Hyperloop

1. INTRODUCTION
Wheel being the most important initial invention of human significates the elevation of standard
of human being since ancient times. As we have progressed in science and technology and
entered the era of microprocessor we gained transportation means like car, trucks, airplanes,
ships, etc. We have brought such a huge change in these means by upgrading them time to time
but since time is moving ahead we must race with it by bringing up more advance means of
transportation which can be the face of the future. Today’s transportation majorly includes
i. Roadways (inexpensive, time consuming, not so eco-friendly)
ii. Airways (expensive, time saving, not eco-friendly)
iii. Railways (inexpensive, time consuming, relatively much more eco-friendly than
others)
Present condition demands for alternate means of travel which could nullify the negative aspects
of the above systems with following characteristics:
i. Comfortable and cheap
ii. Fast and safe
iii. Eco-friendly
The first ever concept of people transportation through a pod inside a closed tube was put forth
by scientist G. Medhurust in a paper published in 1812 the concept was introduced to use power
and velocity of air for transporting of passengers inside a tube. Similar concept was redeveloped
by young entrepreneur Elon Musk founder of Tesla motors. The principle idea behind the
Hyperloop was simple and is just to reduce the friction and air drag to get higher velocity, just
like maglev trains.
The energy cost of this system is less than any currently existing mode of transport. The only
system that comes close to matching the low energy requirements of Hyperloop is the fully
electric Tesla Model S.
In the designing of Hyperloop, designing of pod is the most important as end users i.e.
passengers are placed in the capsule or the pod. Pod or capsule is the element which is going to
suffer with most of the stresses. This is because there is around 70000N force inside the pod
along with pressure difference at outside and inside of pod. The inside pressure of tube will be

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atmospheric pressure while the outside pressure will be much less than atmospheric pressure.
The pod contains various elements including a suction fan, compressors, batteries, air
conditioning system, safety and pressure control system etc. All elements are heavy and they also
cause vibration.

Fig 1: Hyperloop System (Source: www.wikipedia.com)

Fig 2: A graph depicting the energy consumption

Source: (Chetan Ramesh Ingale, 2017)

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2. HYPERLOOP TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

Fig 3: 3 D Model of Hyperloop(Source: www.indiatimes.com)

The Hyperloop consists of several distinct components, including:
2.1 CAPSULE
Distinct features are:
a. Sealed capsules carrying 28 passengers each that travel along the interior of the tube depart on
average every 2 minutes from Los Angeles or San Francisco (up to every 30 seconds during peak
usage hours).
b. A larger system has also been sized that allows transport of 3 full size automobiles with
passengers to travel in the capsule.
c. The capsules are separated within the tube by approximately 23 miles (37 km) on average
during operation.
d. The capsules are supported via air bearings that operate using a compressed air reservoir and
aerodynamic lift.
Two versions of the Hyperloop capsules are being considered: a passenger only version and a
passenger plus vehicle version.
2.1.1 Hyperloop Passenger Capsule
This is based on the assumption that an average departure time of 2 minutes between capsules, a
minimum of 28 passengers per capsule are required to meet 840 passengers per hour. It is
possible to further increase the Hyperloop capacity by reducing the time between departures. The
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current baseline requires up to 40 capsules in activity during rush hour, 6 of which are at the
terminals for loading and unloading of the passengers in approximately 5 minutes.

Fig 4: Hyperloop passenger transport capsule conceptual design sketch

(Source: Musk Elon 2013)
2.1.2 Hyperloop Passenger Plus Vehicle Capsule
The passenger plus vehicle version of the Hyperloop will depart as often as the passenger only
version, but will accommodate 3 vehicles in addition to the passengers. All subsystems discussed
in the following sections are featured on both capsules. For travel at high speeds, the greatest
power requirement is normally to overcome air resistance. Aerodynamic drag increases with the
square of speed, and thus the power requirement increases with the cube of speed. For example,
to travel twice as fast a vehicle must overcome four times the aerodynamic resistance, and input
eight times the power. Just as aircraft climb to high altitudes to travel through less dense air,
Hyperloop encloses the capsules in a reduce pressure tube. The pressure of air in Hyperloop is
about 1/6 the pressure of the atmosphere on Mars. This is functioning at a pressure of 100
Pascals, which reduces the drag force of the air by 1,000 times relative to sea level conditions

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and would be equivalent to flying above 150,000 feet altitude. Despite the low pressure,
aerodynamic challenges must still be addressed. Close to the cities where more turns must be
navigated, capsules travel at a lower speed. This reduces the accelerations felt by the passengers,
and also reduces power requirements for the capsule. The capsules travel at 760 mph.

