Urban Transportation Development Corporation Limited

W John Ballantyne

William C Beattie

A reaction rail assembly, for forming a secondary of linear induction motor, includes an elongate conductive member of uniform cross-section, and core formed from a plurality of elongate bars. The bars extend parallel to the conductive member, and adjacent bars are insulated from one another, so as to reduce eddy current losses. The bars have corresponding width and height, and can be square. The core is located adjacent the conductive member, so as, in use, to complete a magnet circuit between a primary and secondary of a linear induction motor.

Reaction rail

In a transportation system involving a track-side linear induction motor (LIM) primary and a vehicle carrying a LIM secondary, slip power in the secondary is recovered and used to power the on-board electrical system of the vehicle. The LIM secondary has a three-phase secondary winding rather than a conventional reaction plate. The winding is connected to a rectifier which converts slip current in the windings into electrical power for the on-board electrical system. This eliminates the necessity for any sliding contacts for power transfer, while simultaneously enabling at least part of the slip power, which is normally dissipated as heat in the secondary, to be recovered.

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Kingston, Canada

W John Ballantyne