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Magplane Pipeline Transport - A Division of Magplane TechnologyBackground Electromagnetic drives for pipeline systems are intended to replace pneumatic capsules. Pneumatic capsule pipelines have a long history, and there are several large scale systems in current use. Conventional pneumatic systems use external blowers to move the column of air together with the capsules in the pipe. Full-diameter valves are used to control the injection, removal and subsequent return of capsules. Various practical limits constrain the throughput of these systems and limit their cost effectiveness. The use of electromagnetic drives can greatly improve on the constraints which limit throughput in pneumatic systems, and can result in cost effective systems able to compete with truck and rail transport. Underground pipe transport can also relieve the environmental impact of conventional transport, and result in faster delivery in overcrowded metropolitan regions. Magplane's development of capsule pipeline systems was initiated by the desire of the Florida Phosphate Industry to find a cost effective way to reduce the environmental impact of conventional transportation of their very large quantities of material. That industry projects, for example, as many as 30 million tons per year of finished product flowing to the Port of Tampa from the mining areas some 50 km out from the port. Trucks carry the bulk of current production, and place a burden on the already stretched feeder and highway infrastructure in the region. A 50 km pipeline from the mining region to the port would be a potential solution, but would need to be sufficiently cost effective relative to more conventional transportation to result in a satisfactory return on capital. Economic studies have been promising and have resulted in a willingness of the phosphate industry to undertake a significant R&D program. Since beginning the phosphate application work, Magplane has also received serious expressions of interest from a large mining company for the transport of ore from deep mines to their surface mills, and from a large cement company seeking a viable alternative for their more difficult long-length conveyor belt applications.Prototype System A demonstration project which uses a linear synchronous motor to move vehicles has been constructed at the IMC-Agrico Company in Lakeland, FL. The demonstration utilizes 200 m of 60 cm diameter cylindrical cast "waste water" fiberglass tube, and includes a 60 m long accelerator/decelerator section, a switch, and load and unload stations. The test vehicle traverses back and forth at a peak speed of 65 km/hr. The 1.8 m long wheelbase vehicle uses six-wheel assemblies at each end of a rotating hopper, and has a payload capacity of 270 kg. The vehicle carries an array of neodymium-iron boron permanent magnets which interact with the linear motor mounted on the outside of the tube to provide propulsion, and with external coils to provide an electromagnetic switch function. Click
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