoys certain rights to this invention. Technical Field

[0005] This disclosure generally relates to magnetic levitation, electro-levitation, and electromagnetic launching systems and methods having such levitation. Background Technology

[0006] Rockets have been used to launch satellites into orbit for over sixty years, and our long-standing experience has made one thing very clear—launching into space by rocket will never be cheap. In recent years, factors such as competition, higher launch volumes, rocket reusability, and larger rockets have begun to reduce costs, primarily for larger payloads. Currently, dozens of satellites are typically launched into orbit by a single launch vehicle. However, in some cases, launching a single small payload is preferred for scientific or commercial reasons. Examples include, but are not limited to, satellites designed for specific or unusual orbits, scientific experiments, and replacement of faulty components in satellite constellations. Providing this launch capability at a lower cost than small launch vehicles may be highly preferred and commercially advantageous.

[0007] Ground-based accelerators for orbital launches have long been considered a potential alternative to rocket launches, promising relatively inexpensive access to space and prompting many researchers to focus on linear launcher designs. Electric accelerators appear particularly attractive because the energy required to reach orbit can be relatively cheap if purchased from the grid. Low Earth Orbit (LEO) is typically at least 200 km above the Earth's surface and requires an orbital velocity of nearly 8000 m / s. To calculate the energy (e) required to reach orbit (ignoring gravitational and air resistance losses), a mass of 1 kg (m), a velocity of 8000 m / s (v), and a velocity of 9.8 m / s² are used. 2 The gravitational acceleration (g) and the orbital altitude (h) of 200 km: e = 1 / 2 mv 2 + mgh = 34 megajoules For example, at a wholesale electricity cost of $0.04 per kilowatt-hour (one kilowatt-hour equals 3.6 million joules), 34 megajoules would cost approximately 40 cents. This is a significant advantage compared to the current cost of small rocket payloads, which reaches several thousand dollars or more per kilogram.

[0008] However, the construction of the accelerator is hampered by the difficulty of generating and controlling the enormous power required to accelerate the projectile to launch velocity, as well as the length of the resulting guide rail. These figures can be calculated using equations related to velocity (v), acceleration (a), distance (d), mass (m), and power (p): The distance d = v required to reach the launch velocity 2 / 2a (the square of the velocity, divided by twice the acceleration).

[0009] The required acceleration power p = mav (mass multiplied by acceleration multiplied by velocity)

[0010] For example, assuming a total Δv of 10 km / s is needed to achieve orbital operation (including losses due to gravity and air resistance), if a 3000 kg mass is accelerated to a launch velocity of 4 km / s at 10G, the distance required for acceleration would exceed 82 km, and the peak power required would exceed 1260 megawatts. Constructing rails and propulsion systems to achieve this would be daunting, if indeed possible.

[0011] Looking only at the equation p = mav, the required acceleration power would decrease as the launch velocity v decreases. However, this is not the case. The acceleration mass m can include the rocket to further accelerate the payload from launch velocity to orbital velocity. The fuel required to provide Δv is determined by the rocket equations:

[0012] in: It is the rocket exhaust velocity. The initial mass of the full-fuel launch assembly It is the mass of the rocket after it burns out. Therefore, as the required rocket Δv increases, the required fuel mass increases rapidly. Decreasing the accelerator launch velocity rapidly increases the rocket's required Δv, thus increasing the required fuel mass. In fact, the increase in required fuel mass is much faster than the decrease in accelerator launch velocity, thus exacerbating the situation by increasing the required accelerator power.

[0013] Increasing the accelerator launch velocity reduces the rocket's required Δv and rapidly decreases the required fuel mass, but this does not improve the situation. For example, if the acceleration mass m is reduced to 225 kg and it accelerates at 10G to a launch velocity of 8 km / s, the peak power required for acceleration will decrease to 365 megawatts, but the distance required for acceleration will increase to 510 km. Such a long rail accelerator requiring so much power is impractical.

[0014] Increasing the acceleration rate from 10G doesn't help either, because it directly increases the required acceleration power. In short, linear launch acceleration is currently impractical.

[0015] An alternative to linear launch acceleration is circular acceleration. The inventors previously developed a design for a circular launch accelerator, described in the paper entitled “The Launch Ring - Circular EM Accelerators for Low Cost Orbital Launch” (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc., Space 2006, September 19, 2006, (https: / / doi.org / 10.2514 / 6.2006-7279)), which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Figure 1 The present invention illustrates a conceptual design of a launch ring as described in the disclosure. Figure 1 The launch ring 100 includes a magnetic levitation sled ( Figure 1 (Not shown in the image), the magnetic levitation sled is powered by a linear motor ( Figure 1 (Not shown) Acceleration occurs around a closed, vacuum-sealed circular accelerator guide ring 101, with a diameter of several kilometers. In the system described in this AIAA paper, a superconducting levitation system with superconducting coils in both the skid and the guide ring provides centrifugal compensation and vertical levitation, preventing the skid from contacting the channel wall even under radial accelerations of up to several thousand Gs at high launch velocities. The launched projectile is held in the skid until it reaches launch velocity, at which point it is released through an exit hatch into a tangential launch ramp 102 and may enter orbit.

[0016] While technically feasible, a launch accelerator using the design described in the AIAA paper would be expensive due to the high cost of the superconducting cable and associated cryogenic cooling system. It also presents a potential failure mode involving a “quench” in the rail cable, where the cable could deviate from superconductivity due to the fluctuating magnetic field generated by the rapid passage of the magnetically levitated sled. If such a quench event occurs, the current in the rail coils will disappear, the magnetic field generated by that current will vanish, and the sled levitation force will disappear, potentially causing the sled to strike the rail wall at high speed and cause severe damage to both the rail and the sled. For these reasons, an alternative design that reduces cost and eliminates the “quench” failure mode would be highly preferred.

[0017] A possible alternative to superconducting levitation is electro-levitation. This uses a magnetic field in the moving vehicle to induce an electric current in the track, which is then used to generate levitation force by acting in opposition to the magnetic field in the vehicle. The difficulty with this method lies in the scale of the forces and power required.

[0018] For example, assuming power = force multiplied by velocity, if the accelerator's target velocity is 10 km / sec, then at that velocity, each Newton (N) of drag would require 10 kW of motor power. Even to keep the motor power below 100 MW—a very ambitious target—the motor thrust must be less than 10,000 N; that is, 10,000 N multiplied by 10,000 m / s equals 100 MW. If the accelerator diameter is 5 km, then the radial acceleration at 10 km / sec is v. 2 / r = 10,000 2 / 2,500 = 40,000 m / s 2 = 4000 G. If the acceleration vehicle weighs 300 kg, its apparent weight (in the radial direction) is 4000 x 300 = 1,200,000 kg, or almost 12,000,000 Newtons. The suspension system must counteract such a large force, and in order to limit the motor thrust to 10,000 N, the lift / drag ratio must be greater than 1200:1. Since acceleration also requires power, the lift / drag ratio must be even higher. Traditional magnetic levitation systems currently do not offer lift / drag ratios even close to this level. Most are limited to less than 50:1. Wheel suspension systems typically have even lower lift / drag ratios.

[0019] In contrast, the levitation system described in this article can be applied to launch ring accelerators and can provide very high lift and very low drag. Summary of the Invention

[0020] According to some examples described herein, an electrically levitated track forms a circular accelerator tunnel with reduced internal air pressure. The magnetically levitated vehicle has superconducting magnets for levitation and travels around the accelerator tunnel. The magnetically levitated vehicle can be propelled by linear motors in the track. The conductive elements or tracks in the track are cooled to reduce their resistance and, in some embodiments, are made of ultra-high conductivity, high-purity conductors with very high residual resistivity. Compared to conventional electrically levitated vehicles, the conductive elements or tracks described herein provide significantly increased levitation force and lift-to-drag ratio. As the magnetically levitated vehicle accelerates around the circular track tunnel, levitation provides a vertical force to counteract gravity and a centripetal force to counteract radial accelerations up to several thousand Gs. The magnetically levitated vehicle carries a launch vehicle that releases at a pre-selected velocity, for example, entering a tangential launch ramp. The launch vehicle travels through the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds and may enter orbit. Attached Figure Description

[0021] Figure 1 This is a diagram of the launch ring design.

