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The Hyperloop system offers revolutionary transportation, aiming for near-sonic speeds in a low-pressure environment. The aerodynamic design challenges of multiple vehicles in a confined tube remain largely unexplored, particularly regarding vehicle spacing and suspension gaps. This study investigates a jet-propelled, multi-vehicle Hyperloop system using Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations and the k − ω turbulence model. Analysis of suspension gaps and vehicle spacing on drag and thrust revealed that suspension gaps cause significant jet deflection, reducing effective thrust and increasing drag. It was found that vehicle suspension, with a 75 mm suspension gap, increased drag by 58% at Mach 0.7 compared to the unsuspended configuration. Meanwhile, smaller vehicle spacing ( X v = 0.25 L v ) reduced the drag by up to 50%, enhancing system efficiency. The results emphasize the need to address the effect of jet deflection and optimize vehicle spacing for maximum energy savings. These findings offer valuable insights for enhancing aerodynamic performance in multi-vehicle Hyperloop systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperloop is proposed as the next generation of sustainable high-speed transport. Recently, an increasing body of literature has been amassed on Hyperloop aerodynamics, however, the vast majority of this work is numerical. Experimentally, there are few relevant studies and none are suitable for validating computational approaches. This paper presents three benchmark cases to provide a framework for computational research and to address this significant gap. Benchmark 1 provides experimental data from existing work on a projectile traveling at Mach 1.1 in ground effect. This incorporates many of the flow characteristics of a Hyperloop system, including (i) transonic Mach numbers, (ii) wall confinement, and (iii) shock formation/reflection. These experimental data are compared to Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations with a very good match seen. Next, Benchmark 2 is proposed which extends these simulations toward a baseline Hyperloop pod design operating in an axisymmetric low-pressure tube environment. This is achieved in stages by adding a full tube, scaling up the domain, reducing the air pressure, and introducing a baseline pod design. It is shown that the enclosed tube environment causes the most significant change in aerodynamic characteristics via flow choking. Nevertheless, a number of aerodynamic similarities remain, compared to Benchmark 1. Finally, Benchmark 3 is proposed to explore the impact of ground clearance of the pod. This aspect has a significant influence on the flow by deflecting the wake and the downstream shock pattern. Furthermore, the drag, downforce, and pitching moment are all found to increase with lower ground clearances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the aerodynamic performance of a system of multiple vehicles (three) propelled by an electric fan/compressor system in a closed low-pressure environment. The study was conducted on a 2-D axisymmetric model of multiple vehicles traveling at the same cruising speed inside a tube. The flow field was computed using the unsteady RANS model. The results demonstrate a significant improvement in aerodynamic performance when using a multiple-vehicle system equipped with an air-breathing electrical engine. The combined use of multiple-vehicle and the air-breathing propulsion system eliminated the piston effect at low Mach numbers and reduced transonic range effects at higher Mach numbers. Consequently, a considerable enhancement in aerodynamic performance over the single-vehicle model was attained. A minimum of 11% and a maximum of 57% reduction of further in average system drag was achieved for M = 0.3 and 0.7, respectively. An increase in thrust was also observed in the multiple-vehicle system over the single-vehicle system. The results of the study demonstrated the advantage of using an air-breathing multiple-vehicle system as an efficient and environmentally friendly high-speed transportation system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the air permeability of epoxy-coated normal concrete and ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) for use in Hyperloop tube structures, where maintaining ultra-low air permeability is crucial to preserving the vacuum environment. While UHPC is recognized for its exceptionally low permeability due to its dense microstructure, this research explores epoxy-coated conventional concrete as a cost-effective alternative. Using a vacuum-based permeability test simulating Hyperloop's near-vacuum conditions, the study found that epoxy-coated concrete significantly reduced air permeability compared to uncoated concrete, with specimens coated on both sides approaching near-zero permeability. Although UHPC exhibited superior performance, the epoxy-coated concrete demonstrated air-tightness and was suitable for Hyperloop applications, offering a viable and economical alternative. These findings provide important insights for material selection, suggesting that epoxy-coated conventional concrete can effectively meet the stringent requirements for Hyperloop tube construction while balancing performance with cost-efficiency.

