The idea of a vacuum train was first expressed by Robert Goddard in 1909 in Scientific American. He proposed to organize the movement of cars in a vacuum tube based on magnetic levitation. The world's first experiments with the movement of a body in a vacuum tube due to an electromagnetic field were staged in the 1910s by the Russian professor Boris Weinberg. However, they were soon suspended due to the First World War. Subsequently, experiments were carried out in Germany, Japan, Switzerland and England, and in 2012, Elon Musk presented the Hyperloop project, which is also still under development. In addition to SpaceX, Virgin Hyperloop One and Hyperloop Transportation Technologies are working on the vacuum train. How the vacuum train will work - more on that in today's issue!
The Hyperloop is a closed elevated highway in the form of two parallel pipes that connect at the end points of the route. Inside, single capsules 25-30 meters long will move in one direction at a speed of 480 to 1220 km / h. According to the project, the intervals of movement will be only 30 seconds. The engineers have developed two versions of the system - passenger and passenger-cargo. In the first variant, the pipe diameter will be 2.2 meters, and the capsule will accommodate 28 people. In the second, it is proposed to use a pipeline with a diameter of 3.3 meters, and in the capsules, in addition to people, place up to three cars.
It's worth noting that the Hyperloop is not actually a fully vacuum train. Forvakkum (with a pressure of 100 Pascal) is quite enough, which is supported by pumps of moderate power and pipe walls made of ordinary steel with a thickness of 20-25 mm.
Moreover, according to the calculations, the capsules at high speeds will all collide with the incoming air masses. It was decided to use them to create an air cushion: nozzles located in the nose of the capsule will redirect the oncoming air flow under the bottom. Thus, there is no need to use a more expensive magnetic cushion.
The capsule will be driven by a linear electric motor. The stator will be an aluminum rail 15 meters long on the bottom of the pipe, which will be repeated every 110 kilometers. The rotor will be in each capsule, while the required constant power is only 100 kilowatts. Since the stator performs not only acceleration, but also deceleration, in the latter case, the kinetic energy of the capsule will be converted into electrical energy.
In case of depressurization, an electric compressor will be provided in the nose of the capsule, accumulating compressed air on board. In addition, 1.5 tons of batteries will be placed in the capsules, the charge of which will be enough for 45 minutes to get to the nearest station in case of power outages.
Promotional video:
It is worth noting that Virgin Hyperloop One and Hyperloop Transportation Technologies are considering using magnetic levitation instead of an air cushion, which will increase the cost of creating a line of vacuum trains, but minimize possible control problems. This does not mean active levitation, as in Maglev, but passive. It involves the movement of permanent magnets over a conductive surface.
Currently, various companies are actively testing vacuum trains. So in December last year, Virgin Hyperloop One was able to accelerate its capsule to a record speed of 387 km / h at the moment. The first lines of vacuum trains may appear in India, the USA, the United Arab Emirates and South Korea.