Interview with the director of the National Maglev Center: Why is it necessary to build a maglev with a speed of 600 kilometers per hour, is it safe?
On June 21, the 600 km/h high-speed maglev test sample car developed by CRRC Sifang Co., Ltd. was successfully tested on the maglev test line of Jiading Campus of Tongji University, which marked an important new breakthrough in my country's high-speed maglev research and development.
On the high-speed maglev test line of Tongji University, the test sample car was tested for the first time in a joint system and carried out dynamic operation tests under various working conditions, including different track beams and turnouts, small curves, ramps, zone switching, etc. More than 200 test items have carried out comprehensive tests on key performances such as suspension guidance, speed measurement positioning, vehicle-rail coupling, ground traction, and vehicle-ground communication.
"Under the conditions of multi-operating test conditions, the vehicle's suspension guidance is stable, and its operation is in good condition. The key technical indicators meet the design requirements and meet the design expectations." Ding Sansan, head of the high-speed maglev project and deputy chief engineer of CRRC Sifang Co., Ltd., said .
According to the introduction of Sifang, CRRC has successfully tested the prototype, achieved a breakthrough from static to dynamic operation, and obtained a large amount of key data. The key performance of the high-speed maglev system and core components has been initially verified, which is the follow-up to the high-speed maglev. The development and optimization of engineering prototypes provide important technical support.
According to reports, at present, the research and development of the high-speed maglev project at a speed of 600 kilometers per hour is progressing smoothly. At the same time as the successful trial run of the test sample car, the development of a group of 5 high-speed maglev project sample cars is also steadily advancing. By then, a full set of high-speed maglev technology and engineering capabilities will be formed.
So, what kind of transportation system is the high-speed maglev at 600 kilometers per hour? Where is its technological advancement? As a high-speed rail country, why does my country need a high-speed maglev of 600 kilometers per hour? What is the significance and purpose of the project development? Regarding these issues, recently, a reporter from Peng Mei News (www.thepaper.cn) interviewed Professor Chen Xiaohong, Dean of the Railway and Urban Rail Transit Research Institute of Tongji University and Director of the (National) Maglev Transportation Engineering Technology Research Center, with a view to the high-speed maglev of 600 kilometers per hour. Do a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the project.
Why set the indicator at a speed of 600 kilometers per hour
Chen Xiaohong told Peng Pai journalists that the high-speed maglev transportation system can be decomposed into four subsystems, one is the track system; the other is the vehicle system; the third is the traction and control system; and the fourth is the operation control system.
She introduced that there are three major categories of application-oriented high-speed magnetic levitation systems all over the world. One is the permanently-guided long stator system that originated in Germany and landed in Shanghai. The high-speed magnetic levitation system at 600 kilometers per hour currently under development in China also belongs to this type of system. ; The second type is Japan's low-temperature superconducting system. The high-speed magnetic levitation with a design speed of 500 kilometers per hour from Tokyo to Osaka under construction in Japan falls into this category. The third type is the pipeline magnetic levitation, which is currently being developed in the United States and the United Kingdom. Higher speeds, such as capsule trains.
Why should my country set the technical index of high-speed magnetic levitation as 600 kilometers per hour? Chen Xiaohong explained that the system with a speed of 500 kilometers per hour and a speed of 600 kilometers per hour, from an operational point of view, there is no particular essential difference. However, the transportation technology with a speed of 500-600 kilometers per hour is a system that is completely different from the current high-speed trains. The higher the speed, the higher the technical level.
"Putting the target speed of the system at 600 kilometers is also related to the space scale of our country and the distance between the core cities." Chen Xiaohong said that the high-speed maglev line planning in Japan is from Tokyo to Nagoya to Osaka, which is almost 500 kilometers away. It can be reached within one hour with a point-to-point system of 500 kilometers per hour. But for our country, core big cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou are separated by more than 1,000 kilometers. If you want to make the metropolitan clusters interconnected and have an advantage in terms of time efficiency, stop between two points Hope it is reachable in three hours.
"Therefore, our country has set the target speed at 600 kilometers, and there is a need. Of course, this also puts forward higher requirements for our country's entire industrial manufacturing level and research and development level." Chen Xiaohong said.
Comparison of advantages and disadvantages of high-speed maglev and wheel-rail at 600 kilometers per hour
Compared with the wheel and rail, Chen Xiaohong believes that the high-speed maglev of 600 kilometers per hour has six advantages:
One is faster.
The second is the technical economy of higher transportation speed. From the technical capabilities of the high-speed wheel-rail system itself, it can achieve speeds of 350-400 kilometers per hour, but there are problems with energy consumption, braking safety and long-term operation and maintenance. Therefore, from a technical and economic point of view, it is not appropriate to pursue higher speeds and spread them over a large area. In contrast, high-speed maglev is also called ground flight. It is suitable for speeds of 500-600 kilometers under non-adhesive and frictionless forward travel. This is its most important feature and advantage.
