International Journal of Innovations & Advancement in Computer Science

IJIACS
ISSN 2347 – 8616
Volume 7, Issue 1
January 2018

Overview of Hyperloop: Transportation 5.0

Sumanth Nalam
Pragati Engineering College
Vasudheswari Medepalli
Pragati Engineering College
Rama Satyanarayana Motukuri
Pragati Engineering College

ABSTRACT- Transportation has become the main criteria for human existence.The four conventional modes of
transportation rail, road, water, and air. But every mode of transportation has its own pros and cons. Road ways are
cheap but not efficient for long journeys. Waterways are also cheap but comparatively the slowest of all modes of
transportations. Rail ways are comparatively costlier and faster than those two but can’t connect longer distances.
Coming to the airways the costliest and fastest means of transport but not suitable for all people. There came a new era
in transportationHyperloop. It is anew mode of transport that seeks to change this by beingboth fast and inexpensive for
people and goods. It is generally termed as the fifth generation of transport or transportation 5.0. The description is
totally about the overview of Hyperloop starting with its introduction, then working, pros and cons, future scope and
finally conclusion.
KEYWORDS: (Hyperloop,Transportation)

1.INTRODUCTION:
Hyperloop is a proposed mode of freight transportation, first used to describe an open-source vacuum tube
train design released by a joint team from Tesla and SpaceX as shown in figure 1.Drawing heavily
from Robert Goddard's vacuum tube train, Hyperloop comprises a sealed tube or system of tubes through
which a pod may travel free of air resistance or friction conveying people or objects at high speed while being
very efficient.

Fig.1: The sketch of Hyperloop

Elon Musk's version of the concept, first publicly mentioned in 2012,incorporates reduced-pressure tubes in
which pressurized capsules ride on air bearings driven by linear induction motors and air compressors.
The Hyperloop Alpha concept was first published in August 2013, proposing and examining a route running
from the Los Angeles region to the San Francisco Bay Area roughly following the Interstate 5 corridor. The

135 Sumanth Nalam, Vasudheswari Medepalli, Rama Satyanarayana Motukuri

 International Journal of Innovations & Advancement in Computer Science
IJIACS
ISSN 2347 – 8616
Volume 7, Issue 1
January 2018

paper conceived of a Hyperloop system that would propel passengers along the 350-mile (560 km) route at an
average speed of around 600 mph (970 km/h), with a top speed of 760 mph (1,200 km/h), allowing for a travel
time of 35 minutes, which is considerably faster than current rail or air travel times.

2.WORKING [3][4]
Developments in high-speed rail have historically been impeded by the difficulties in
managing friction and air resistance, both of which become substantial when vehicles approach high speeds.
The vactrain concept theoretically eliminates these obstacles by employing magnetically levitating trains
in evacuated or partly evacuated tubes, allowing for speeds of thousands of miles per hour. The Hyperloop
resembles a vactrain system but operates at approximately one millibar (100 Pa) of pressure.
Hyperloop has four key features as shown in figure 2
 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.
 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 air tubes 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.

Fig.2: Features of Hyperloop

 Air bearings are ski like paddles that levitate the capsules above the surface of the tube to reduce
friction.
 The tube track is designed to be immune to weather and earthquakes. They are also designed to be
self-powering and unobstructed. The pillars that rise 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.
2A. INITIAL DESIGN CONCEPT [7]
The Hyperloop concept operates by sending specially designed "Capsules" or "pods" through a steel tube
maintained at a partial vacuum. Each capsule floats on a 0.02–0.05 in (0.5–1.3 mm) layer of air provided
under pressure to air-caster "skis", like how pucks are suspended in an air hockey table, while still allowing
for speeds that wheels cannot sustain. With rolling resistance eliminated and air resistance greatly reduced, the

136 Sumanth Nalam, Vasudheswari Medepalli, Rama Satyanarayana Motukuri

 International Journal of Innovations & Advancement in Computer Science
IJIACS
ISSN 2347 – 8616
Volume 7, Issue 1
January 2018

capsules can glide for the bulk of the journey. Anelectrically driven inlet fan and air compressor would be
placed at the nose of the capsule to "actively transfer high-pressure air from the front to the rear of the vessel,"
resolving the problem of air pressure building in front of the vehicle, slowing it down. A fraction of the air is
shunted to the skis for additional pressure, augmenting that gain passively from lift due to their shape.
2B. PRINCIPLE [8]
The principle of Hyperloop is that it is levitated and propelled forward using powerful electromagnets as
initial thrust and suction of air that is shown in figure 3.
Hyperloop uses a custom electric motor to accelerate and decelerate a levitated pod through a low-pressure
tube. The vehicle will glide silently for miles with no turbulence.

