Intro
After the release of Jurassic World in 2015, Universal Creative, the team behind other
extremely detailed lands and dark rides within the Universal parks, looked to add an immersive
land to Universal’s Islands of Adventure. However, this new area that took over the
park’s long lost Triceratops Encounter, also marked the opening of Jurassic World
Velocicoaster, a high intensity mul-ti launch roller coaster to draw in guests to join the
hunt that’s become the pinnacle of the park’s thrill offerings. Welcome to Amusement Labs where today I’ll
show you the history, engineering and technology behind Jurassic World: Velocicoaster. This video is sponsored by generous patrons,
especially Levi Valentine, Felix Monteza and Brandon Wiggins at patreon.com / amusement
labs. Located at Universal’s Islands of Adventure,
Velocicoaster is a high thrill launch coaster in the Jurassic World section outside of The
Discovery Center of Jurassic Park. The ride sits in a bit of a Jurassic Park and Jurassic
World hybrid section, where the ride itself takes place before the events of the 2015
movie. This 70 second long ride rockets riders through
4,700 feet or just over 1.4 kilometers of reinforced steel track. Flying through the
velociraptor paddock, being chased by raptors and out over the main lagoon of Islands of
Adventure through high speed turns, inversions and drops up 140 feet or 47.2 meters. The
ride is manufactured by Intamin, a Swiss coaster manufacturer known for more amusement park
related coasters and also known for being rife with technical issues and high maintenance
requirements. Intamin is also responsible for other rides around the resort like Hagrid’s
Magical Creatures Super long name motorbike adventure that opened just a few years ago
to 10 hour lines and a list of technical issues. However, Velocicoaster seems to be far more
reliable. Queue
Entry Taking place in this hybrid land Velocicoaster
beacons riders down to its entrance on the left side of the Discovery Center through
an open air entrance plaza in an industrial and technology themed building. The atrium
is centered around a statue of the fictional park's landmark attraction, Blue, Delta Echo
and Charlie, 4 genetically modified velociraptors. Window Effect
The queue then enters into an outdoor overflow queue and then back inside to a few pre-show
rooms where video presentations of the ride’s backstory and rider information are relayed.
By the Jurassic World cast reprising their roles. The first room riders enter is darkened
and features windows out into the second launch of the ride. When a train rushes by, a sensor
triggers one of several animations. The windows then make it appear that the raptors have
escaped and are right behind chasing the train. While the creative team claims this is a new
effect, we believe from the translucency and brightness of the animation, that the windows
are transparent OLED screens. By using microscopic LEDs on glass, when the LEDs light up the
animation appears to materialize out of thin air. This also explains why the wall opposite
the windows is black, to create contrast and to prevent the animation from appearing transparent.
While the effect is not technologically unique, it is technically still new to theme parks. Raptors
Further into the queue riders enter the barn of the raptor paddock. Inside the barn guests
are able to get extremely close to seemingly living breathing animatronic velociraptors
in holding muzzles. While the raptors are not full bodied, this scene cleverly uses
the muzzled scenario to the fullest extent. Each raptor, Delta and Echo, use electric
motors to make small precise movements in the eyes, nostrils, lips and other under skin
features in order to sell the realism. Each of the two raptors also has the ability to
realistically breathe with pneumatic air coming from their noses and also has the ability
to shake their restraints to spook riders in line. Animax, the same company known for
Jurassic World themed traveling shows is the company responsible for these very convincing
figures. Station
Given the layout of the ride, riders are then instructed to place their loose articles in
pass through lockers. The entire station is supposed to be a replica of the raptor paddock
observation deck that appears in the first Jurassic World film. In the station riders
are split into 12 rows of 2 riders with clear acrylic and steel airgates. The entire station
holds only one train at a time with the train bay located off a switch track just before
entering the station. In between waiting riders are small LCD information screens to instruct
riders how to load properly and quickly. Trains
Restraints Once the gates swing open, riders board and
pull down their lap bar. Despite the appearance, lap bars are actually far more secure given
the part of the body they hold down. Each seat features 8 LEDs for show that pulse through
in patterns while on the ride and at night. To power the lights the trains use super capacitors
that quickly charge in the station and power monitoring systems on the train during your
ride. Wheels
Each train features 84 (polyurethane or nylon) wheels which keep the ride nice and smooth.
28 wheels are called road or load wheels, 28 more slightly smaller wheels hug the sides
of the rails called guide wheels which steer the train, and finally 28 wheels called upstops
support the train through zero and negative G forces. There are 6 wheels, 2 of each kind
in a wheel assembly called a bogie with 7 pairs of bogies total for a 6 car train. The
train uses a lead and trailer setup with all but the front pair of assemblies rotating
in 3 directions. Each bogie connects to what we will call the T frame where the bogie sits
opposite the other with the main spine perpendicular in the middle. The resulting train spine looks
like 6 capital Ts stacked vertically with a line on the bottom. On the bottom of the
main central spine of the train are two lines of permanent magnets with alternating poles.