The third is stronger adaptability. Compared with the high-speed rail, it can climb higher slopes and can have a smaller turning radius. During the construction process, it means that the high-speed maglev is more adaptable to terrain, landforms and terrain, and is suitable for the complex and changeable terrain of my country. For example, the construction of high-speed maglev can completely follow the already-built highway, and it will not cause great restrictions on route selection.
Fourth, it is safe and less affected by climatic conditions. Since the high-speed maglev is running on the track, there is no risk of derailment. Whether it is a typhoon, torrential rain or even snow and ice, climate conditions will not affect its safe operation.
Fifth, it is highly maintainable. The main features of the high-speed maglev system are the redundant design and the intelligent operation and maintenance conditions. During the operation process, the status of its key equipment components can be understood in the monitoring center. If there is a problem, it can be replaced and repaired immediately when returning to the warehouse at night.
Sixth, the distance from door to door can be shortened. Although when the speed of 500-600 kilometers is reached, the noise of the maglev train and the air friction will be relatively large, but under the speed of 200 kilometers per hour, the noise of the maglev train will be lower than that of the wheel-rail train, "so when the pit speed drops, Maglev is actually a very quiet system, which also means that its station can be built closer to the city, and the door-to-door connection time is shorter."
However, Chen Xiaohong also admitted that the wheel-rail system has a history of more than 100 years and has a very good network in China. Therefore, the high-speed maglev of 600 kilometers per hour needs to find its location within the existing comprehensive transportation system, such as In the important corridor belt, will there be speed complementarity, capacity needs to be filled, etc., "As a late-launch system, it is still difficult to find its development space, and the public will also have acceptance and recognition There is a little lack."
In addition, the maglev train can't avoid the topic of discussing electromagnetic radiation. In this regard, Chen Xiaohong emphasized that in fact, the electromagnetic radiation of the maglev train is lower than that of watching TV, and it is even better than using a mobile phone. The reason is that the maglev train is running on the track, and the electromagnetic field providing power is locked inside. "So everyone's familiarity with it is not enough. The lack of publicity will bring some difficulties to the project promotion."
Is it possible to promote it in China next?
Surging news reporters noticed that high-speed maglev has not been widely promoted globally. For this, Chen Xiaohong believes that "as a latecomer system, it is not an easy task to find its suitable space."
She explained that although the earliest birthplace of maglev was in Germany, Germany has a small territory, about the size of a province in China, and the earliest and most mature railway development in Europe. It is hard to find some large urban gathering belts with sufficient passenger flow in Europe. And the distance is long enough to reach the demand with a speed of about 500 kilometers per hour.
She recalled that the International Maglev Conference is now held every two years, and the most active countries include Brazil, Russia, and Germany. It was originally held in China this year. "Brazil is independently developing its own system. Russia is also doing a magnetic levitation freight system. The United States There is Musk pushing a capsule train at a speed of 1,000 kilometers per hour. Of course, China is doing its part, and it is very active. It also needs a higher speed system for China’s land area."
Chen Xiaohong mentioned that for countries with a small land area, there is really no need for this high-speed connection. But here I want to talk about Japan. Although Japan has a small land area, most of the country's economy is concentrated in the urban clusters along the Pacific Ocean, that is, the urban belt from Tokyo to Osaka. Three years after the Tokaido Shinkansen opened to traffic in 1964, the Tokaido Maglev Shinkansen has been planned since 1967. Construction started in 2017 and the Tokyo-Nagoya section was completed in 2027. Because it has enough passenger flow requirements in this corridor with different speed requirements.
So, does the research and development of the maglev at 600 kilometers per hour mean that it may be a starting point for the subsequent promotion in China?
In this regard, Chen Xiaohong believes that this is an important milestone. "To truly implement the project, there must be a system capable of independent research and development and full production capacity. The design of this car is now designed according to the requirements of 600 kilometers per hour. Yes, this should be said to be a very important starting point, which marks our ability to make this car. In addition to the car, other systems are also being developed, and eventually it will be integrated into a complete system, capable of reaching 600 kilometers Speed, this is our goal."
"My personal view is that with the maturity of the entire system and technology, high-speed maglev will definitely be put into use in our country, but it is a question of which line to do first and when to do it is not a problem." Chen Xiaohong said.
Why do you need a high-speed maglev of 600 kilometers per hour
Under the relatively perfect high-speed railway network, why does my country need a high-speed maglev of 600 kilometers per hour?