Fig 5: Hyperloop Conceptual System (Source: Vinay Pandey, 2017)

2.2. TUBE
Distinct features are:
a. 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.
b. Pylons are placed every 100 ft (30 m) to support the tube.
c. Solar arrays will cover the top of the tubes in order to provide power to the system.
The main Hyperloop route consists of a partially evacuated cylindrical tube that connects the Los
Angeles and San Francisco stations in a closed loop system. The tube is specifically sized for
optimal air flow around the capsule improving performance and energy consumption at the
expected travel speed. The expected pressure inside the tube will be maintained around 0.015 psi
(100 Pa, 0.75 torr), which is about 1/6 the pressure on Mars. This low pressure minimizes the
drag force on the capsule while maintaining the relative ease of pumping out the air from the
tube. Drag force is the other major force preventing objects from travelling at high speeds. The
reason the tube will not be a complete vacuum is due to cost and likelihood of leaks.

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Fig 6: Hyperloop capsule in tube cut away with attached solar arrays
(Source: www.wikipedia.com)
There are two tubes welded side by side, both unidirectional and opposite to each other, acting
just like highway. These tubes are theoretically meant to have vacuum inside them which should
remove any resistance offered by air in the direction where train is travelling, but still practically
vacuum cannot be achieved for such a long track. Thus, capsule consist of very low pressure air
which offers very negligible resistance. But low pressure air doesn’t solve the problem wholly.
While capsule is travelling, the air ahead of it get compressed and increase pressure offering
resistance to capsule giving rise to Kantrowitz limit, which can eventually stop the train but this
problem was solved by adding compressor fan on bow (front) of train.
In order to minimize cost of the Hyperloop tube, it will be elevated on pillars which greatly
reduce the footprint required on the ground and the size of the construction area required, similar
to monorail’s track. The Hyperloop travel journey will feel very smooth since the capsule will be
guided directly on the inner surface of the tube via the use of air bearings and suspension; this
also prevents the need for costly tracks. The capsule will bank off the walls and include a control
system for smooth returns to nominal capsule location from banking as well. Some specific
sections of the tube will incorporate the stationary motor element (stator) which will locally
guide and accelerate (or decelerate) the capsule.

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2.3 PROPULSION
The propulsion system has these basic requirements:
1. Accelerate the capsule from 0 to 300 mph (480 kph) 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 surrounding Los Angeles and San Francisco.
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 I- 5 corridor.
The Hyperloop is projected to consume an average of 28,000 hp (21 MW). This includes the
power needed to make up for propulsion motor efficiency (including elevation changes),
aerodynamic drag, charging the batteries to power on-board compressors, and vacuum pumps to
keep the tube evacuated. A solar array covering the entire Hyperloop is large enough to provide
an annual average of 76,000 hp (57 MW), significantly more than the Hyperloop requires. Since
the peak powers of accelerating and decelerating capsules are up to 3 times the average power,
the power architecture includes a battery array at each accelerator, allowing the solar array to
provide only the average power needed to run the system. Power from the grid is needed only
when solar power is not available.

Fig 7: Rotor and stator 3D diagram (Source: Vinay Pandey, 2016)

Hyperloop requires a propelling machine. And thus, linear induction motor is used in Hyperloop,
the same motor used in Tesla cars which in Hyperloop can produce velocity of 20000 meter per
second. The moving motor element (rotor) will be located on the vehicle for weight savings and

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power requirements while the tube will incorporate the stationary motor element (stator) which
powers the vehicle.
The Hyperloop uses a linear induction motor to accelerate and decelerate the capsule. This
provides several important benefits over a permanent magnet motor:
● Lower material cost
● The rotor can be a simple aluminum shape
● Does not require rare-earth elements
Each accelerator has two 65 MVA inverters, one to accelerate the outgoing capsule, and one to
capture the energy from the incoming capsule.
2.4. ROUTE
A number of routes have been proposed for Hyperloop systems that meet the approximate
distance conditions for which a Hyperloop is hypothesized to provide improved transport
times.There will be a station at Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Several stations along the way will be
possible with splits in the tube. HTT are also in process to sign a Letter of Intent with the Indian
Government for a proposed route between Chennai and Bengaluru. If things go as planned, the
distance of 345 km could be covered in 30 minutes.
The other components of Hyperloop are electromagnets to propel the train forward and a near
vacuum inside its tube. Electromagnets are current in use, known as maglev, in the fastest bullet
trains in the world. The difference would be that in Hyperloop the magnets are used only for
propulsion. This means that magnets will be needed in the walls of the tube at the very start and
about 70 miles to keep the train at its top speed. In total about 1% of the tube would need to be
made up of magnets. In addition to these aspects of the Hyperloop, safety and cost will also be
addressed in this study. The Hyperloop is sized to allow expansion as the network becomes
increasingly popular. The capacity would be on average 840 passengers per hour. In addition,
this accounts for 70% of those travelers to use the Hyperloop during rush hour. The lower cost of
traveling on Hyperloop is likely to result in increased demand, in which case the time between
capsule departures could be significantly shortened.

