Implementing Regenerative Braking on Launched Roller Coasters

Paramount Pictures Engineering, 2011-12

Liaison(s): Charles Myers, David Thornton, Dave Rossi
Advisor(s): Erik Spjut
Students(s): Margaret Brier (TL-S), Chelsea Fischbach (TL-F), Scott Ogilvie, Johnson Qu, Ayyappa Vemulkar (S), Kenny Buyco (F)

The 2011-2012 Paramount Pictures Clinic team was tasked with making improvements to the energy efficiency of launched roller coasters. At the beginning of braking, launched coasters maintain as much as 70% of their initial kinetic energy, so significant recapture potential exists for regenerative braking systems. We pursued an electro-magnetic system, which could be implemented on existing roller coaster designs. We produced a proof-of-concept design and collected and analyzed experimental data to support our conceptual design parameters.