Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2022
Abstract
Conventional transportation methods are a major contributor to the climate crisis and Hyperloop systems are a proposed form of novel transportation that can provide a fast and energyefficient alternative. However, current research in Hyperloop technology has neglected the development of the charging infrastructure to facilitate repeated and high-speed charging cycles that minimize battery degradation. To address this, an efficient charging system for Hyperloop application is presented in this paper. Starting with a pre-existing electric vehicle (EV) charging model in MATLAB Simulink, the design was validated and scaled for the Hyperloop application to support a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery pack with parameters of 800V and 185Ah. This model was used to test the performance of the proposed charger and observe battery degradation in a variety of scenarios. Upon testing, the system parameters were tuned to successfully charge the specified battery pack in 42 minutes with the potential to decrease the charge duration by up to four times by using a higher charging current. The design was then scaled down to supply a LiFePO4 battery pack with 6.6V and 2.3Ah, which could be built in hardware to safely test and validate the design. The results of the small-scale prototype model were then compared with the full-scale model results. This yielded the same charge curve characteristics with only a 6% difference in the voltage magnitude, thus validating the scalability of the charging system. Finally, to minimize the effects of battery degradation, a temperature control system was designed to keep the battery pack at its ideal temperature (25°C) and was simulated at extreme temperatures of -30°C and 45°C. The results of the temperature control system showed a 7.2% reduction in battery degradation when compared to a system without a temperature control system.