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Fig 8: Hyperloop passenger with its door open at the station

(Source: www.wikipedia.com)

Fig 9:Passengers may enter and exit Hyperloopat stations located either at the ends of the
tube, or branches along the length of the tube
(Source: www.wikipedia.com)

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3. HINDRANCE
The major theoretical hurdle for hyperloop is something called the Kantrowitz Limit. This talks
about the speed of projectiles as they move in a tube. A projectile in a tube has a minimum tube
to projectile ratio to move at a high speed efficiently. What this means is that if the walls of the
tube and the capsule are too close together, the capsule will behave like a syringe and eventually
be forced to push the entire column of air in the system. Luckily in 2013, Elon Musk proposed a
solution to this problem. The approach that inventor believed would overcome the Kantrowitz
limit is to mount an electric compressor fan on the nose of the pod that actively transfers high
pressure air from the front to the rear of the vessel. Moreover, this air could be used to create a
cushion for the train to glide on as it travels, known as an air bearing. The benefits to the air
bearing are that Hyperloop would not lose any energy to fighting friction.

Fig 10: Air Bearings (Source: Vinay Pandey,2017)

Fig 11: Compressor fan and Air Bearings

(Source: Vinay Pandey,2017)

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4. AERODYNAMIC SHAPE
Aerodynamic shape is very important in designing such a high speed system because it deals
with reducing drag and wind noise, minimizing noise emission and preventing undesired lift
forces and other causes of aerodynamic instability at high speeds. Air is also considered a fluid
in this case. Thus, the capsule design is made on the basis of bullet train in Japan and considering
the shape of dolphin. The extended surface at the front side helps to increase the air intake to the
suction fan, where the nozzle like structure at tail is helpful in releasing highly compressed air
with a great velocity to achieve thrust for propulsion.

5. MATERIAL SELECTION
The proposed material in an open source file regarding Hyperloop is Aluminum alloy and alloy
steel. But both the materials have their own advantages and disadvantages. Aluminum alloy has
the advantage that it has less weight but fails in strength parameter. Whereas alloy steel is fine
with strength but in not suitable because of its weight. A golden mean between these two
materials can be carbon fiber composite or carbon reinforced plastic. These two materials have a
very good strength with less weight and higher reliability.

Fig 12: Carbon Fibre Composite (Source:www.google.com)

6. SAFETY FEATURES AND RELIABILITY

6.1. AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM
Though we consider air conditioning system a luxury but for a system such as aero plane or
Hyperloop it is a necessary feature as the air available is very less and the pod is totally closed.
Therefore a system must be there for safety and comfort of passengers. As travelling in a pod

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inside a tube is just like flying in a plane so here the safety features are designed according to the
aero plane concerns. As one flies at higher altitude air become less dense that results in low
pressure than normal atmospheric pressure which can be very dangerous as it causes important
changes in body functions, thought processes, and the maintainable degree of consciousness. It
results in sluggish condition of mind and body because of insufficient oxygen which is called
hypoxia. Similar condition can arise in Hyperloop also.
This can be tackled either by increasing the pressure of the oxygen or increasing the quantity of
oxygen in the air mixture. Large transport-category and high performance passenger aircraft
pressurize the air in the cabin. This serves to push more of the normal 21 percent oxygen found
in the air into the blood for saturation. When utilized, the percentage of oxygen available for
breathing remains the same; only the pressure is increased. By increasing the quantity of
oxygen available in the lungs, less pressure is required to saturate the blood. This is the basic
function of an aircraft oxygen system.

Fig 13: Portable Oxygen Mask System

(Source: SaurabhJadav, 2016)
6.2 FIREWALL
A firewall is a fire resistant barrier used to prevent the spread of fire for a prescribed period of
time. Firewalls are built between or through buildings, structures, electrical substation
transformers, or within an aircraft or vehicle. They must be installed in Hyperloop in order to
protect passengers from fire hazard and noise.