[0022] Figure 2 It is the cross-section of the basic plate-type suspension system.

[0023] Figure 3 It is the cross-section of the magnetic levitation skid and the payload using an enhanced sheet suspension system.

[0024] Figure 4 This is a front view of the transmitter ring according to an example embodiment.

[0025] Figure 5 shows the skid / payload separation sequence.

[0026] Figure 6 The basic principle of a zero-flux magnetic levitation system is shown.

[0027] Figure 7 shows a zero-flux coil optimized for emitter ring applications.

[0028] Figure 8 shows the same coil as in Figure 10, which is folded to be nested with the same coil.

[0029] Figure 9 shows 16 zero-flux coils stacked in the accelerator rails.

[0030] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of a launch ring accelerator based on a zero-flux electric levitation design.

[0031] Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of the track and carrier coils of a second embodiment for a zero-flux accelerator.

[0032] Figure 12 shows the position and resultant force of the sled coil when the sled is moving at high speed.

[0033] Figure 13 shows a cross-section of the magnetic levitation skid used in the second embodiment of the zero flux accelerator.

[0034] Figure 14 is a cross-section of the accelerator and skid of a second embodiment of the zero flux accelerator.

[0035] Figure 15 shows the configuration of the stabilizing and damping coils used in the second embodiment of the zero flux accelerator.

[0036] Figure 16 shows another embodiment of the guiding system used in the second embodiment of the zero flux accelerator. Detailed Implementation

[0037] In the following description, exemplary embodiments will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the invention can be embodied in a variety of different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments shown herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided as examples so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey aspects and features of the invention to those skilled in the art. Therefore, processes, elements, and techniques unnecessary for those skilled in the art to fully understand aspects and features of the invention are not described. Unless otherwise stated, the same reference numerals denote the same elements throughout the drawings and written description, and therefore their description is not repeated. Furthermore, features or aspects in each exemplary embodiment should generally be considered applicable to other similar features or aspects in other exemplary embodiments.

[0038] In the accompanying drawings, for clarity, the relative dimensions of elements, layers, and regions may be enlarged and / or simplified. For ease of interpretation, spatial relative terms such as “below,” “under,” “down,” “below,” “above,” “upper,” “front,” and “back” may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element or feature as shown in the drawings to other elements or features. It should be understood that, in addition to the orientations depicted in the drawings, spatial relative terms are intended to cover different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, if the device in the figures is flipped, an element described as “below,” “under,” or “below” to other elements or features will be oriented “above” to other elements or features. Thus, the example terms “below” and “below” can cover upper and lower orientations. The device may be oriented in other ways (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relative descriptors used herein should be interpreted accordingly.

[0039] It should be understood that although the terms "first," "second," "third," etc., may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers, and / or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer, or section from another element, component, region, layer, or section. Therefore, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, the first element, component, region, layer, or section described below may be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer, or section.

[0040] It should be understood that when a component or layer is referred to as being "on," "connected to," or "coupled to" another component or layer, it may be directly on, connected to, or coupled to the other component or layer, or one or more intermediate components or layers may exist. Furthermore, it should be understood that when a component or layer is referred to as being "between" two components or layers, it may be the only component or layer between the two components or layers, or one or more intermediate components or layers may exist.

[0041] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to limit the invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a” and “an” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that, when used in this specification, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “containing,” “comprising,” “having,” “having,” and “containing” specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof. As used herein, the term “and / or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. When a statement such as “at least one of…” precedes a list of elements, it modifies the entire list of elements, not any individual element in the list.

[0042] As used herein, the terms “substantially,” “about,” and similar terms are used as approximations rather than terms of degree, intended to account for inherent variations in measured or calculated values ​​that will be recognized by those skilled in the art. Furthermore, when describing embodiments of the invention, the use of “may” refers to “one or more embodiments of the invention.” As used herein, the terms “use,” “using,” and “used” can be considered synonymous with the terms “utilize,” “utilizing,” and “utilized,” respectively. Additionally, the term “exemplary” is intended to refer to an example or illustration.

[0043] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. It will be further understood that terms such as those defined in common dictionaries shall be interpreted as having the same meaning as they have in the relevant field and / or the context of this specification, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined herein.

[0044] The exemplary embodiments described herein relate to magnetic levitation, electro-levitation, and electromagnetic launch systems and methods having such levitation. In some examples, the high-thrust electro-levitation described herein utilizes materials sometimes called ultra-conductors. When cooled to cryogenic temperatures, these materials (typically metals) provide exceptionally high electrical conductivity, or alternatively, exceptionally low resistivity. Two such metals are ultrapure aluminum and ultrapure copper. The current induced in these low-loss cryogenic conductors can generate a large thrust magnetic field to interact with the current in the superconducting coils contained within the carrier, thereby providing a powerful levitation force. Since drag power is directly related to ohmic losses in the conductor, the extremely low losses in ultra-conductor materials can result in extremely low drag. Compared to a superconductor (which does not exhibit resistivity when conducting electricity in its superconducting state), an ultra-conductor has some resistance when conducting electricity in its ultra-high conduction state, although the resistance is very small. Current can be induced in an ultra-conductor in its ultra-high conduction state. On the other hand, current cannot be induced in a superconductor when it is in its superconducting state.

[0045] Two embodiments based on this concept include or employ "ultra-high conductivity sheet levitation" and "ultra-high conductivity zero flux levitation".

[0046] i. High-thrust plate suspension

[0047] The example embodiments described herein employ electrodynamic levitation (EDS). EDS relies on induced current to generate a repulsive force for levitation and, in examples employing curved or circular guide rails, counteracts centrifugal force. Figure 2 In the simplified representation shown, the EDS system 200 includes a carrier moving on the conductive sheet 202. Figure 2The carrier coil 201 (not shown) is mounted on a conductive plate 202. As the carrier coil 201 moves across the conductive plate 202, it induces a current in the plate, creating a repulsive force as if a mirror coil 203 were directly opposite it. At sufficient carrier speed, this repulsive force can levitate the carrier above the conductive plate 202. Various types of EDS levitation have been studied for over forty years and are known to generate high lift. Typical EDS levitation uses tracks made of copper or aluminum designed to operate at ambient temperatures. However, conventional implementations of EDS levitation tend to generate high drag, resulting in a lift-to-drag ratio (L / D) typically in the range of 10 to 20 or less, with drag decreasing as speed increases.

[0048] The lift and L / D ratio of a sheet levitation system are both related to the conductivity of the sheet conductor. As conductivity increases, the induced current becomes stronger, generating a greater repulsive force, and resistive losses decrease, thus reducing drag. More specifically, the levitation force F generated by the interaction between the carrier coil and its "mirror image" is... L The following equation can be used to estimate:

[0049] in: Force generated by mirror coil

[0050] Permeability constant It is 1.256637062 x 10 -6

[0051] I It is the current in the vehicle coil.

[0052] h It is the height of the carrier coil on the conductive sheet.

[0053] σ is the conductivity of the plate.

[0054] If σ increases, then w Decrease. If σ can be increased sufficiently, then w 2 It will become very small. The force will approach 1, and the repulsive force generated by the mirror coil will be close to the force that would be generated if it were a real superconducting coil. This will result in a high levitation force.

