HYPERLOOP
SREE VENKATESWARA COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
M. Prudhvi
mullapudiprudhvi007@gmail.com
15JN1A04H5, ECE.
ABSTRACT :
What is Hyperloop?
Hyperloop is a proposed system of transport that
would see pods or containers travel at high speeds
through a tube that has been pumped into a near-
vacuum. The train pods would either float using
magnetic levitation technology or float using air
caster "skis", similar to how pucks travel across an
air hockey table.
[fig: Hyperloop – early designs – spaceX]
With so little friction in the tunnel, the pods would
be able to travel at immense speeds with a
projected top speeds of 760mph.
The pod would initially launch using an electric
motor before levitation takes place and the pod can
glide at cruising speed in the low-pressure
environment. Tunnels for the Hyperloop would be
built either above or below ground, at only around
3m in diameter, taking up a smaller ground
footprint than traditional rail and road.
Hyperloop as an idea
B.Vijaya Bhaskar
vijaybhaskar4me@gmail.com
15JN1A04H6, ECE.
[fig: Virgin’s Hyperloop one - prototype]
The idea of travelling through a vacuum tube and
been around for more than 100 years. In fact, some
of the very first underground railways in the UK
ran using an air pressure system. But the current
idea for the Hyperloop came from Elon Musk, the
entepreneur behind PayPal, Tesla and SpaceX in
2012.
Speaking at an event in California, he proposed a
system of transport that would be immune to
weather, twice the speed of a plane and have a
lower power consumption.
Musk claimed high-speed rail was too expensive
and too slow in a paper he released in 2013. For
distances of around 900 miles, a Hyperloop tube
would be a more efficient means of transporting
people and transport, he claimed.
Hyperloop Developers
There have been several companies looking to
create the first commercial Hyperloop and
competitions to develop the technology that will
make the transport system a reality.
Space X has held initial design competitions for
teams to build and test pods which could be used
on the Hyperloop. Running since 2015, there have
been more than 1,000 team entries to the
competition to work on system, including a team
from the University of Edinburgh which has
reached the finals, to be held in August.
Since the launch of the competition, companies
have joined the race to develop the technology. The
main runners include Hyperloop Transportation
Technologies and Hyperloop One.
WORKING
Hyperloop has four key features.
1) The passenger capsules aren't propelled by air
pressure like in vacuum tubes, but by two
electromagnetic motors. It is aimed to travel at a
top speed of 760 miles per hour.
2) The tube tracks do have a vacuum, but not
completely free of air. Instead, they have low
pressure air inside of them.
Most things moving through airtubes will end up
compressing the air in the front thus, providing a
cushion of air that slows the object down. But the
hyperloop will feature a compressor fan in the front
of the capsule. The compressor fan can redirect air
to the back of the capsule, but mostly air will be
sent to the air bearings.
3) Air bearings are ski like paddles that levitate the
capsules above the surface of the tube to reduce
friction.
4) The tube track is designed to be immune to
weather and earthquakes. They are also designed to
be self-powering and unobstructive. The pillars that
raise the tube above the ground have a small foot-
print that can sway in the case of an earthquake.
Each of the tube sections can move around flexibly
of the train ships because there isn't a constant track
that capsules rely on.
And solar panels on the top the track supply power
to the periodic motors.
With these innovations and completely automated
departure system, Elon Musk's dreams of the
Hyperloop being the fastest, safest and the most
convenient form of travel in the world.
TRACKS - TESTING PHASE
There are tests already underway in Nevada from
Hyperloop One, which built a 500m test track to
launch its first pod. But the first Hyperloop may not
be built in the US, as initial routes first suggested
by Musk from Los Angeles to San Francisco have
failed to take off.
Much of the demand for Hyperloop development
and testing has come from outside of the US. The
Netherlands and Finland in Europe have expressed
interest as becoming the next locations for testing
tracks by Hyperloop One. Dubai and Abu
Dhabi are also in the mix, as Dubai's DP World
group is a major investor in the technology.
Other proposed routes include a Hyperloop that
would cut the time from London to Edinburgh to
50 minutes, while other speculated routes include
several US Hyperloops and an Indian track.
TRACKS PLANNED AROUND THE
WORLD BY DIFFERENT COMPANIES
Hyperloop One
 Estonia-Finland, 56 miles
 Vienna-Budapest, 150 miles
 The Netherlands, 266 miles
 Corsica-Sardinia, 280 miles
 Helsinki-Stockholm, 300 miles
 Liverpool-Glasgow, 339 miles
 Spain-Morocco, 391 miles
 London-Edinburgh, 414 miles
 Poland, 415 miles
 Cardiff-Glasgow, 657 miles
 Germany round trip, 1,237 miles
 Five proposed routes in India
 11 other proposed routes in the US
Hyperloop Transport Technologies
 Brno-Bratislava, 80 miles
 Abu Dhabi-Al Ain, 107 miles
SpaceX/Elon Musk
 San Francisco-Los Angeles, 380 miles
How much will it cost?
One of the main points stressed by Hyperloop
converts is the potential cost saving of the
technology. Compared to high-speed rail travel,
Hyperloops potentially need far less ground space
to construct their tunnels and far less energy to
transport the pods than conventional trains.
Musk projected that his proposed Los Angeles
route would cost around $6bn, or $11.5m per mile,
compared to $68bn for a high-speed rail link.
However, leaked documents from Hyperloop One
suggested even a shorter 107-mile loop in
California would still cost up to $13bn, or $121m
per mile.
Musk’s vision for Hyperloop by 2021
In 2017, Hyperloop One began some of its first
tests on the new technology, firing its pod down a
500m test track in Nevada which saw the module
reach 70mph in 5.3 seconds.
The company's lofty ambitions include having three
functioning Hyperloop systems in service by 2021.
If the developers can keep to their schedule the first
Hyperloop could be ready sooner than you think.
SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths
 Reduced travel time
With average speeds of 970 kmph and top
speeds of 1200 kmph, distances could be
covered in minutes.
 Less expensive and easier to build
a Hyperloop between Stockholm and
Helsinki would cost $21 bn whereas the
California high-speed rail project is
pegged at $64 bn.
Weaknesses
 Safety and security
Unlike bullet trains, jets which have past
precedents such as a regular train or a
commercial aeroplane, the Hyperloop has
no semblance with any means of
transportation from our present or past.
 Higher initial ticket costs
For the initial few years, the cost of a
ticket may be significantly higher than an
airfare or a train fare. It will definitely take
some time for this mode of transport to get
mainstream and prices to come to sane
levels.
CONCLUSION
The futuristic transport system Hyperloop has come
a long way since entrepreneur Elon
Musk proposed a "fifth mode of transport" in 2012.
The concept, in which commuters are whisked
through a tube at speeds in excess of 700mph, has
developed rapidly with inventors and investors
giving their backing.
While it may have seemed like fantasy, and there
are still lots of reasons to be skeptical about this
"future of transport", plans for Hyperloop and the
companies behind it are making progress towards
their first operational tunnels.
REFERENCES
1. “Our story- CEO Rob Lloyd”
https://hyperloop-one.com/
2. “Hyperloop will be the future of transport”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology
3. “Virgin hyperloop promises route from mumbai
to pune”
http://www.firstpost.com/tech/