Fig.3: Principle of Hyperloop

1.Propulsion
 The pod has a front mounted compressor, which scoops all the air it encounters and redirects it behind the
capsule. Before the air exits the back of the pod, it is expanded with a nozzle.
 This expansion process creates the thrust it needs as well as allows the pod to move through the tube with
little to no friction at high speeds.
2.Levitation
 The pod design has individual passive magnets paired with electromagnets that are strategically
positioned on top of the pod. These electromagnets allow individual fine control of the repulsion and
attraction of the magnets
 The pod therefore hangs from the top of the tube without the use of any external aids.
3.Structure
 The structure and design of the Hyperloop pod is heavily constricted by the tube through which it travels.
 To occupy the maximum possible volume the pod is shaped like the tube. Its length is calculated so that it
is approximately if the foundations holding the tube upright.
2C.PARTS OF HYPERLOOP [1][2]
1.Low Pressure Tubeshown in figure 4.
 Made of steel or a material made with mixture of glass and fiber which has little elasticity property.
 The pressure in the tube is around 100 Pascal.

137 Sumanth Nalam, Vasudheswari Medepalli, Rama Satyanarayana Motukuri

 International Journal of Innovations & Advancement in Computer Science
IJIACS
ISSN 2347 – 8616
Volume 7, Issue 1
January 2018

 Pylons are placed every 30m to support the tube.

Fig.4: Low pressure tubes of Hyperloop.

2.Capsuleis shown in figure5
 Sealed capsules carry around 30 passengers.
 The capsules are supported via thrust air bearing that operate using a compressed air reservoir and
aerodynamic lift.

Fig.5: Capsule of Hyperloop

3.Airlock Systemis shown in figure 6
 The tube has lower pressure than the Hyperloop station.
 To maintain this pressure as required, airlocks system is introduced.
 The passenger entry system also is based on these AIRLOCKS.

Fig.6: Airlock System in Hyperloop

4.Electromagnetic Launchshown in figure 7
 Each system has two 65 MVA invertors.
 Inexpensive semiconductor switches allow the central inverters to energize only the section of track
occupied by a capsule.
 Provides initial thrust for the Hyperloop.

138 Sumanth Nalam, Vasudheswari Medepalli, Rama Satyanarayana Motukuri

 International Journal of Innovations & Advancement in Computer Science
IJIACS
ISSN 2347 – 8616
Volume 7, Issue 1
January 2018

Fig.7: Electromagnetic launch in Hyperloop

5.Axial Compressorshown in figure 8
 Air is compressed, and some air is stored for passengers and air bearing.
 An onboard water tank cools the air.
 This compressed air is also used for deceleration of the pod.

Fig.8: Axial Compressor of Hyperloop

6.Suspensionshown in figure 9
 Thrust air bearings offer stability and extremely low drag.
 Independent mechanical suspension is provided for smooth ride for passengers.
 This suspension also provides the Hyperloop aerodynamic lift (0.5mm to 1.3mm).

Fig.9: Suspension in Hyperloop

2D.POWER SOURCE OF THE HYPERLOOP
 The Hyperloop uses 100% sustainable energy system.
 The Solar Energy is trapped by panels on the upper part of the tube.
 The most interesting part is that it converts kinetic energy which is produced during decelerationto
restore extra energy and to recharge batteries.

139 Sumanth Nalam, Vasudheswari Medepalli, Rama Satyanarayana Motukuri

 International Journal of Innovations & Advancement in Computer Science
IJIACS
ISSN 2347 – 8616
Volume 7, Issue 1
January 2018

 IT PRODUCES MORE ENERGY THAN IT CONSUMES as shown in figure 10

Fig.10: Energy consumption bar graph

3.PROSshown in figure 11
 Fast, efficient and cheap to operate.
 Low power consumption.
 Hyperloops tubes are protected from the weather, birds, objects on railroad tracks.
 Uses Solar Energy for power.