[0055] The resistance is:

[0056] Substitute w:

[0057] Here again, if σ can be increased sufficiently, then It will have a smaller value, and drag will become a small fraction of lift as speed increases. The increase in [something] leads to a further decrease. In fact, this is achievable.

[0058] The reciprocal of conductivity is resistivity; the resistivity of ordinary aluminum at 293 K is approximately 2.8 x 10⁻⁶. -8 Ω-m. When cooled to low temperatures, it decreases by 20 to 30 times. However, in its high-purity form, aluminum can have a residual resistivity (RRR) greater than 5000, meaning its resistivity decreases by up to 5000 times at low temperatures. Below 30K, it can drop as low as 5.6 x 10⁻⁶ Ω-m. -12 Ω-m. High-purity, oxygen-free copper is almost just as good. This high-purity material is sometimes referred to as a "super-high conductor".

[0059] The launch ring design described in the aforementioned AIAA paper demonstrates how to construct a superconductor-based accelerator rail system operating at 1.9 K. However, ultraconductor operating temperatures approaching 30 K or even 77 K are significantly easier to reach and maintain than those required by the superconductor-based system described in the AIAA paper. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the launch ring can operate at speeds up to 36,000 kph.

[0060] These factors significantly influence drag and the L / D ratio, making sheet suspension a more viable option for circular launch acceleration, as illustrated in the design examples below. When combined with cryogenic accelerator construction techniques, sheet suspension completely eliminates the possibility of track conductor quenching because it eliminates the need for superconducting orbits and greatly simplifies accelerator construction. Instead of superconducting stator cables, cryogenically cooled high-purity aluminum sheets are used, which are readily available, much cheaper than superconductors, and easy to form into the desired structure. This method imposes an additional thermal load on the cooling system due to eddy current heating in the suspended sheet. However, the higher operating temperature of ultra-high conductivity (UHCT) materials largely offsets this additional thermal load compared to superconducting materials. For example, an UHCT operating temperature of 20 K requires only one-tenth the power required for cooling at a superconducting operating temperature of 1.9 K. Some examples can also reduce heat conduction or gain from outside the accelerator by employing a simplified structure compared to the superconducting method. In certain examples, any excess heat can be handled by refrigerant stored prior to launch, further reducing peak power requirements during launch.

[0061] In a circular accelerator, the centripetal force increases with the square of the velocity, thereby increasing the required levitation force. While other embodiments may include different parameter values, the parameter values ​​shown in Table 1 below are used as examples to aid this disclosure:

[0062] Table 1

[0063] Using the above parameter values, the L / D ratio reaches as high as 237 at peak speed. However, this accelerator with two coils (each with a drag power of 316 MW) will exhibit a total drag of 632 MW at 10 km / sec. These figures change fundamentally as the orbital operating temperature and orbital resistivity decrease, as shown in Table 2 below:

[0064] Table 2

[0065] For the parameter values ​​in Table 2, the L / D ratio increases significantly, and for both coils, the resistance power decreases to a total of 9.2 MW. In some examples, the track can be a thin layer or sheet (such as, but not limited to, a 100-micron layer) of cryogenically cooled aluminum with 99.999% purity. The material cost for such a track can be reasonable, and there are no insurmountable manufacturing or assembly problems. In other examples, other suitable materials can be used, such as, but not limited to, copper, and other suitable levels of purity that exhibit ultra-high conductivity at low temperatures. Such other levels of purity can include, but are not limited to, 99.9% purity or other levels higher than 99.9%. Moreover, in other examples, other suitable layer thicknesses can be used.

[0066] In practice, the L / D ratio is unlikely to be as high as shown in Table 2 due to the electrodynamic effect of reduced current penetration into the chip, which thus increases apparent resistance. However, the L / D ratio will be much higher than that in conventional magnetic levitation systems.

[0067] To minimize the total heat load, the acceleration period should be kept within a reasonably short time. For example, a 25MW motor can accelerate a 300kg skid to 10km / sec in about 15 minutes.

[0068] In other embodiments, the acceleration mass may be quite large to accommodate a large payload with a rocket that provides additional propulsion power after the payload has been launched. However, because the rocket provides additional propulsion power, the launch velocity can be significantly reduced, thereby allowing for higher operating temperatures.

[0069] Figure 3 A cross-section of an example embodiment of an electro-pneumatic launch system 300 using the repulsive force of sheet suspension in an EDS launch ring design is shown. System 300 includes a carrier (shown as a skid 310) located within a guide rail having at least one conductive track. The guide rail and track have a longitudinal direction (in some examples, they may extend in a circular shape, such as...). Figure 1 As shown), where Figure 3The cross-section is perpendicular to the length direction (or radial cross-section). In some examples, the guide rail can be formed as a closed tubular structure and can be connected to a vacuum source to evacuate the tunnel and create a basic vacuum inside the tunnel.

[0070] As described herein, the skid 310 has at least one conductive coil arranged to interact with each conductive track to induce a current in each track as the vehicle moves along the longitudinal direction of the track. In a particular example, each of those conductive coils on the skid is a superconducting coil made of a superconducting material forming a closed-loop superconducting circuit. Figure 3 In the example, skid 310 includes an upper repulsion coil 314 and a lower repulsion coil 316, each of which is made of Nb3Sn cryogenic superconductor, YBCO high-temperature superconductor, or any other equivalent superconductor. Each of the repulsion coils 314 and 316 carries a high-ampere DC current. For example, before accelerating skid 310 for launch, each repulsion coil 314 and 316 can be charged with a high-ampere DC current by a power source associated with the rail and positioned away from skid 310. The charging power source can be coupled to coils 314 and 316 on skid 310 to charge the coils before acceleration for launch, and once coils 314 and 316 are cooled to a temperature at or below the superconducting temperature (as described below). Once coils 314 and 316 are fully charged, the coils (and skid) are disconnected from the charging power source. After being disconnected from the power supply and during the duration of the transmission operation, coils 314 and 316 are maintained at or below the superconducting temperature to retain the charge in the coils. In some examples, superconducting coil charging may be performed based on principles similar to those known for charging via superconducting flux pumps used in magnetic resonance imaging machines or other applications, but with sufficient charging power for the transmission operation described herein.

[0071] In some examples, coils 314 and 316 are cooled to a few degrees below their operating temperature before acceleration for launch and are adequately insulated to maintain their cryogenic temperature within a vacuum tunnel in the rail during acceleration and launch operations without requiring further cooling during launch. In those examples, the superconducting repulsion coils 314 and 316 may be cooled by cryogenic cooling fluid from a cooling fluid source associated with the rail and located outside the skid 310 before acceleration for launch. Prior to acceleration for launch, the cooling fluid source may be coupled to the skid 310 to supply cooling fluid to conduits (not shown) within the skid, the conduits being arranged to direct the cooling fluid sufficiently close to coils 314 and 316 to cool the coils below their superconducting operating temperature. Furthermore, the cooling fluid source is disconnected from the skid 310 before acceleration for launch and once coils 314 and 316 are at or below their superconducting temperature. Coils 314 and 316 may be thermally insulated, sufficient to maintain their temperature at or below the superconducting operating temperature for the duration of the launch operation after disconnection from the cooling fluid source. In those examples, the cryogenic cooling fluid source or system does not need to be stored on skid 310 during launch. However, in other examples, skid 310 may carry a cryogenic cooling source and system that cools repulsion coils 314 and 316 during launch operation.

