Numerical Study on the Influence of the Speed on the Aerodynamic Thermal in the HTS Maglev–Evacuated Tube Transport System

Abstract

The high temperature superconducting (HTS) maglev–evacuated tube transport (ETT) system is deemed as the next-generation transport system, with the potential to realize ultra-high speed. When the HTS maglev train travels inside the closed tube, it can cause serious aerodynamic thermal problems that affect the traffic safety. In this paper, a three-dimensional model and the Reynolds Average Navier-Stokes (RANS) based on <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">SST k-ω</i> turbulence model are used to study the aerodynamic thermal of the HTS maglev-ETT system. The numerical methods were verified by the wind tunnel experiment of the airfoil. The temperature distribution and aerodynamic thermal phenomena of the train and tube at different speeds were analyzed. The results show that the aerodynamic thermal of the HTS Maglev-ETT system is significantly affected by the speed. Due to the limitation of the annular space, the airflow is compressed in front of the head car and expanded near the tail car, making the temperature field more complex. The faster the train travels, the higher the average surface temperature of the train becomes. The shock wave will appear at a high speed, which further deteriorates the temperature field distribution of the system. These research results can provide a reference for the construction of the HTS Maglev-ETT system.