International Journal of Engineering and Management Research e-ISSN: 2250-0758 | p-ISSN: 2394-6962

Volume- 9, Issue- 2, (April 2019)

www.ijemr.net https://doi.org/10.31033/ijemr.9.2.05

Hyperlop Transportation System

Mahajan S.M1, Bankar Abhijit K2, Patil Sneha V.3 and Mahajan Pratiksha N.4
1
Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sandip Institute of Engineering and Management, Nashik,
Maharashtra, INDIA
2,
Student, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sandip Institute of Engineering and Management, Nashik, Maharashtra,
INDIA
3
Student, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sandip Institute of Engineering and Management, Nashik, Maharashtra,
INDIA
4
Student, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Sandip Institute of Engineering and Management, Nashik, Maharashtra,
INDIA
2
Corresponding Author: [email protected]

ABSTRACT speed rails stem currently being developed between Los

As we know that there are four modes of Angeles and San Francisco, which was deemed to
transportation are, rail, road, water, and air. These modes expensive and low. The Hyperloop concept could fill a
of transport tend to be either relatively slow (e.g., road and growing need for an alternative transportation mode for
water), expensive (e.g., air), or a combination of relatively short-haul travel. For short routes, such as Los Angeles–
slow and expensive (i.e., rail). Hyper loop is a new mode of
San Francisco, or Boston–New York, the time spent
transport that seeks to change this paradigm by being both
fast and inexpensive for people and goods. Hyperloop is also travelling at the cruise speed is quite low compared to
unique in that it is an open design concept, similar to Linux. over all end-to-end travel time due to in escape able
Feedback is desired from the community that can help inefficiencies in air travel (runway taxiing, climb,
advance the Hyperloop design and bring it from concept to descent, holding patterns, etc.).
reality. Hyperloop consists of a low pressure tube with The first ever concept of people transportation
capsules that are transported at both low and high speeds through a pod inside a closed tube was put forth by
throughout the length of the tube. The capsules are scientist G. Medhurust in a paper published in 1812
supported on a cushion of air, featuring pressurized air and where concept was introduced to use power and velocity
aerodynamic lift. The capsules are accelerated via a
of air for travelling of passengers inside a tube. Similar
magnetic linear accelerator affixed at various stations on the
low pressure tube with rotors contained in each capsule. concept redeveloped by young entrepreneurel on musk
Passengers may enter and exit Hyperloop at stations located founder of tesla motors. the principle idea behind the
either at the ends of the tube, or branches along the tube Hyperloop was simple and is just to reduce the friction
length. In this study, the initial route, preliminary design, and air drag so as to get higher velocity, just like maglev
and logistics of the Hyperloop transportation system have trains. The Hyperloop system is a mean of a concord, air
been derived. The system consists of capsules that travel hockey table and rail gun.
between Los Angeles, California and San Francisco,
California. The total one-way trip time is 35 minutes from
county line to county line. The capsules leave on average II. WHAT IS HYPERLOOP?
every 2 minutes from each terminal carrying 28 people each
(as often as every 30 seconds during rush hour and less Hyperloop consists of a low pressure tube with
frequently at night). This gives a total of 7.4 million people capsules that are transported at both low and high speeds
per tube that can be transported each year on Hyperloop. throughout the length of the tube. The capsules are
The total cost of Hyperloop is under $6 billion USD for two supported on a cushion of air, featuring pressurized air
one-way tubes and 40 capsules. Amortizing this capital cost and aerodynamic lift. The capsules are accelerated via a
over 20 years and adding daily operational costs gives a total magnetic linear accelerator affixed at various stations on
of $20 USD plus operating costs per one-way ticket on the
the low pressure tube with rotors contained in each
passenger Hyperloop.
capsule. Passengers may enter and exit Hyperloop at
Keywords-- Hyperloop, Eloun Musk, Compressor, Tubes stations located either at the ends of the tube, or branches
along the tube length. Hyperloop is based on a principle
of magnetic levitation. The principle of magnetic
levitation is that a vehicle can be suspended and propelled
I. INTRODUCTION on a guidance track made with magnets. The vehicle on
top of the track may be propelled with the help of a linear
The Hyperloopisa concept for high speed induction motor.
ground transportation, consisting of passenger pods
travelling at sonic speeds in a partially evacuated tube.
The concept was originally proposed in a whitepaper III. WHY HYPERLOP?
publishedbySpaceXin20131 as an alternative to the high-

96 This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
International Journal of Engineering and Management Research e-ISSN: 2250-0758 | p-ISSN: 2394-6962
Volume- 9, Issue- 2, (April 2019)
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The tube is made of steel. Two tubes will be

welded together in a side by side configuration to allow
the capsules to travel both directions. Pylons are placed
every 100 ft (30 m) to support the tube. Solar arrays will
cover the top of the tubes in order to provide power to the
system Tubes are made by the new material
„VIBRANIUM‟.
2. CAPSULE

