A research team from the University of Houston, USA, has proposed the use of superconducting materials to propel passenger and cargo vehicles at ultra-high speeds along existing highway infrastructure.
Simulation of a superconducting highway for passenger and cargo vehicles. (Photo: Vakaliuk).
The idea proposed by the research team not only promises to reduce operational costs for each system but also aims to change the way liquid hydrogen is stored and transported, which is considered one of the key clean energy sources for the future. Liquid hydrogen will be used to cool the superconducting conduits, minimizing the need for a separate cooling pipeline system to maintain materials at -253.3 degrees Celsius. The researchers described their proposal in the journal APL Energy, with Interesting Engineering reporting on it on April 25.
Integrating superconducting materials into existing highway infrastructure and adding magnets to the vehicle chassis eliminates the need to cool the superconducting materials on the vehicles themselves. The model relies on liquid hydrogen to cool the superconducting materials as they move along the system.
According to the research team, vehicles with magnetized chassis will enter the conduits, levitating and traveling at high speeds to their destinations. Once the vehicles exit the conduits, they can continue their journey using either electric motors or conventional internal combustion engines. Such a system could render air traffic and freight transport obsolete, as it allows personal and commercial vehicles to travel at speeds of up to 645 km/h, with the potential to double that, according to Zhifeng Ren, director of the Superconducting Materials Center in Texas.
This system also significantly reduces fuel or electricity consumption. At the same time, vehicles placed within the conduits can lower costs and emissions into the environment. The researchers hope that the long-term economic and environmental benefits of the system can outweigh the initial development costs.