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6.3 EMERGENCIES
Instead of using a big sliding door or a similar kind of solid valve, a high-pressure inflatable plug
could be used. It could be a textile closed shaped as a cylinder (imagine an inflatable Coke can,
with the same diameter of the tube) that could be stored in a relatively small pack (similar to the
ones that contain airplane slides or survival rafts) at the side or upper part of the tube, maybe
forming a package with the recompression valves.
All capsules would have direct radio contact with station operators in case of emergencies,
allowing passengers to report any incident, to request help and to receive assistance. In addition,
all capsules would be fitted with first aid equipment.
Hyperloop capsules will be designed to the highest safety standards and manufactured with
extensive quality checks to ensure their integrity. In the event of a minor leak, the onboard
environmental control system would maintain capsule pressure using the reserve air carried
onboard for the short period of time it will take to reach the destination. In the case of a more
significant depressurization, oxygen masks would be deployed as in airplanes. Once the capsule
reached the destination safely it would be removed from service. Safety of the onboard air supply
in Hyperloop would be very similar to aircraft, and can take advantage of decades of
development in similar systems.
Hyperloop would feature the same high level of security used at airports. However, the regular
departure of Hyperloop capsules would result in a steadier and faster flow of passengers through
security screening compared to airports. Tubes located on pylons would limit access to the
critical elements of the system. Multiple redundant power sources and vacuum pumps would
limit the impact of any single element.

7. POWER SOURCE

Hyperloop uses modern technology to solve problems but this technology requires abundant
power. The Tube’s roof is covered with solar panel throughout the track which produces more
energy than needed by whole hyperloop setup without consuming a drop of petrol, diesel or
kerosene. It is self-sufficient and environment friendly technology.

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Fig 14: Hyperloop Solar Panel

Source: (Vinay Pandey, 2017)
8. TUBE AND PYLON CONSTRUCTION
In tube designing the major factor is to tackle two different pressures one at outlet i.e.
atmospheric and other is low pressure maintained inside tube. A proper thickness, material and
perfect dimensions can be key to good design. The pylon design also involves cost, safety, and
strength. Any project this size will also incur a large real estate acquisition cost. To decrease
footprint, it is beneficial to reduce number of pylons, increase span between them and follow
safety codes and regulations.

Fig 15: Hyperloop Tube and Pylon

(Source: Musk Elon 2013)
9. EARTHQUAKES AND EXPANSION JOINTS
A ground based high speed rail system is susceptible to earthquakes and needs frequent
expansion joints to deal with thermal expansion/contraction and subtle, large scale land

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movement. But by building a system on pylons, where the tube is not rigidly fixed at any post,
you can dramatically mitigate the earthquake risk and avoid the need for expansion joints.

10. INVOLVEMENT OF COMPANIES

In a three-year period, two primary companies, HTT (Hyperloop Transportation Technologies)

and Hyperloop One, have started developing Hyperloop Technology for commercial use. HTT is
a company unlike most, as it is a volunteer team of engineers who are developing the technology
from crowd sourced funding. Currently, HTT has yet to test its products and plans to do so early
in 2017. However, their competitor Hyperloop One has already tested a prototype. They were
able to hit speeds over 100 mph in an open air-track. This may seem far from 760mph, but it is
important to note this was not in a near vacuum tube and the pod was not using air bearings.

11. CRITICISMS
There are two main criticisms of Hyperloop: It is only a good solution for intermediate distances
and the cost of development sounds far too optimistic. In principle hyperloop is not a
replacement for long distance air travel. It is best served as an intermediate transport system not
intended for distances over than 900 miles.
Another criticism is whether or not humans will be able to withstand its high speeds. This
question cannot be answered until true testing begins.Any engineering project requires
compromises, and taking on something as ambitious as the hyperloop requires more than most.
But it’s also a reminder of how much earth-shaking ideas can lose in translation. Like Tesla and
SpaceX before it, the existing hyperloop is an incredible achievement — but it’s not quite the
world-changing idea it seemed to be in 2013. The initial designs had obvious benefits over
existing tech: they were faster, cheaper, and more efficient than alternatives like high-speed rails.
Now, those benefits are less clear. It raises a tricky question for Hyperloop One and its
competitors: when the finished version finally does appear, will it be worth the effort?