These are used as part of the ride’s main propulsion system. LSMs & Brakes (use equation)
Intro To launch riders, Velocicoaster does not use
drive tires or a cable pull launch. Like Hagrid’s the ride uses white fins called Linear Synchronous
Motors stators designed by Indrivetec, short for Innovative Drive Technologies. Each white
fin is called a stator and the collection of fins makes up the motor. For this explanation I’ve created this model
of a linear synchronous motor *stator* inspired by the design used on Velocicoaster and other
rides. If you’d like, you can find the link to this model below. Design
These linear motors use enamelled wire in tight coils to run a very high current in
a short period of time. This trio of high current carrying windings are connected in
a star pattern to inverters located below the track. When each coil is given its own
alternating current they create a three phase magnetic field pattern that passes from coil
to coil through the wire and around an iron core inside the stator. Fields
These magnetic fields impart attractive and repulsive forces to permanent magnets that
are fixed to the spine of the train which gets it moving. In between the LSM stators,
hall effect sensors detect the permanent magnets of the train providing motion data. Using
that data the launch system sets the speed of the three phase current for each stator
so the magnetic field remains synced with the train as it accelerates. Cooling
Because these LSMs pass very high currents through their coils they can get very hot
and the Florida weather certainly doesn’t help. To combat this, Indrivetec has created
a liquid cooling layer that is then sandwiched between halves of the coils. Heat transfer
occurs via thermal conduction from the coils and iron core to the cooling layer using a
milled aluminum layer that has high thermal conductivity and diffusivity, plus it’s
cheap. Aluminum Thermal Conductivity: 247 W/m•K
Aluminum Thermal Diffusivity: 9.7E-5 m^2/sec Power
In order to create this much power to launch the train through its two separate launches,
the system is using a substation to not pull down the park’s power. Instead generators
are connected to super capacitors which charge, hold and dump power. When directed the LSMs
can each have access to kilowatts of power without causing a park wide blackout. Each
launch uses around 50 of these LSMs to launch the ride through its high thrill layout. Aside
from being a contactless launch system, the LSMs can also act as contactless brakes by
acting against the movement of the train. However, in many cases like Velocicoaster,
copper alloy fins located at the end of the launches are lowered and then raised once
the train passes. These fins create eddy currents that work against the train’s motion. Layout/Design
Unlike other parks, Universal insisted on control of the ride’s design and layout
rather than letting Intamin control what was built. As a result, Velocicoaster’s unique
and thrilling combo of modern elements is the brainchild of Keith McVeen who is solely
responsible for what Velocicoaster is layout wise. Once dispatched the train rolls downhill into
the first and only show scene on the ride and into the first standing launch. Here the
LSMs stop the train and use the drive tires to move it slightly back for what I believe
is a way to weigh the train. (this is a guess) When ready the ride’s PLC can begin using
the hall effect sensors to activate the LSM stators that are occupied by the train. Riders
are then launched from 0 to 50 miles per hour or 80 kilometers per hour in just 2 seconds
and then up into the first of four inversions starting with an inclined immelman, down into
rockwork, back up into a dive loop, pulling out into a high banked turn, an airtime hill,
an elevated turn through the rocks again, down a declined s curve, through another high
banked turn, past a hungry raptor, up over an outer banked airtime hill and then down
to launch 2, a rolling launch accelerating from 40 to 70 (64 to 110 kmh) and then immediately
rocketing up into a 155 foot (metric) top hat slowing at the osprey nest, then down
140 feet (metric) at 80 degrees. The train then enters a 100ft handing stall over the
pathway and onto the lagoon with a wave turn, an outer banked hill, a high bank turn, then
a quick speed hill and into the mosasaurus roll over the water (this is a resurrection
of the short lived heartline roll on Cedar Point’s Maverick) and then into a pair of
twisting airtime hills and into the copper fin brakes. And that all happens in just over
a minute. The train returns to the station and riders can unload, catch their breath
and then hop in line to to all over again. Capacity/Blocks
Velocicoaster has multiple block sections or areas of the ride where only one train
can be present and can stop a train or resume motion. The station, the first launch, the
second launch, the brake run, the reentry block and the hold block before the station
allow the ride to run up to four trains total for a maximum capacity of just over 1,750
people per hour. Velocicoaster soft opened on April 30th 2021
receiving glowing reviews before officially opening on June 10th, 2021. The ride has certainly
lived up to the hype that surrounded its development and will continue to thrill riders and sell
churros for decades to come. Outro
Overall Velocicoaster is a fantastic and clever addition serving only to add to the park’s
thrilling offerings. The ride shows Universal’s commitment and ability to cater not just to
families, but thrill seekers alike using the perfect story, franchise and technology to
provide an unmatched thrilling experience. And that’s how Velocicoaster works. If you
liked this video please subscribe and if you like what we do you can join our patreon for
early access to these videos. Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the parks.
