Abstract
The Hyperloop system offers the promise of transportation over distances of 1000 km or more, at speeds approaching the speed of sound, without the complexity and cost of high-speed trains or commercial aviation. Two crucial technological issues must be addressed before a practical system can become operational: air resistance, and contact/levitation friction must both be minimized in order to minimize power requirements and system size. The present work addresses the second issue by estimating the power requirements for each of the three major modes of Hyperloop operation: rolling wheels, sliding air bearings, and levitating magnetic suspension systems. The salient features of each approach are examined using simple theories and a comparison is made of power consumption necessary in each case.
Highlights
The Hyperloop system was proposed in 2013 by Elon Musk [1] as an innovative transportation method that could be competitive to automobiles and airplanes in terms of travel time, speed, and cost for long distance ‘commuting’ over distances of 1000 km or more
Musk’s Hyperloop proposal was one of the most complete, postulating the presence of air bearings that would be used for Hyperloop pod levitation, as well as fans that would force and compress the surrounding air to be used for levitation
In its bare essentials the proposed Hyperloop system would gain its competitive edge over other methods of transportation by minimizing two major sources of friction: (a) aerodynamic drag would be minimized, or eliminated, by having the pod move inside a tube, and lowering the ambient pressure by using pumps; (b) Rolling and contact friction would be minimized by using air bearings, or other suitable levitation methods
Summary
The Hyperloop system was proposed in 2013 by Elon Musk [1] as an innovative transportation method that could be competitive to automobiles and airplanes in terms of travel time, speed, and cost for long distance ‘commuting’ over distances of 1000 km or more. Recent CFD (computational fluid dynamics) work in two- and three-dimensional domains tackled the viscous flow surrounding the pod at high speeds and analyzed the wave pattern obtained in the flow [7,8,9] These studies quantified the level of drag/friction incurred by the Hyperloop pod when traveling at various speeds at different ambient pressure conditions. (a) wheel locomotion, (b) air bearing levitation, (c) passive and active magnetic levitation systems; our main objective is to evaluate the level of friction present in each system and estimate the required level of power needed to propel a Hyperloop pod at high speeds Another objective is the extraction of simple scaling laws for power against any parameter of interest, such as vehicle mass, levitation height, mass flowrate required for operation, battery power, etc. Propulsion can be affected by applying an external periodic impulse every so often, as proposed originally in Reference [1], by using linear induction motors, or by carrying an internal propulsion system onboard the Hyperloop pod, e.g., batteries and electric motors
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