Regenerative Braking of a Linear Induction Motor Used for the Traction of a Maglev Vehicle

This paper presents the analysis and results obtained with the regenerative braking technique applied to the linear induction motor used for the traction of MagLev-Cobra, an urban transportation vehicle. The motor, with a special geometry, the converter, with bidirectional power flow, and the drive control are reported. An improvement on the motor secondary side was proposed and tested. Traction an attraction forces are measured. An analytical development showed the optimal velocity profile for regenerative braking. Finally, experimental results validated the analyses and showed the weakness of tests on a small track.