Contactless power transfer--An exercise in topology

Previous attempts at different forms of contactless power transfer systems associated mainly with high speed ground transportation and magnetic levitation are reviewed. Two different types of contactless power transfer systems are proposed as replacements for the brush-and-conductor, trailing cable, or reeling drum, where these options were inappropriate or would suffer excessive wear or other degradation in the stringent applications encountered in the nuclear or mining industries. The first system uses busbars as longitudinal members along which an output transformer can move. The second system uses magnetic material as the longitudinal members, can be formed into a robust composite structure, and can be arranged to provide a surface wiping geometry for the moving output core: this system is essentially the magnetic dual of a conductor rall and contacting brushgear. Examination of the systems' topologies allows longitudinal, curved or circular systems to be developed, and non-nuclear applications which include, for example, contactless power transfer for robotic Joints are envisaged.