[0072] exist Figure 3 In the example, the skid also carries a vertical repulsion coil 318 (such as a superconducting coil configured, charged, and cooled as described above), and vertical levitation is provided by the EDS interaction between the vertical repulsion coil 318 and the conductive plate 320 of the track located below the skid 310. In other embodiments, the vertical repulsion coil 318 is not included, and vertical levitation originates from the EDS interaction between the lower repulsion coil 316 and the conductive plate 320 below the skid 310. Because the EDS cannot provide sufficient force to lift the vehicle until it reaches a “takeoff” speed (which can exceed 100 km / h), a low-speed support system (such as, but not limited to, sliders or wheels (not shown)) may be included in the vehicle, in the rail, or in the carriage to support the moving vehicle in the rail until a sufficient takeoff speed is reached.

[0073] Each of the conductive plates may include a flat, plate-like body of ultra-high conductivity material extending in a length direction corresponding to the length direction of the guide rail. In other examples, each conductive plate may include a layer of ultra-high conductivity material on a structure having a length direction corresponding to the length direction of the guide rail. In a particular example, each conductive plate may be mounted in the guide rail by a support structure and may be electrically insulated from the support structure and other components in or around the guide rail. Figure 3In the example, the upper conductive plate 322 and the lower conductive plate 324 are plate-shaped bodies with ultra-high conductivity material on their surfaces, and are slightly inclined from the vertical direction (e.g., the z-axis), such that the surface of the conductive plate 322 is inclined downward relative to the horizontal plane (e.g., the plane defined by the xy-axis), and the surface of the conductive plate 324 is inclined upward relative to the horizontal plane, as shown in the figure. The upper and lower repulsion coils 314 and 316 in the skid are arranged to induce current in the upper conductive plate 322 of the upper track and the lower conductive plate 324 of the lower track through EDS interaction when the vehicle moves along the longitudinal direction of the track.

[0074] As the skid speed increases, the radial force and the tilting plate will tend to move the skid 310 upwards towards the vertical center between the two conductive plates 322 and 324, thereby reducing the vertical lift required from the conductive plate 320 below the skid. In other embodiments, the surfaces of the upper and lower conductive plates 322 and 324 are radially inward and not tilted, and the vertical lift is entirely provided by the conductive plate 320 below the skid. Figure 3 In the example, conductive plates 322 and 324 are mounted on track structures 330 and 332 located within the guide rail. Conductive plate 320 may be mounted on a similar track structure. Each track structure may be made of a robust, rigid material with low thermal conductivity, such as, but not limited to, carbon fiber, to prevent heat conduction into the cold chamber and to withstand the enormous forces exerted when the skid 310 reaches high speeds. In a particular example, conductive plates 320, 322, and 324 are cooled by a cryogenic fluid, such as, but not limited to, liquid helium flowing through the primary coolant channel 340. In embodiments designed to operate at higher temperatures and launch velocities significantly lower than the track velocity, the coolant may be liquid nitrogen or other suitable coolant fluid.

[0075] Payload 350 may include any suitable projectile or device designed for high-speed deployment. In some examples, payload 350 may include one or more of a launch rocket, spacecraft, aircraft, or any combination thereof. Payload 350 is carried by skid 310 and resisted by high-strength composite slings or other restraint mechanisms (not shown). At launch velocity, a release mechanism releases the payload into the launch ramp.

[0076] The restraint and release mechanism can be controlled by an electronic controller on the vehicle (or payload), configured to hold the payload 350 on the vehicle as the vehicle moves at high speed past the guide rail, and controllably release the payload from the vehicle to launch it from the guide rail, while at least one drive device drives the vehicle at the launch speed. In some examples, the restraint and release mechanism and the electronic controller may include a programmable processor and a mechanical, electromechanical, magnetic, or electromagnetic latch or lock having a first state for holding the payload on the vehicle and a second state for releasing the vehicle. Some non-limiting examples of the release mechanism are described in the AIAA paper cited above.

[0077] In a particular example, the accelerator tunnel 360 of the guide rail is evacuated to a sufficiently low pressure to prevent excessive skid drag or heating as the skid approaches its designed launch velocity. Furthermore, in a particular example, the accelerator tunnel 360 is lined with a heat shield 362 to prevent infrared thermal radiation from raising the skid temperature. The heat shield 362 can be cooled using liquid nitrogen or other suitable coolant fluid through a secondary coolant channel 364, and can be protected from external heat by an insulating element 366.

[0078] At least one drive unit can be configured to propel the skid 310 along the longitudinal direction of the track at a takeoff speed or hovering speed, inducing a current in the conductive plates of the track sufficient to levitate the vehicle via electro-levitation as it moves along the longitudinal direction of the track, and launching the vehicle from the guide rail at a launch speed. The launch speed is at least as large as the takeoff or hovering speed. Figure 3 In one example, the drive mechanism includes a skid motor coil 370 on a skid and one or more motor stator coils 372 on a guide rail. In a particular example, the skid motor coil 370 is made of a superconducting material as described herein. In this example, propulsion is provided by the superconducting skid motor coil 370 carrying a high-ampere DC current that interacts with the motor stator coil 372 mounted in the accelerator tunnel wall structure 380. In this example, the motor stator coil may be coupled to suitable electrical and control electronics (not shown) to provide a controlled electromotive force to drive the skid 310 at a desired speed.

[0079] The levitation force generated by cryogenic levitation is roughly the same as that calculated for superconducting levitation. For example, the two sled coils in the model used to calculate the levitation operation characteristics in the "EDS at Cryogenic Temperatures" table both generate a levitation force of 7.5 MNewtons at a sled speed of 10 km / s, a levitation gap of 3.2 cm, and a coil current of 600 kA. Higher currents in superconducting sled coils are feasible, which provides the possibility of an acceleration ring with a radius of less than 2 km for launch speeds approaching 10 km / s.

[0080] In a launch ring system with hypersonic launch velocities ranging from 2 to 4 kilometers per second (7,200 to 14,400 kph), the payload may include, but is not limited to, a rocket comprising a rocket engine, fuel and oxidizer, a flight control system, and a spacecraft. The spacecraft may include an orbital vehicle and a second rocket engine that adjusts the orbital parameters once the spacecraft reaches its orbital altitude. In other embodiments, the payload may include an airborne vehicle for high-altitude, high-speed test procedures. If the launch velocity is even higher, and in some cases even exceeds the orbital velocity, the payload may include a spacecraft capable of surviving atmospheric reentry at such speeds, as described in the AIAA paper cited above. In a particular example, the payload may include a small rocket engine capable of providing the necessary Δv to place the final spacecraft into the desired orbit. Also in a particular example, the launch vehicle or other payload may include protection in the form of a sabot, which is further described below and in the AIAA paper cited above.

[0081] Figure 4 This is a front view of a launch ring electric launch system 400 according to an example embodiment. In the example launch sequence, skid 410 and payload 412 are accelerated to launch velocity around accelerator ring 420. Skid 410 and payload 412 may correspond to skid 310 and payload 350, or to other skids and payloads as described herein.

[0082] As the skid 410 enters the release zone 425 at full launch velocity, the payload 412 is released into a transition curve guide 430, which gradually changes from the curve radius of the annular guide of the accelerator ring 420 to a straight tunnel. In other embodiments, a tangential tunnel section is used instead of the transition curve. The tunnel then begins to curve upward, forming a launch ramp 435 to raise the launch angle to closer to the optimal launch angle. In some examples, a sabot 440 is provided to protect the payload from damage as it slides along the ramp. In certain examples, the launch ramp 435 or the sabot 440 (or both) may include a low-friction barrier, such as, but not limited to, polycarbonate, thermoplastic materials (such as Lexan™), as an ablative coating or layer between the payload and the ramp. As the payload 412 approaches the end of the launch ramp 435, an exit hatch 450 opens above the end of the launch ramp 435. In some examples, the end of the launch ramp 435 may include a membrane to prevent air from entering the evacuation tunnel. Once the payload breaks through the membrane, the hatch 450 can be controlled to close violently and minimize vacuum loss in the guide rails, preparing for the next launch. The sabot 440 can be controlled to separate from the payload after it has passed the end of the launch ramp, and the rocket can be controlled to ignite its engine to further propel the payload 412 onto its designated trajectory. The operation of the hatch 450 and the control of the release of the sabot 440 can be performed by one or more electronic control systems associated with the guide rails, skids, or both. After the release of the payload 412, the skid 410 can be controlled by a drive mechanism to continue orbiting the accelerator ring 420 and decelerate to a stop, for example, for reloading in preparation for the next launch.