12. COST

“Hyperloop Alpha” suggests fares of $20 for the San Francisco the Los Angeles route which
would apparently be used to cover operating expenses. However, this research has not found any

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sources providing estimates of operating costs for the system. A presentation made by an HT
executive cited $10 to $15 for a route linking Abu Dhabi to Dubai. However, that presentation
seemed to indicate that fare amount was a price point which the market could bear.

Table 1: Hyperloop Cost

(Source: www.slideshare.com)

COMPONENT COST (Million USD)

Capsule 54 (40 capsules)

Capsule structure & doors 9.8

Interiors & seats 10.2

Compressor & plumbing 11

Batteries and Electronics 6

Propulsion 5

Suspension & Air bearings 8

Components assembly 4

Tube 5,410

Tube construction 650

Pylon construction 2550

Tunnel construction 600

Propulsion 140

Solar panels & batteries 210

Station & Vacuum pumps 260

Permits & lands 1000

Cost Margin 536

Total 6000

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13. TEST RUN

Fig 16: A finished capsule (Source: www.cnn.com)

The Hyperloop is one step closer to completing its transition from concept to reality after a
successful, though limited, full-scale test run by Hyperloop One. Using magnetic levitation and
propelled by electrical charges, the test sled coasted through the Hyperloop tube for 5.3 seconds.
The company said it hit nearly 2Gs of acceleration and a speed of 70 miles per hour during the
run. Hyperloop One said the next phase of testing will target speeds up to 250 mph and feature
the company's first passenger pod gliding through the Hyperloop over a greater distance.
While Hyperloop One has announced several potential routes around the world and many
governments have expressed interest in the new form of transportation, the company has yet to
formally break ground on the first Hyperloop route. “Hyperloop One has accomplished what no
one has done before by successfully testing the first full-scale Hyperloop system. By achieving
full vacuum, we essentially invented our own sky in a tube, as if you’re flying at 200,000 feet in
the air,” said ShervinPishevar, co-founder and Executive Chairman of Hyperloop One. “For the
first time in over 100 years, a new mode of transportation has been introduced. Hyperloop is real,
and it’s here now.”

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Fig 17: A test run (Source: www.cnn.com)

15. PRESENT WORK

Presently the idea of hyperloop was proposed for route between San Francisco, California and
Los Angeles in 35 minutes. Hyperloop One has asked Indians to pick one from the five proposed
routes. The proposed routes include Delhi-Mumbai, Mumbai-Chennai, Bengaluru-Trivandrum,
Bengaluru-Chennai and Mumbai-Kolkata. They are also evaluating the Dubai to Abu Dhabi
Route. It is assumed that the 140 km route shall be covered in 12 minutes.

16. FUTURE SCOPE

Hyperloop is a newborn technology. Thus, Technology welcomes further development for
inventors. Hyperloop also conducted a worldwide competition for building it which would award
by building hyperloop in winning nation.
● Power requirement calculations and cost estimation of power source
● Station designs.
● Passenger capacity improvement.
● Safety features improvement along with better travelling experience.

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17. CONCLUSIONS
Alon Levy, a Transportation Engineer says “If Musk really found a way to build viaducts for $5
million per kilometer, this is a huge thing for civil engineering in general and he should
announce this in the most general context of urban transportation, rather than the niche of
intercity transportation” .
The promise that Hyperloop holds for Engineers and mankind alike:Engineers around the world
should rejoice at the prospect of Hyperloop. Hyperloop would create engineering jobs around the
country, while allowing them to still be on the forefront of advanced technology. Hyperloop
could improve the lives of regular people. Hyperloop offers the most benefit to society as a
whole due to its ability to improve our transportation pitfalls while simultaneously cutting down
on road and airport congestion. In addition, groups of people around the world who do not have
easy access to intermediate distances will also benefit. Moreover, Hyperloop is almost entirely
powered by renewable energy. Lastly this is an inherently safe system. The pod cannot derail
since it is inside a tube.
One of the greatest inventions of the 19th century was evolved by the Wright Brothers. The
wright brothers wouldn’t have known any success if it wasn’t for their repeated and painful
failures. It took the self-taught engineers years and numerous attempts to get anywhere close to
powered flight. With crumbling infrastructure around the world, it is ridiculous to think that the
cities of the future should be built with the technology of the past. Hyperloop promises fast, safe,
cheap and reliable transportation. Hyperloop has a unique set of drawbacks: it has a large initial
investment and the impact of its speeds on humans have yet to be tested.
A. P.J. Abdul Kalam once said “India should walk on her own shadow- we must have our own
development model”. With this opportunity to change the future of travel for many people why
not give hyperloop a chance?

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