Much of the mobile equipment on display at Conexpo/IFPE, and their underlying fluid-power systems, revolve around building and maintaining things like housing, roads and bridges. But an unusual—some call it outlandish— infrastructure project that’s under development is Hyperloop.
This novel passenger transportation system will be the focus of several Tech Talks at the Tech Experience area in the Silver Lot.
Hyperloop was initially envisioned by SpaceX founder Elon Musk in 2012. It will be designed to carry people and freight at high speeds over long distances by shooting pod-like vehicles through evacuated steel tubes. Hyperloop will work a bit like the familiar pneumatic tubes used at bank drive-up windows. But the propulsion system will be different and the overall level of technical sophistication will be much more advanced.
Magnetically levitated pods will be propelled by linear electric motors and move at speeds above 600 mph (1,000 km/hr). Most of the air in the steel tubes will be removed to eliminate turbulence and aerodynamic drag.
The original concept envisioned running pods from Los Angeles to San Francisco in about 35 minutes, at prices approaching bus fare. While that hasn’t gotten off the ground, yet, the L.A.-based company Hyperloop One opened a manufacturing facility in North Las Vegas last year, and testing of the system is slated to begin shortly.
One important technical aspect of Hyperloop is the vacuum system. According to the company, the tubes will be kept at low pressure, around 100 pascals or 1 mbar. That’s about one one-thousandth of normal air pressure at sea level. A higher vacuum would further decrease drag and permit even faster speeds, but that would be extremely expensive and difficult to maintain. Over hundreds of miles of tubes, it’s reasonable to expect leaks and even occasional breaks, according to officials. But that only means the vehicles slow down or the vacuum pumps require more power.
Hyperloop is also designed to be safer and more reliable than maglev or high-speed rail. The tubes will be built on columns or tunneled below ground to avoid dangerous grade crossings. It’s fully autonomous, thus eliminating driver error, and has redundant emergency braking systems. And it’s relatively unaffected by extreme weather.
Hyperloop One says it is considering roll-out of commercial systems at locations in the U.S. and elsewhere. Construction is underway on its full-scale Development Loop in the Nevada desert, which will test all the sub-systems including the pods, tube and vacuum system, as well as levitation, propulsion and braking. Assuming successful validation of the technology during tests scheduled for 2017, the next steps will include building larger facilities and obtaining international safety certifications. According to the company, the goal is to have three systems in service by 2021.
On Friday, March 10 at 9:30 a.m. at Conexpo’s Tech Experience, Wayne Rapp, Director of Manufacturing for Hyperloop One, will present “What is the Hyperloop?” He’ll give an overview of how the company hopes to reinvent transportation and move cargo and passengers immediately, safely, efficiently, and sustainably. Among the topics Rapp will discuss:
- A quick history and how it works.
- What we’re building and where.
- When do I get to ride one?
A related talk, “The Hyperloop Race,” is scheduled for Friday, March 10 at 1:37 p.m. and will repeat on Saturday at 10:36 a.m. Participants in a recent futuristic competition will offer their take on this novel mode of transport.
SpaceX, the company that designs, manufactures and launches rockets and spacecraft, held a competition to encourage students and engineers to develop prototype Hyperloop pods. To test these prototypes, SpaceX built a one-mile test track in Hawthorne, California. On January 29, teams brought their completed pods to SpaceX’s Hyperloop test track. This talk will explain the processes for developing a Hyperloop pod, the design challenges, what the competition was like, and what’s next. Carnegie Mellon, University of Florida, and Virginia Tech are the representing schools.
Filed Under: Pneumatic Tips, Slider