Fig.11: Advantages of Hyperloop

 Open-sourced, encouraging others to take the ideas and further develop them.
 Reduced freight costs and times.
 Average speed is 600 mph (970 km/h), with a top speed of 760 mph (1,200 km/h).
 Automation reduces the risk of human error.
 Promotes economic growth around the Hyperloop route.

140 Sumanth Nalam, Vasudheswari Medepalli, Rama Satyanarayana Motukuri

 International Journal of Innovations & Advancement in Computer Science
IJIACS
ISSN 2347 – 8616
Volume 7, Issue 1
January 2018

 In the event of equipment or electrical failure, the system comes to a stop but does not fall from the
sky.

4.CONS:
 Vibration and jostling caused by high speeds.
 High cost of development and construction.
 Potential for rapid decompression of the tube or passenger space.
 People will not be able to move freely during travel.
 No sharp curves or abrupt height changes in the route.
 Unproven system.
 Susceptible to disruption from earthquakes, power outages or terror attacks.

5.FUTURE SCOPE:
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
more than 700mphone can see the time factors of different transportation in figure 12, has developed rapidly
with inventors and investors giving their backing.

Fig.12: Comparison of time factors of various transportation medium with Hyperloop

While it may have seemed like fantasy, and there are still lots of reasons to be sceptical about this "future of
transport", plans for Hyperloop and the companies behind it are making progress towards their first
operational tunnels.
5A.PROPOSED ROUTES [5][6]
Several routes are proposed for Hyperloop systems that meet the approximate distance conditions for which a
Hyperloop is hypothesized to provide improved transport times. Route proposals range from speculation
described in company releases cases to signed agreements.
The route suggested in the 2013 alpha-level design document was from the Greater Los Angeles Area to the
San Francisco Bay Area.Hyperloop One published the world's first detailed business case for a 500kmroute
between Helsinki and Stockholm, which would connect the two capitals in under 30 minutes. Hyperloop one

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 International Journal of Innovations & Advancement in Computer Science
IJIACS
ISSN 2347 – 8616
Volume 7, Issue 1
January 2018

on November 8, 2016 announced a new feasibility study with Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority for
passenger and freight routes connecting Dubai with the greater United Arab Emirates. In September 2017,
Hyperloop one selected 10 routes from 35 of the strongest proposals: Toronto-Montreal, Cheyenne-Denver-
Pueblo, Miami-Orlando, Dallas-Laredo-Houston, Chicago-Columbus-Pittsburgh, Mexico City-Guadalajara,
Edinburgh-London, Glasgow-Liverpool, Bengaluru-Chennai and Mumbai-Chennai.
Trans Pod is exploring the possibility of Hyperloop routes which would connect Toronto and Montreal,
Toronto to Windsor, and Calgary to Edmonton. Toronto and Montreal, the largest cities in Canada, are
currently connected by the Highway 401, the busiest highway in North America.
Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) reportedly signed an agreement with the government of
Slovakia in March 2016 to perform impact studies, with potential links between Bratislava, Vienna and
Budapest, but there have been no developments on that since. In January 2017, HTT signed an agreement to
explore the route Bratislava—Brno—Prague in Central Europe.

Fig.13: Hyperloop route for India

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.
Indore-based Dinclix GroundWorks' DGWHyperloop advocates a Hyperloop corridor between Mumbai and
Delhi, passing via Indore, Kota and Jaipur.HTT also signed an agreement with Andhra Pradesh government
to build India's first Hyperloop project connecting Amaravati to Vijayawada in a 6-min ride where the total
route is shown in figure 13.
5B.HYPERLOOPONE [10]
 Liverpool-Glasgow, 339 miles  Cardiff-Glasgow, 657 miles
 Estonia-Finland, 56 miles  Helsinki-Stockholm, 300 miles
 London-Edinburgh, 414 miles  Germany round trip, 1,237 miles
 Vienna-Budapest, 150 miles  Poland, 415 miles
 The Netherlands, 266 miles  Five proposed routes in India
 Spain-Morocco, 391 miles  11 other proposed routes in the US
[9]
5C.OPEN-SOURCE DESIGN EVOLUTION
In September 2013, Ansys Corporation ran computational fluid dynamics simulations to model the
aerodynamics of the capsule and shear stress forces that the capsule would be subjected to. The simulation
showed that the capsule design would need to be significantly reshaped to avoid creating supersonic airflow,
and that the gap between the tube wall and capsule would need to be larger.
In October 2013, the development team of the Open MDAO software framework released an unfinished,
conceptual open-source model of parts of the Hyperloop's propulsion system. The team asserted that the