[0083] Figures 5A-5E It shows according to Figure 4 An example of a skid / payload separation sequence in an embodiment. When skid 410 is in Figure 5A As the skid 410 enters the release zone 425 at full speed, it encounters the raised landing zone 510 on the side of the release zone 425. Due to the speed of the skid 410 and the curvature of the ring, the payload 412 will be under a heavy lateral G-load at this point. Depending on the speed and the ring radius of the guide rail, this load can be as high as several thousand Gs. As the payload 412 is released, radial acceleration moves it away from the skid 410 until it contacts the landing zone 510. The distance the payload 412 travels from the skid 410 to the landing zone 510 can be small, such as, but not limited to, a few millimeters or less, to prevent the impact velocity from climbing high enough to damage the payload 412. After contact, the payload 412 slides along the transition curve 520, as shown in Figure B, as it gradually moves away from the center of the release zone tunnel 425. Figure 5C , Figure 5D and Figure 5EIn the accompanying drawings, transition curve 520 and payload 412 continue to move away from skid 410 until launch tunnel 530 is completely separated from release zone tunnel 425, and launch tunnel 530 stops bending horizontally and begins to bend upward to provide the desired launch angle. An ablative or other low-friction surface (such as, but not limited to, polycarbonate, thermoplastic materials such as Lexan™, etc.) protects the payload wherever it contacts the tunnel surface. As launch tunnel 530 transitions from a lateral curve to an upward curve, the contact area moves from the lateral surface of the payload to the bottom surface. In other embodiments, the payload and launch tunnel can be configured such that the payload rotates along its axis to maintain the G-load orientation in the "payload perpendicular" direction, thereby eliminating the need to design the payload to accommodate high G-forces in more than one direction.

[0084] In other embodiments, the launch tunnel transition curve is eliminated to facilitate a tangential launch tunnel. In these embodiments, the payload does not contact the lateral tunnel surface but instead flies freely into the launch ramp. In other embodiments, the launch ramp is not included, and the payload exits the launch tunnel on a horizontal trajectory. The payload may include one or more control surfaces, such as, but not limited to, wings, ailerons, etc., to interact with the atmosphere and guide the vehicle onto the appropriate trajectory.

[0085] If a launch ring is built on a planet other than Earth, such as in space or on the moon where there is no atmosphere, the payload could include thrusters or rocket engines to modify its trajectory.

[0086] ii. Ultra-high conductivity zero flux levitation

[0087] While ultra-high-strength plate suspension provides the foundation for the simple yet high-performance launch accelerator design described above, it has characteristics that can be further improved. One of these is the interaction between the suspension system and the motor. (See again...) Figure 3 As skid 310 accelerates, the radial acceleration forces the skid closer to the lateral lamination tracks 322 and 324, increasing the lateral levitation force. However, simultaneously, skid 310 moves away from the motor windings 372, thus reducing their effectiveness. Therefore, in this particular example, the change in skid "flight height" is controlled to be as small as possible, i.e., exhibiting high stiffness to avoid large clearance variations. When the motor should be most effective, the lamination tracks can exhibit relatively low stiffness, resulting in larger motor-to-winding clearances during high-speed operation.

[0088] Therefore, alternative EDS levitation system embodiments that allow for more efficient motor operation employ the principle of "zero flux" levitation, which can provide a higher L / D ratio, higher stiffness, and better motor geometry than plate levitation. The zero flux levitation principle also improves fault tolerance. In contrast, in Figure 3In the repulsive configuration of the illustrated plate track system, if the superconducting skid coil fails to quench, the vehicle may collide with the track at high speed and damage components of the system. However, a zero-flux configuration can be configured to make vehicle failure less likely to damage the track.

[0089] Figure 6 This is a simplified representation illustrating some of the basic principles of zero-flux levitation employed in the alternative EDS levitation system embodiments described herein. In an example embodiment using zero-flux levitation, a charged superconducting coil 610 on a skid (such as skid 310 or 410) moves past a figure-eight zero-flux coil 620 in a guide rail (such as the guide rail described herein). If the moving coil 610 intersects the zero-flux coil 620 at its center, i.e., symmetrically intersecting at the coil intersection point 630, the moving coil 610 will induce opposing voltages in the two lobes 640 and 650 of the zero-flux coil 620. These voltages will cancel each other out, resulting in no current flowing through the zero-flux coil 620 and no force on the superconducting coil 610. However, if the superconducting coil 610 deviates from the center and passes through the zero-flux coil 620, it will induce a larger voltage in one lobe than in the other, resulting in current flow within the zero-flux coil 620 and a magnetic field interacting with the magnetic field of the superconducting coil 610 to generate a force that pushes the superconducting coil 610 back to the centerline of the zero-flux coil 620. This type of levitation system is used in the Japanese MLX-01 maglev train.

[0090] At ambient temperature and using conventional copper wire, zero-flux levitation systems are known to provide high lift and an L / D ratio greater than 20. Replacing copper wire with ultra-high-strength conductors will improve performance, but like sheet tracks, it has limitations. Sheet track performance is limited by skin depth. As skid speed increases, magnetic field penetration into the track decreases, increasing effective track resistance and power loss, and limiting the L / D ratio. Skin depth and proximity effects can harm zero-flux levitation systems, but this can be largely offset by using multi-strand conductors, such as, but not limited to, Litz wire. This is a multi-strand conductor designed to reduce skin and proximity losses in the conductor at frequencies up to approximately 1 MHz. Suitable multi-strand conductors or Litz wires can have many fine strands, individually insulated and twisted or braided together in a specific pattern to balance the proportion of each strand to the total length outside the conductor. This has the effect of distributing current evenly among the strands, thereby reducing resistance. Analysis shows that L / D ratios exceeding 20,000 are possible, with the reasonable assumption of using Litz wire sizes made of 99.999% pure aluminum cooled to low temperatures. Alternatively, cheaper high-purity copper or aluminum can be used, or the rails can be operated at higher temperatures while still achieving high L / D ratios.

[0091] In an example launch ring system embodiment, one objective could be to maximize the levitation force provided by the interaction between the track in the guide rail and the superconducting coil in the skid, while minimizing the weight of the skid to allow for the maximum payload and the smallest possible accelerator ring, thereby minimizing cost. Additionally, the guide rail can be configured to minimize the change in the magnetic field seen by the skid coil as the skid moves at high speed past the guide rail coil, to avoid causing the superconducting coil to go quench. In some examples, this can be achieved by using nested, overlapping zero-flux coils that are electrically insulated from each other.

[0092] Figure 7A and Figure 7B Top and side views of a zero-flux coil 700 configured for a launch loop system are shown. In the zero-flux coil 700, coil lobes 710 and 720 are asymmetrical. More specifically, the figure-eight lobe 710 is larger than lobe 720. In this example, the levitation system is used to generate only inward radial force, as outward radial force is not required. The shape of the coil can be modified to minimize the length of the loop (and thus reduce resistance and drag) while still capturing as much flux as possible from the carrier. A Mathcad worksheet was developed to calculate the expected levitation force for parameterizing the carrier and zero-flux coil configuration. A nonlinear optimization algorithm was then employed to solve for the geometry that gives the optimal L / D ratio. The result is that one lobe is smaller, and its effect on reducing losses and drag is greater than its effect on reducing the flux linkage from the carrier to the coil. In a specific example of the zero-flux launch loop system, flat multi-strand wire (such as, but not limited to, Litz wire) is configured into a figure-eight loop, and folded and nested with consecutive figure-eight loops of multi-strand wire to form a continuous track. The dashed line 730 indicates the position where the coil will be folded.