Chen Xiaohong believes that although the high-speed rail network still has some room for speeding up in certain corridors, it will not be too large. Now there is indeed a time requirement for quick connections between Guangdong, Hong Kong, Macao, Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, and the Yangtze River Delta. In addition, in an important corridor, it is not enough to have a high-speed rail. In the future, Beijing and Shanghai, including the entire coastal channel, will have requirements to increase routes and increase capacity from the entire passenger demand.
"The problem is to build an identical line with the same speed and the same capacity, or is there a layered choice for passenger flow, just like the division of labor between the aircraft and the railway." Chen Xiaohong said.
At present, the cruising speed of the aircraft is about 800 kilometers per hour, the high-speed rail is about 300 kilometers per hour, and the maglev is set at 500 to 600 kilometers per hour, which can not only supplement the lack of capacity in important corridors, but also provide a differentiated service.
"I don't think that high-speed maglev will conflict with the high-speed rail network. This is a consensus in the transportation industry." She explained that in the service group, high-speed maglev and high-speed rail do not conflict. In important trunk corridors, With the high-speed rail, the magnetic levitation is to supplement the channel capacity and fill the speed section.
"So for now, the construction must definitely follow the market and follow the demand, and build it when necessary, rather than want to build a large network at the beginning, it will not be considered in this way." Chen Xiaohong It is said that the future of high-speed maglev will actually be a corridor-shaped, naturally-formed local network, which is the future application scenario that can be seen at present.
She said that, for example, the integration of the Yangtze River Delta must be truly integrated under the convenience of transportation and urbanization. In addition, within the urban agglomeration, there is also a need for a half-hour reach, a one-hour metropolitan area, etc. In fact, a higher speed transportation system is also needed to provide services.
Will the cost be much higher than the wheel track
Chen Xiaohong said that from an economic point of view, the cost of high-speed maglev will not be much higher than that of wheel rails, and the cost includes not only construction costs, but also long-term operation and maintenance costs. It only makes sense to compare with the same conditions of the line.
For example, she said that the maglev Shinkansen from Tokyo to Osaka has been carefully studied before construction. Overall, the maglev cost is more than 10% higher than the wheel rail. "From this point, the high-speed maglev is really not an expensive and unacceptable Although the overall construction and operation cost will be higher, the shortened round-trip time also has social and economic value. Taking Beijing and Shanghai as an example, if Beijing and Shanghai use maglev operation in the future, the time can be shortened to three hours."
So does this mean that it is possible for magnetic levitation to be put into commercial operation in my country in the future?
In this regard, Chen Xiaohong said that it is still difficult to say whether it can be put into commercial operation on a large scale, but our country will unswervingly go on the industrialization and engineering application of high-speed maglev. "This is undoubted."
Why start the high-speed maglev project with a speed of 600 kilometers per hour
The reason why my country wants to start the research of the high-speed maglev project at a speed of 600 kilometers per hour, Chen Xiaohong said that there are mainly two considerations, one is the country's needs, and the other is technology research and development.
In terms of national needs, the high-speed maglev project at a speed of 600 kilometers per hour must first serve China's economic and social development, that is, China's geospatial scale does require a transportation tool at this speed, becoming a part of the integrated transportation system, so that various transportation modes can complement each other And connect with each other.
In terms of technology research and development, new technologies of any generation of transportation will have a great lead and lead role in related technologies. "It seems to be developing a new vehicle. In fact, it is to continuously iterate and update the entire R&D capability and industrial system of our national transportation industry. We continue to move forward. The maglev system at a speed of 600 kilometers per hour is not limited to the maglev technology itself. It will also bring important guidance and contributions to related new technologies and new material applications."
According to CRRC, the development of a high-speed maglev transportation system with a speed of 600 kilometers per hour is a key special topic of the "Advanced Rail Transit" national key research and development plan of the Ministry of Science and Technology. The project is organized by CRRC and CRRC Sifang Technology Co., Ltd., and is a joint research project of more than 30 companies, universities, and scientific research institutes. The purpose is to overcome the core technology of high-speed maglev and develop a high-speed maglev project with independent intellectual property rights at a speed of 600 kilometers per hour. System to form China’s high-speed maglev industrialization capability.
Twenty years of persistence
Chen Xiaohong said that such an important breakthrough can be achieved today due to the firm support of the Ministry of Science and Technology, Shanghai and other parties. The Maglev Transportation Engineering Technology Research Center of Tongji University and a large number of domestic research teams have persisted for 20 years and insisted Independent innovation and close cooperation have laid a solid foundation for today's high-speed maglev system research and development and engineering research.
As early as 2000, in order to support the world's first high-speed maglev line for commercial operations-the Shanghai High-speed Maglev Demonstration Line between Shanghai Metro Longyang Road Station and Pudong International Airport, the Ministry of Science and Technology supported the preparation of the National Maglev Transportation Engineering Technology Research The center will carry out localization and innovation research of maglev transportation technology.