142 Sumanth Nalam, Vasudheswari Medepalli, Rama Satyanarayana Motukuri

 International Journal of Innovations & Advancement in Computer Science
IJIACS
ISSN 2347 – 8616
Volume 7, Issue 1
January 2018

model demonstrated the concept's feasibility, although the tube would need to be 13 feet (4 m) in diameter,
significantly larger than originally projected. However, the team's model is not a true working model of the
propulsion system, as it did not account for a wide range of technological factors required to physically
construct a Hyperloop based on Musk's concept, and had no significant estimations of component weight.
In January 2015, a paper based on the NASA Open MDAO open-source model reiterated the need for a larger
diameter tube and a reduced cruise speed closer to Mach 0.85. It recommended removing on-board heat
exchangers based on thermal models of the interactions between the compressor cycle, tube, and ambient
environment. The compression cycle would only contribute 5% of the heat added to the tube, with 95% of the
heat attributed to radiation and convection into the tube. The weight and volume penalty of on-board heat
exchangers would not be worth the minor benefit, and regardless the steady-state temperature in the tube
would only reach 30–40 °F (17–22 °C) above ambient temperature.
According to Musk, various aspects of the Hyperloop have technology applications to other Musk interests,
including surface transportation on Mars and electric jet propulsion.
5D. MARS
According to Musk, Hyperloop would be useful on Mars as no tubes would be needed because Mars
atmosphere is about 1% the density of the Earth's at sea level. For the Hyperloop concept to work on Earth,
low-pressure tubes are required to reduce air resistance. However, if they were to be built on Mars, the lower
air resistance would allow a Hyperloop to be created with no tube, only a track.

6.CONCLUSION:
21st century had seen and to be seen many discoveries and inventions in which the Hyperloop will be the
placed in the top of it as it serves the man kind to their needs. Since it is a growing technology the existence of
this technology can be seen in near 5-10 years and future generations could use them as a metro. The fast,
cheap, best, safe and silent journey would be the Hyperloop. Many investments have been undergone for this
technology and its future is as bright as a star. The total overview of Hyperloop is shown in figure 14.
“HYPERLOOP WILL BE THE REVOLUTION IN TRANSPORTATION AS IT IS THE NEWS.”

Fig.14: Total overview of Hyperloop

143 Sumanth Nalam, Vasudheswari Medepalli, Rama Satyanarayana Motukuri

 International Journal of Innovations & Advancement in Computer Science
IJIACS
ISSN 2347 – 8616
Volume 7, Issue 1
January 2018

7.REFERENCE
Scientific Journals
[1] Ahmed Hodaib, Samar, et al, international journal of mechanical, aerospace, industrial, mechatronics and
manufacturing engineering Vol:10 No:5, (May 2016)
[2] Chin, Jeffrey C.; Gray, Justin S.; Jones, Scott M.; Breton, Jeffrey J. (January 2015). Open-Source Conceptual Sizing
Models for the Hyperloop Passenger Pod (PDF). 56th AIAA/ASCE/AHS/ASC Structures, Structural Dynamics, and
Materials Conference. January 5–9, 2015. Kissimmee, Florida. doi:10.2514/6.2015-1587.
[3] Paper by Mark Sakowski, “The Next Contender in High Speed Transport Elon Musks Hyperloop”, 2016
[4] N. Kayela, editor of scientific and technical department, “Hyperloop: A Fifth Mode of Transportation”, 2014
[5] Musk, Elon (August 12, 2013). "Hyperloop Alpha"(PDF). SpaceX. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
[6] G.M. Bartenev, V.V. Lavrentev, Friction and wear ofpolymers (Trenie I iznospolimerov), Leningrad,Khimia, 1972,
240 с. (in Russian).
[7] Knapman J. Space Elevator Stage I // 62nd InternationalAstronautical Congress. — Cape Town, South Africa,3–7
October, 2011.

Web Reference
[8] Compressor:https://patrickenewman.files.wordpress.com/2016/03
[9] Tubehttps://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb
[10] SpaceX, “Hyperloop Alpha,” SpaceX. http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/hyperloop_alpha.pdf , 2013.

144 Sumanth Nalam, Vasudheswari Medepalli, Rama Satyanarayana Motukuri