[0093] Figures 8A-8C A first end view, a top view, and a second end view of the zero flux coil 700 in Figure 7 are shown, but it is now folded in preparation for nesting with other identical coils. In a particular example, each rail in the guide rail comprises an array of multiple nested zero flux coils 700 extending along the length of the rail.

[0094] Figure 9A and Figure 9B A top and end view of an arrangement of 16 zero-flux coils 700, stacked and nested, are shown to extend along a length direction corresponding to the length direction of the accelerator rail described herein (vertical direction of FIG. 9). Each zero-flux coil 700 is electrically insulated relative to each other zero-flux coil 700 in the rail array. Although only 16 nested coils 700 are shown in FIG. 9, in a particular example, the overlapping, nested zero-flux coils 700 form a continuous track along the entire length of the rail. In a circular rail as described herein, the continuous track would appear as a central segment 900 with no gaps within its coverage area.

[0095] In certain examples, the zero flux coil 700 is made of ultra-high conductivity aluminum, copper, or other ultra-high conductivity materials at low temperatures as described above. In those or other examples, the zero flux coil 700 is made of insulated multi-strand wire or Litz wire strip.

[0096] As an example, each track coil can consist of braided Litz wire strips of high purity 99.995% aluminum or 99.99% copper, with each strip measuring 2mm × 50mm. Up to 20 strips can be overlapped for a total thickness of 40mm × 50mm and potted to withstand compressions up to 20MPa. The overlapping zero-flux coil array can be wrapped with sufficient carbon fiber composite material to hold them in place against magnetic loads up to 12MPa, which could attract the track coils toward the carrier coils during operation. In other examples, other suitable ultra-high conductivity materials and zero-flux coil configurations can be employed.

[0097] Three independent mathematical methods were used to refine and independently verify the levitation force estimate for the zero-flux coil system described in this paper: According to Method 1, the mutual inductance between the vehicle coil and the track coil, as well as the self-inductance of the track, is calculated using direct numerical integration in Mathcad using Biot-Savart's law to derive the magnetic field from the current. The induced current in the track is then calculated based on these inductances, and the final force is calculated by direct numerical integration, combining Biot-Savart's law for the magnetic field from the track and the Lorentz force law for the force exerted on the vehicle coil in that magnetic field.

[0098] According to Method 2, the finite element analysis (FEA) uses a 2-D model to calculate the time-dependent magnetic flux through the vehicle coil and the track coil, and derives the resulting current excited in the track. Then, a 3-D FEA model is used to calculate the centripetal levitation force and tangential drag exerted on the vehicle by these time-dependent currents as the vehicle passes through each set of zero-flux loops in the track.

[0099] According to Method 3, analytical expressions are developed using integral and differential vector calculus to approximate the self-inductance of the track loop and the mutual inductance between the vehicle and the track loop as functions of the relative positions of the vehicle and track coils. These approximations are then numerically integrated over time using MATLAB to calculate time-dependent magnetic flux coupling, the excitation track current, and the Lorentz force generated on the vehicle.

[0100] These three methods were used to develop various parameters, geometries, and constraints. Independently, these three methods demonstrated that a system of vehicle and orbit with the following parameters can generate a centripetal force of 8 to 11 meganewtons, sufficient to maintain a 300kg vehicle at a launch velocity of 10 km / s within a launch ring with a radius of 2800 to 3800 meters: Number of vehicle coils = 2 Each vehicle coil is 2.0 meters long. Vehicle coil width = 0.5 meters Carrier coil current = 1 million ampere turns Track coil length = 2.0 meters Track coil width (main loop) = 0.5 meters Track coil width (magnetic flux zeroing loop) = 0.2 meters The distance from the center of the track coil to the center of the vehicle coil is 0.09 meters. Two sets of track coils (one set above the vehicle and one set below the vehicle). Track conductor construction: 2×50mm Litz conductor tape is formed by 25 turns of 2×2mm Litz bundle, which has approximately 4,000 strands of AWG50 (OD 25 microns) 99.95% copper or 99.99% aluminum wire.

[0101] All three estimation methods indicate that peak currents in the range of 320 to 440 kA will be excited in a zero-flux orbital loop with these parameters, thus providing sufficient lift.

[0102] For this track design, where zero-flux loops overlap each other and are spaced 10 cm apart along the track, the FEA model shows that the current is distributed at one time between at least five adjacent track loops, with the zero-flux loop directly below the vehicle carrying approximately 40% of the current, and the nearby loops carrying the remaining 60%. The net force on the skid is the sum of the forces generated by all the energized track coils at any given time, and is almost constant.

[0103] Figure 10 shows a cross-section of an example embodiment of an electric launch system 1000 using repulsive forces with zero magnetic flux levitation in an EDS launch ring design. Similar to... Figure 3 The guide rail described in Figure 10 has a length direction (in some examples, it may extend in a circular shape, such as...). Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown), the cross-section of Figure 10 is perpendicular to the length direction (or radial cross-section). Furthermore, similar to... Figure 3 In some examples, the guide rail in Figure 10 can be formed as a closed tubular structure and can be connected to a vacuum source to evacuate the tunnel and create a basic vacuum inside the tunnel.

[0104] System 1000 in Figure 10 includes Figure 3Many features of the plate-suspended accelerator system 300 shown are present, such as the heat shield 1010, support struts 1020, and cooling channels (not shown). However, in the configuration of FIG. 10, a first zero-flux track coil 1030 is arranged above the vehicle or skid 1050, and a second zero-flux track coil 1040 is arranged below the vehicle or skid 1050. The first and second zero-flux track coils 1030 and 1040 interact with a superconducting coil 1060 at the top of skid 1050 and a superconducting coil 1070 at the bottom of skid 1050, respectively, to provide a high centripetal force pointing radially inward toward the acceleration ring. A motor stator 1080 above the top track and a motor stator 1090 below the bottom track are arranged to provide skid propulsion with minimal or no change in vertical clearance as skid speed increases. In some examples, a low-speed support system (such as, but not limited to, sliders or wheels (not shown)) as described above is provided on the skid or rails (or both) to provide vertical positioning of skid 1050 until takeoff speed is reached. Other aspects of the configuration and operation of the skid 1050 and guide rail in Figure 10 can be similar to those described above. Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figures 5A-5E The examples described in the text.

[0105] Reference Figure 2 and Figure 3 Compared to the described sheet levitation system, the zero flux design exhibits the following advantages: Due to the constant narrow gap between the skid coil and the guide rail stator coil, the motor can be more efficient.

[0106] The load path in the skid is simpler, which can result in a lighter skid.

[0107] If the superconductor fails to quench, the vehicle will hit the tunnel wall but not the track, thus minimizing potential damage to the track.

[0108] It has the potential to have a higher L / D ratio than the plate track.

[0109] Compatible with simple dynamic control coils to ensure vehicle stability (as described below).

[0110] Figures 11 and 12 are cross-sectional views of the track coils and carrier coils according to another embodiment of a launch ring electro-launch system 1100 using a zero-flux EDS configuration. The configuration in Figure 11 may include, or operate with, the rails described with respect to Figure 10 or other suitable rails. However, in the system embodiment of Figure 11, the skid uses a single set of superconducting coils 1110 that interact with two zero-flux levitation rails as described herein, including a first rail 1120 above the skid and a second rail 1130 below the skid. Figure 11 illustrates the position of the skid coils when the skid is stationary or moving at a low speed. As the skid speed increases, the skid is forced radially outward (leftward) towards the guide rails by centrifugal force, thereby inducing currents in the two zero-flux levitation rails 1120 and 1130. These currents generate a magnetic field that provides a centripetal force to counteract the centrifugal force and resist further radial movement of the skid, and the magnitude of the magnetic field increases (resulting in an increase in the centripetal force) as the skid speed and the centrifugal force on the skid increase.