During the 10th Five-Year Plan period, the Maglev Center organized a scientific research team to independently develop and build this high-speed maglev test line at the Jiading campus of Tongji University. The 1.5-kilometer test line is currently the only permanently-guided stator magnetic levitation in use in the world. The comprehensive test line of the transportation system can provide test conditions for the research and development of high-speed maglev transportation technology, system integration, software debugging, component performance assessment and improvement.
In the "Eleventh Five-Year Plan", a localized prototype car with a speed of 500 kilometers per hour (4 columns in a row) was developed and used in the Shanghai high-speed maglev demonstration line to form the localization capabilities of linear motors, turnouts and other equipment and materials. There was a "little climax" on the express line between the two airports. During the "Twelfth Five-Year Plan" period, with the goal of ensuring the stable operation of the Shanghai High-Speed Maglev Demonstration Line, work was carried out to systematically develop and replace imported key components and maintain inspection equipment. With the strong support of scientific research, the Shanghai High-speed Maglev Demonstration Operation Line has been maintained for nearly 18 years of continuous safe and stable operation without returning to the factory for overhaul. At the same time, continue to improve the test platform to form the ability to support integrated testing and functional verification of independently developed maglev systems.
The “13th Five-Year” countries continue to set key R&D projects for high-speed maglev. CRRC and CRRC Sifang Co., Ltd. are responsible for the research of high-speed maglev transportation system at a speed of 600 kilometers per hour. Tongji University undertakes “simulation verification and optimization of key technologies for high-speed maglev transportation system. Design research", "Analysis of operating environment and influencing factors of high-speed maglev transportation system and key technology of system service performance and environmental reliability", "Multiple coupling and control of vehicle-track-tunnel under complex environment", continue to study how to optimize the vehicle , Coordination between control system interfaces, study how to form the key technologies and forward-looking technologies for engineering and industrialization such as the ability to inspect various systems, the high-precision rapid detection technology of rail-track relationship and rail, and the long-term service performance of facilities and equipment.
In addition to the research work and tests of the high-speed maglev project at a speed of 600 kilometers per hour, the maglev center also serves as one of the core units and is conducting preliminary research work on the magnetic levitation of low-vacuum pipelines.
In addition, the Maglev Center has independently developed a medium and low speed maglev engineering test line located in Shanghai Lingang New City with a total length of 1.72 kilometers. This is the first engineering test line in China with complete line and vehicle performance comprehensive test capabilities. It has completed key and low-speed maglev equipment and vehicle testing for many domestic units. The pilot line also supported the maglev center to provide the whole process technical support including design, construction, system commissioning and operation and maintenance for the first medium and low speed maglev project in operation in China-Changsha Maglev Project, as well as rail and vehicles, etc. Provide technical support for the manufacture of key equipment.
Significance for Shanghai
Chen Xiaohong believes that the engineering, operations and technical research done by Shanghai around the high-speed maglev system in recent years not only has direct product output, but more importantly has formed a solid foundation and a complete system. The high-speed maglev of 600 kilometers per hour was tested in Shanghai. She believes that it has at least two meanings:
First, it reflects the continuation of research. From the 10th Five-Year Plan to the present, the Ministry of Science and Technology's support for maglev research has been moving forward step by step. All the original accumulation has played its due role in the current research.
The second is to increase confidence, “From the perspective of national planning and construction promotion, relevant research units, engineering units, and decision-makers can see the actual progress of this system, and see a new generation of domestically developed vehicles running. , Can enhance everyone's confidence to continue to promote the project."
By the end of 2020, a full set of high-speed maglev technology and engineering capabilities will be formed
According to CRRC, the development of the high-speed maglev project is progressing smoothly. At the same time as the successful trial run of the test prototype, the development of a train of 5 marshalling engineering prototypes is also steadily advancing.
According to the plan, the prototype system of the high-speed maglev project with a speed of 600 kilometers per hour is expected to be rolled out by the end of 2020, and a full set of high-speed maglev technology and engineering capabilities will be formed.
In the future, through the construction of a high-speed maglev demonstration project and related operations such as 600km/h line operation, this technology can promote the continuous innovation and industrialization of this technology, and promote the development of my country's high-end equipment manufacturing upgrades and strategic emerging industries.
Asked when people might actually experience high-speed maglev? Chen Xiaohong admitted that it depends on two aspects, one is the maturity of the technology of the system, and the other is the indispensability of planning and construction projects.
"Of course we are also looking forward to it. On the one hand, we strive to create a better performance testing environment and continue to verify. We hope that through a period of hard work, we can make it have the environment and conditions for engineering demonstration operations. But at this point, not only Only depending on the maturity of the technology, but also through planning, decision-making, approval, construction and other procedures, people may have the opportunity to take such a maglev line that can really'fly up'." She said.
Surging News Reporter Yao Xiaolan