Fig3. Capsule

Sealed capsules carrying 28 passengers each that

travel along the interior of the tube A larger system has
also been sized that allows transport of 3 full size
automobiles with passengers to travel in the capsule. The
Fig 1. Energy cost per passenger for a journey
capsules are supported via air bearings that operate using
between Los Angeles and San Francisco for various
a compressor air reservoir and aerodynamic lift .
mode of transport
3. PROPULSION
A new high speed mode of transport is desired
between Los Angeles and San Francisco; however, the
proposed California High Speed Rail does not reduce
current trip times or reduce costs relative to existing
modes of transport. This preliminary design study
proposes a new mode of high speed transport that reduces
both the travel time and travel cost between Los Angeles
and San Francisco. Options are also included to increase
the transportation system to other major population
centers across California. It is also worth noting the
energy cost of this system is less than any currently
existing mode of transport (Figure 1). The only system Fig4. Propulsion
that comes close to matching the low energy requirements
of Hyperloop is the fully electric Tesla Model S. Linear accelerations are constructed along the
length of the tube at various locations to accelerate the
IV. ILLUSTRATION capsule. Stators are located on the capsules via the linear
acceleration. The propulsion system has these basic
The practically implemented prototype of requirements:
Hyperloop comprises of the following fundamental parts 1. Accelerate the capsule from 0 to 300 mph (480 kph)
1. TUBE for relatively low speed travel in urban areas.
2. Maintain the capsule at 300 mph (480 kph) as
necessary, including during ascents over the
mountains surroundings.
3. To accelerate the capsule from 300 to 760 mph (480
to 1,220 kph) at 1g at the beginning of the long
coasting section along the I-5 corridor.
4. To decelerate the capsule back to 300 mph (480 kph)
at the end of the I5 corridor.

Fig2. Low pressure tubes

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International Journal of Engineering and Management Research e-ISSN: 2250-0758 | p-ISSN: 2394-6962
Volume- 9, Issue- 2, (April 2019)
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4. SUSPENSION

Fig5. Suspension
Fig6.utilization of solar power
Suspending the capsule within the tube presents
6. COST
a substantial technical challenge due to transonic cruising
“Hyperloop Alpha” suggests fares of $20 for the
velocities. Conventional wheel and axle systems become
San Francisco the Los Angeles route which would
impractical at high speed due frictional losses and
apparently be used to cover operating expenses.
dynamic instability. A viable technical solution is
However, this research has not found any sources
magnetic levitation; however the cost associated with
providing estimates of operating costs for the system. A
material and construction is prohibitive. An alternative to
presentation made by an HT executive cited $10 to $15
these conventional options is an air bearing suspension.
for a route linking Abu Dhabi to Dubai. However, that
Air bearings offer stability and extremely low drag at a
presentation seemed to indicate that that fare amount was
feasible cost by exploiting the ambient atmosphere in the
a price point which the market could bear, rather than an
tube. Externally pressurized and aerodynamic air
estimate of the service‟s operating cost. In a pricing
bearings are well suited for the Hyperloop due to
structure where fares are only used to cover operating
exceptionally high stiffness, which is required to maintain
costs, some entity would be required to fund the upfront
stability at high speeds. When the gap height between a
capital construction and vehicle costs without repayment.
ski and the tube wall is reduced, the flow field in the gap
An assumption of public funding can only be speculative,
exhibits a highly non-linear reaction resulting in large
especially in the current constrained fiscal environment
restoring pressures. The increased pressure pushes the ski
for government expenditures.
away from the wall, allowing it to return to its nominal
ride height. While a stiff air bearing suspension is superb
for reliability and safety, it could create considerable V. ADVANTAGES AND
discomfort for passengers onboard. To account for this, DISADVANTAGES OF HYPERLOOP
each ski is integrated into an independent mechanical TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM
suspension, ensuring a smooth ride for passengers. The
capsule may also include traditional deployable wheels 5.1 Advantages
similar to aircraft landing gear for ease of movement at 1. It saves the travelling time.
speeds under 100 mph (160 kph) and as a component of 2. There is no problem of traffic.
the overall safety system. 3. It is powered by the solar panel.
4. It can travel in any kind of weather.
5. ENERGY STORAGE COMPONENTS 5. Cost of hyperloop is low.
(BATTERIES) 6. Not disruptive to those along the route.
Energy storage allows this linear accelerator to 7. More convenient.
only draw its average power of 8,000 hp (6 MW) (rather 8. Resistance to earthquake.
than the peak power of 70,000 hp or 52 MW) from its 5.2 Disadvantages
solar array . Building the energy storage element out of 1. Turning will be critical
the same lithium ion cells available in the Tesla Model S 2. Less movable space for passenger.
is economical. A battery array with enough power 3. High speed might cause dizziness in some passenger.
capability to provide the worst-case smoothing power has 4. Punctured tunnel could cause shockwaves.
a lot of energy – launching 1 capsule only uses 0.5% of
the total energy – so degradation due to cycling is not an VI. CONCLUSION
issue.
Hyperloop is the technology for the future. For
the past decades, innovation in transport technology has
been limited to improving or modifying traditional
means. Thus growth in the transport technology has been
stagnant. Hyperloop has the potential to break this slump
and provide a very fast and cheap method of

98 This work is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
International Journal of Engineering and Management Research e-ISSN: 2250-0758 | p-ISSN: 2394-6962
Volume- 9, Issue- 2, (April 2019)
www.ijemr.net https://doi.org/10.31033/ijemr.9.2.05

transportation. Proposed Hyperloop between Mumbai and 5: Safer

Pune could cut down the commuting time from 3-4 hours 6: Sustainably self-powering
to a mere 30 minutes. Existing transportation
technologies such as High speed rail (Bullet train) and FUTURE WORK
Maglev are found to be wanting when it comes to
expenses, effects on ecology and travel time. Solar arrays The technology of Hyperloop is in its
installed throughout the track, zero emission transport rudimentary stage. Even if the technology is successful, it
owing to no fuel requirement, no interference with can be worked upon for improvement in the future. The
communication lines, resistant to earthquakes, high speed current capsule design allows only 28 passengers to
of transportation coupled with low capital and commute at a time. Research can be focused on
maintenance cost give Hyperloop a leading edge. The improving the design such that the numbers of passengers
intent of this document has been to bring light to the is more. Need to improve safety features.
concept of the Hyperloop. The various fundamentals
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