[0111] Figure 12 illustrates the position of the sled coil 1110 when the sled is moving at high speed. It also shows how the induced currents in the zero-flux levitation coils 1120 and 1130 interact with the current in the sled coil 1110 to provide the required levitation force. In some embodiments, the primary force generated by the zero-flux coil is a radial force used to maintain the centripetal acceleration of the vehicle, which can be as high as several thousand Gs. The relatively small (1 G) vertical levitation force required to counteract gravity is generated because the vehicle flies slightly closer to the lower set of coils, so the vertical forces from the top 1120 and bottom 1130 coils are not perfectly balanced, and this imbalance counteracts the gravity on the vehicle.

[0112] Figure 13 shows a cross-section of another example of a magnetically levitated sled 1300, which can be used in conjunction with the zero-flux accelerator system embodiment of Figures 11 and 12 described above or Figure 14 described below. The example embodiment of Figure 13 can be configured to be more compact and gravimetrically efficient than the embodiment in Figure 10. The sled in Figure 13 includes a sled coil 1110 and carries a payload 1310. A sling 1320 prevents the payload 1310 from separating from the sled 1300 until launch velocity is reached and the sling 1320 is cut or otherwise separated from the sled 1300. In other embodiments, the sling 1320 may be replaced by a different mechanism to restrain the payload 1310 until desired separation.

[0113] Figure 14 shows a cross-sectional view of an example embodiment of a launch ring electro-launch system 1400, which includes the skid 1300 of Figure 13 and uses a zero-flux EDS configuration. System 1400 in Figure 14 includes many features of the sheet levitation accelerator system 1000 shown in Figure 10, such as, but not limited to, a heat shield, support strut 1020, and cooling channel 1410. System 1400 includes zero-flux levitation tracks 1420 and 1430 as described with reference to Figures 11 and 12. The primary cooling channel 1410 is connected to a cryogenic refrigerant source, such as, but not limited to, liquid helium, to cool the zero-flux levitation tracks 1420 and 1430 to the temperature required to achieve the electrical conductivity suitable for a selected design velocity for any desired accelerator or launch scheme. System 1400 may include a secondary cooling channel 1440 located near heat transfer, close to the heat shield 1450. As described above, the secondary cooling channel 1400 can be connected to a higher-temperature refrigerant source, such as, but not limited to, liquid nitrogen, to reduce the overall accelerator temperature. The motor stator and guide assembly 1460 (described below) can be located above the top track and below the bottom track. Support struts 1470, made of a material with high strength and low thermal conductivity (such as, but not limited to, carbon fiber), are located within the outer tunnel wall structure 1485 of the guide rails and separate the inner tunnel wall structure 1480 from the outer tunnel wall structure 1485. In some examples, the space between the inner tunnel wall structure 1480 and the outer tunnel wall structure 1485 is filled with an insulator 1490.

[0114] In the example of Figure 14, the launch ring electrically levitates a zero-flux track, providing a centripetal restoring force that increases with increasing vehicle speed and is locally proportional to the displacement of the vehicle from the guide centerline (zero flux) of each track. In some of the track examples described above, there exists a range of approximately 6 cm within which the centripetal force from one track on one vehicle coil increases almost linearly from 0 to 3 meganewtons. This produces a stable levitation with very high positive stiffness in the displacement direction (centripetal).

[0115] However, positive stiffness in the centripetal direction may not necessarily prevent unstable radial oscillations from growing over time, nor may it necessarily provide stability and damping in other coordinates of interest, including vertical motion (in the direction of gravity) and yaw, pitch, and roll rotation of the vehicle. Therefore, specific embodiments can be configured to provide this stability and damping. For example, any example described herein may include, as... Figure 15A and Figure 15B The damping cables 1510 and 1520 shown each have multi-strand conductors such as, but not limited to, Litz conductors. Figure 15A A cross-sectional view of a damping cable configuration employing damping cables 1510 and 1520 according to an example embodiment is shown, and Figure 15BA top view is shown. Damping cable 1510 provides vertical, centripetal, and roll damping. Damping cable 1520 provides pitch and yaw damping.

[0116] As previously described, the magnetic field induced in the zero-flux track of the multi-strand conductor (or Litz conductor) by the passing skid coil provides a strong centripetal force on the skid coil. The current in the damping cables 1510 and 1520 is typically close to zero, but is actively driven by control circuitry connected to a current source (not shown) to dampen vehicle vibrations around the desired equilibrium position. Figure 15A and Figure 15B In the vertical, centripetal, and roll damping cables 1510, currents are driven such that their horizontal and roll forces on the vehicle cancel each other out, while their vertical forces combine to push the vehicle downward. Reversing these currents will provide an upward force. By arranging the currents in other combinations, the damping cable 1510 can provide a net horizontal force, a net roll force, or a combination of all three. The currents shown in the pitch and yaw damping cables 1520 provide a net upward pitch torque to the vehicle. Reversing the currents will provide a downward pitch torque, while running all four currents in the same direction will provide torque in the yaw direction.

[0117] In some examples, the damping cable is configured to provide up to 2x10 in a centripetal suspension with a stiffness of 1 meganewton / cm and a maximum offset of 1 mm from equilibrium. 5 Newton's force is used for critical damping. This requires 10 per skid coil. 5 N, or an estimated 25 kA on each of the four centripetal damping cables. For a damping cable made of oxygen-free, high-conductivity (OFHC) copper wire at 30 Kelvin, the power loss can be about 1 kW / m. Therefore, for some embodiments, it may be too costly to lay each damping cable as a single loop around a 20 km launch ring (20 MW per damping cable). Therefore, in a particular example, the damping cable is segmented into sections no longer than a defined length (such as, but not limited to, 100 meters). Control electronics are provided to actively switch on each section of the damping cable as the vehicle approaches it to limit the damping loss to, for example, about half a MW.

[0118] Figure 16A and Figure 16B The document illustrates another embodiment of the boot system that may be included in any of the example embodiments described herein, wherein... Figure 16A A cross-sectional view is shown. Figure 16B A top view of the guidance system is shown. Figure 16A and Figure 16B The boot system in the middle is similar to Figure 15A and Figure 15B The system shown is different, but it uses four sets of overlapping smaller zero-flux coils (1610 and 1620) instead of... Figure 15A and Figure 15B Four actively driven zigzag cables are used to provide "semi-passive" versions of the vertical, centripetal, and roll dampers. The semi-passive versions eliminate the need for a 100 kW power supply synchronized with the 5 kHz motor commutation frequency, resulting in significant power savings for damping. Instead, as the vehicle approaches, groups of 40-100 meter long interconnected zero-flux loops 1610 and 1620 are actively switched to an open or closed configuration, thus inducing the current required by the in-phase drive dampers in the vehicle field. Four sets of small zero-flux coils provide the semi-passive damping. High-power solid-state switches connect to any actuator requiring damping force.

[0119] The actuator consists of zero-flux coils connected in series, with approximately 40 coils linked together. This requires 40 times fewer control switches to turn the coils on and off compared to discrete zero-flux coils. A single coil would have a large induced current, force, and resistance. Placing 40 of them in series increases the reactance by 40 and reduces the current, resistance, and force by a factor of 40, while still providing sufficient force to form a fully functional controlled actuator.

[0120] The various embodiments described herein include control electronics associated with one or more of a guide rail, a vehicle (sled), or a payload, which control the execution of the various processes or tasks described above, including, but not limited to, controlling sled speed, sled flight altitude, damping cable current, payload release mechanism, hatch movement, sabot release, rocket engine ignition, cooling system operation, and coil charging operation. In various embodiments, such control electronics may include one or more computers or electronic processors and associated electronics configured to perform the operations, processes, and tasks described herein, for example, by executing computer-readable code read from a computer-readable storage medium. For example, in various embodiments, one or more computer-readable storage media store one or more computer programs that, when executed by a device, cause one or more computers or electronic processors to perform the operations, processes, or tasks described with respect to the systems and system components described in the above embodiments.

[0121] Such computer-readable storage media can be any available non-transitory storage medium that can be accessed, for example, by a computer or processor. As examples, such computer-readable storage media can include semiconductor memory, flash memory, hard disks, optical discs such as CDs or DVDs, magnetic storage, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), etc. Combinations of those types of memory are also included within the scope of computer-readable storage media. For example, computer-executable program code can include instructions and data that cause a computer or processing machine to perform certain functions, calculations, actions, etc.

[0122] The embodiments disclosed herein are to be considered illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. This disclosure is by no means limited to the embodiments described above. Various modifications and changes may be made to the embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. Various modifications and changes falling within the meaning and scope of the equivalents of the claims are intended to fall within the scope of this disclosure.

Claims

1. An electrically powered launching system, comprising: The guide rail includes at least one ultra-high conductivity material rail and has a length direction; A vehicle having at least one conductive coil arranged to interact with each conductive track to induce a current in each track as the vehicle moves along the length direction of the track, wherein the vehicle is configured to hold a payload; At least one drive device is configured to drive the vehicle along the length direction of the at least one track at one or more first speeds, the one or more first speeds inducing an electric current in the at least one track, the electric current being sufficient to levitate the vehicle and to suppress collisions between the vehicle and the guide rail and the at least one track by electric levitation as the vehicle moves along the length direction of the at least one track, and the at least one drive device is configured to drive the vehicle at a launch speed to launch the vehicle from the guide rail, wherein the launch speed is at least as large as the one or more first speeds; A release mechanism is configured to release the payload from the vehicle in a controlled manner to launch the vehicle from the rail while the at least one drive device drives the vehicle at a launch speed.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein, The conductive track includes at least one zero-flux coil array.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein, Each zero flux coil includes at least one aluminum wire or copper wire with a purity of at least 99.9%.

4. The system according to claim 2, wherein, Each zero-flux coil array includes a plurality of overlapping or nested figure-eight coils arranged along the length direction of the track.

5. The system according to claim 2, wherein, Each zero-flux coil consists of a flat conductor.

6. The system according to claim 2, wherein, Each zero-flux coil consists of multiple strands of wire.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one conductive track includes a first zero-flux coil array arranged along the length direction and a second zero-flux coil array arranged along the length direction. The at least one conductive coil of the vehicle includes a first coil and a second coil, the first coil being arranged to induce current in the first zero flux coil array when the vehicle moves along the length direction of the track, and the second coil being arranged to induce current in the second zero flux coil array when the vehicle moves along the length direction of the track.

8. The system according to claim 7, wherein, The carrier is located between the first zero flux coil array and the second zero flux coil array.

9. The system according to claim 1, wherein, The at least one drive device includes at least one motor stator winding on the guide rail, the at least one motor stator winding being arranged to electromagnetically interact with at least one motor coil on the vehicle.

10. The system according to claim 1, wherein, The guide rail has a circular or curved shape, and the at least one conductive rail is configured to exert a radially inward force on the vehicle relative to the circular or curved shape of the guide rail by the electric levitation.

11. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The conductive track includes at least one conductive sheet of ultra-high conductivity material extending along the length direction of the track; The at least one conductive coil comprises a superconducting material and is arranged to induce a mirror coil in the conductive sheet when the vehicle moves along the length direction of the track. as well as The at least one conductive coil interacts with the mirror coil to provide a repulsive force sufficient to suspend the vehicle and to suppress collisions between the vehicle and the guide rail or the at least one track by means of the electro-levitation when the vehicle moves along the length direction of the track.

12. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one conductive track includes an upper conductive track of ultra-high conductivity material arranged at a downward angle relative to the horizontal plane, and a lower conductive track of ultra-high conductivity material arranged at an upward angle relative to the horizontal plane. as well as The at least one conductive coil of the vehicle includes a first superconducting material coil and a second superconducting material coil, the first superconducting material coil being arranged to induce current in the upper conductive track when the vehicle moves along the length direction of the track, and the second superconducting material coil being arranged to induce current in the lower conductive track when the vehicle moves along the length direction of the track.

13. The system according to claim 10, wherein, The at least one conductive track further includes a third conductive track arranged vertically below the vehicle, and wherein the at least one conductive coil of the vehicle includes a third coil arranged to induce current in the third conductive track when the vehicle moves along the length direction of the track at the one or more first velocities.

14. The system according to claim 1, wherein, The guide rail is a closed structure including the at least one conductive track, and wherein the at least one drive device is configured to drive the vehicle at a certain speed within the closed structure of the guide rail to induce a current in the at least one conductive track, the current being sufficient to suppress collisions between the vehicle and the inner surface of the guide rail and the at least one conductive track by electro-levitation when the vehicle moves along the length direction of the track.

15. The system according to claim 1, wherein: The at least one conductive coil of the carrier includes at least one coil made of a superconducting material, and the carrier also includes at least one cooling conduit configured to carry coolant fluid to cool the at least one conductive coil to the superconducting operating temperature. The at least one conductive rail includes an ultra-high conductivity material, and the rail also includes a cooling system to cool the ultra-high conductivity material to an ultra-high conductivity temperature.

16. The system according to claim 1, wherein, The length direction of the track is configured to be circular, and the track includes a launch ramp that extends tangentially from the circle of the track or along a curved path, and the payload moves along the launch ramp when the payload is released from the vehicle.

17. The system according to claim 16, wherein, The guide rail includes a tubular structure with an internal volume, the at least one conductive track is located in the internal volume, and the vehicle is capable of moving along the at least one track in the internal volume.

18. A method for launching a vehicle using an electric launch system, the method comprising: A guide rail is provided, the guide rail comprising at least one ultra-high conductivity material track and having a length direction; A carrier having at least one conductive coil is arranged to induce current in each conductive track as the carrier moves along the length direction of the track; Maintain the payload on the vehicle; The vehicle is driven along the length direction of the at least one track using at least one drive device at one or more first speeds to induce a current in the at least one track, the current being sufficient to levitate the vehicle and to suppress collisions between the vehicle and the guide rails by electro-levitation as the vehicle moves along the length direction of the at least one track, and the vehicle is launched from the guide rails at a launch speed, wherein the launch speed is at least as large as the one or more first speeds; The control release mechanism releases the payload from the vehicle in a controlled manner to launch the vehicle from the guide rail while the at least one drive device drives the vehicle at a launch speed.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein, The conductive track includes at least one overlapping array of zero flux coils, wherein each zero flux coil includes at least one aluminum wire or copper wire with a purity of at least 99.9%.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein: The conductive track includes at least one conductive sheet of ultra-high conductivity material extending along the length direction of the track; The at least one conductive coil comprises a superconducting material and is arranged to induce a mirror coil in the conductive sheet when the vehicle moves along the length direction of the track. as well as The method further includes providing sufficient repulsive force through the at least one conductive coil interacting with the mirror coil to suspend the vehicle, and suppressing collisions between the vehicle and the guide rail or the at least one track by electro-levitation as the vehicle moves along the length direction of the track.

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