The Hyperloop infrastructure development in Korea has become a multi-billion-dollar project. Although Hyperloop trains will bring considerable benefits to local communities, little is known about how residents perceive Hyperloop infrastructure. Drawing from the means-end chain framework, this study explores the causal relationships between the perceived benefits of Hyperloop development, how residents perceive its value, whether they support Hyperloop, and their intention to travel on Hyperloop. A total of 592 residents of Gyeongnam Province, South Korea, completed an online survey. The results revealed that (1) the perceived benefits of Hyperloop development directly lead to a positive image and perceived value of Hyperloop trains; (2) the image of Hyperloop travel significantly influences its perceived value; and (3) perceived value directly influences residents' support for Hyperloop development and intention to travel on Hyperloop trains. The study's results contribute to the tourism literature, with implications for policymakers, tasked with promoting Hyperloop development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperloop transportation technology (HTT) is a new mode of transport. It works based on moving an ultra-high-speed vehicle called a pod into the low-air pressure tubes. This paper investigated the stability analysis of a novel hybrid levitation pod considering aerodynamic forces that has not been studied yet. The proposed pod contains two levitation, electromagnetic suspension (EMS), and air cushion. In this regard, air cushions help the system overcome the overall weight. On the other hand, EMS magnets are responsible for the motion stability of the pod in the presence of aerodynamic forces using two Proportional-Derivative (PD) controllers: one for controlling the vertical displacement and another one for the lateral motion. In this paper, a 5-degrees-of-freedom (DOF) dynamic model for the proposed pod is developed that includes the vertical and lateral displacements of the pod as well as the body’s pitching, rolling, and yawing moments. In addition, the dynamic models for air cushions, magnetic suspensions, and aerodynamic forces are presented. After solving the related dynamic equations, the effect of controller parameters and aerodynamic lift and drag forces on the stability of the proposed pod is studied. Furthermore, the influence of controller coefficients and some other pod design parameters including the air cushions’ stiffness, the total mass of the pod, and the air pressure inside the tube at critical speed is analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, options to reduce the climate impacts of high-speed passenger transport over hundreds of kilometres are limited to using low-carbon synthetic fuels in aviation and high-speed trains. In the future, alternatives like battery electric airplanes might be available. Further, vehicles operating in near-vacuum tubes, so-called “hyperloop systems”, could represent an alternative. Our first-of-its-kind environmental life cycle assessment (LCA), considering its construction, operation, and end-of-life, shows that such a hyperloop system is energy-efficient and can exhibit very low greenhouse gas emissions (

High-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets combined with linear synchronous motors and electrodynamic suspension (EDS) are considered as one of the most suitable technologies for Hyperloop. However, HTS magnets on pods generate strong magnetic fields, inducing eddy currents on conductive tubes when pods undergo movement through conductive tubes. The induced eddy currents affect HTS magnets, leading to electromagnetic (EM) drag, guidance, and levitation forces on the pods, thus reducing the propulsion efficiency and dynamic stability of pods. This study continues the existing research on EM drag forces between HTS magnet and tube for Hyperloop by comprehensively analyzing the EM guidance and levitation forces between HTS magnets and conductive tubes. Importantly, the full-scale 3D finite element analysis (FEA) simulations show that different steel tubes, such as AISI 1010 and high-manganese (Hi-Mn) steels, should be adopted, depending on the operating velocities, v, to avoid attractive forces in the guidance direction decreasing horizontal stiffnesses, For example, Hi-Mn tubes generating repulsive guidance forces are adopted when v is below 300 km/h while AISI 1010 tubes are used when v is over 300 km/h to minimize the construction cost of vacuum tubes to guarantee the increase in kx. For the proposed concept, the effect of the different tube connections on guidance and levitation forces is confirmed by the full-scale 3D FEA simulation. Moreover, levitation forces generated between HTS magnets and conductive tubes are nearly 0.5% of the EDS forces of pods, i.e., 200 kN over v of 150 km/h in the levitation direction. Therefore, the effect on vertical stiffnesses, ky, might be limited. In the end, to validate the proposed tube connections, the effect of the two different tube connections on guidance and levitation forces is confirmed by the full-scale 3D FEA simulation, and it was found that the sudden change in the guidance and levitation forces could be low enough to be neglected in the acceleration (from Hi-Mn to AISI 1010 steel tubes) and deceleration (from AISI 1010 to Hi-Mn steel tubes) regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows the development of a numerical analysis model, which enables the calculation of the cargo transport capacity of a vehicle that circulates through a vacuum tube at high speed, whose effectiveness in transport is analyzed. The simulated transportation system is based on vehicles moving in vacuum tubes at high speed, a concept commonly known as Hyperloop, but assuming the vehicles for cargo containers. For the specific vehicle proposed, which does not include a compressor and levitates on magnets, the system formed by the vehicle and the vacuum tube has been conceptually developed, establishing the corresponding mathematical relationships that define its behavior. To properly model the performance of this transport system, it has been necessary to establish the relationships between the design variables and the associated constraints, such as the Kantrowitz limit, aerodynamics, transport, energy consumption, etc. Once the model was built and validated, it was used to analyze the effects of the variation of the number of containers, the operating speed and the tube length, considering the total and specific consumption of energy. After finding the most efficient configuration regarding energy consumption and transport effectiveness, the complete system was calculated. The results obtained constitute a first approximation for the predesign of this transport system and the built model allows different alternatives to be compared according to the design variables. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperloop, a very high-speed transportation system including a pod transporting the passengers in a tube, forms the core debate in numerous recent investigations. The present paper, furthering the current advanced findings, proposes a novel hybrid levitation including Electro-Dynamic Suspension (EDS) and air cushions for the pod in the hyperloop system. It also presents a vibrational model for the hybrid levitation pod to predict the vibration behavior of the pod in accelerating and braking maneuvers. In this regard, an industrial pod is designed conceptually by performing preliminary calculations. Via CFD simulations in Ansys Fluent software, we hold forth a nonlinear dynamic model for the air cushions. Then, the paper analyzes a 3-DOF vibration model of the pod and verifies it by comparing the related results with obtained ones from the MSc ADAMS software. Afterward, the mentioned vibration model is developed into a 7-DOF model to predict the vibration behavior of the pod in accelerating and braking maneuvers. Also, the governing dynamic equations of the system are derived and numerically solved. Finally, the vibration behavior of the pod in different accelerating and braking conditions is investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the EGTL (extract, generate, transfer, load) model, a theoretical framework designed to enhance the traditional ETL processes by integrating a novel ‘generate’ step utilizing generative artificial intelligence (GenAI). This enhancement optimizes data extraction and processing, presenting a high-level solution architecture that includes innovative data storage concepts: the Fusion and Alliance stores. The Fusion store acts as a virtual space for immediate data cleaning and profiling post-extraction, facilitated by GenAI, while the Alliance store serves as a collaborative data warehouse for both business users and AI processes. EGTL was developed to facilitate advanced data handling and integration within digital ecosystems. This study defines the EGTL solution design, setting the groundwork for future practical implementations and exploring the integration of best practices from data engineering, including DataOps principles and data mesh architecture. This research underscores how EGTL can improve the data engineering pipeline, illustrating the interactions between its components. The EGTL model was tested in the prototype web-based Hyperloop Decision-Making Ecosystem with tasks ranging from data extraction to code generation. Experiments demonstrated an overall success rate of 93% across five difficulty levels. Additionally, the study highlights key risks associated with EGTL implementation and offers comprehensive mitigation strategies.

This review paper examines the appropriateness of a hyperloop line between Mumbai and Pune in India, examining, in particular, its potential economic implications and impact on people. This assessment builds on an earlier in-depth examination by the authors of the key urban and transport planning, technical, environmental, economic and human factors surrounding the hyperloop technology. The current detailed analysis of hyperloop’s expected implications in the Mumbai to Pune corridor is based upon use of a wide variety of existing indicative data from many sources, which are sufficient to provide a very broad “first-step” reality testing of hyperloop’s suitability to India. It could be argued that this is precisely the kind of analysis that should have been conducted, or at least made public, prior to committing to hyperloop in India. The paper highlights many negatives concerning hyperloop’s construction and operation, including a very high capital cost compared to other needed urban transport infrastructure projects in India, a potential lack of patronage due to a range of factors and its potentially exclusive upper income patronage cohort. It is concluded that rather than making a costly mistake, India should address current urban mobility challenges and needs such as bus rapid transit (BRT) and metros in its innumerable cities, whose construction costs are vastly lower than the expected cost of a single hyperloop line. Technology, such as the hyperloop, would need time to mature and gain operational experience. Should any corridor be found suitable, there would still need to be a thorough, detailed benefit–cost analysis together with a dedicated examination of the technology’s broader urban planning implications and less tangible factors. Setting aside the ultimate worthiness of hyperloops, India would need to at least achieve certain preconditions before proposing or pursuing such systems in the country.

Fanno flow is one of the most studied problems in fluid mechanics, as it models the pressure losses on domains in which the characteristic length is considerably lower than the height. These types of flows are present in several applications in the industry, such as pipe flows in pneumatic and hydraulic circuits, oil pipelines or air conditioning and water distribution systems. One potential application can be found in hyperloop design, where flow at high speeds moves between the small gap between the capsule and the tube wall. In this case, the domain is annular-shaped instead of a single cylinder, and the interior wall moves at the capsule speed. Although this quasi-1D flow is strongly affected by the wall friction, it cannot be modelled using the standard Fanno expression. Thus, to model the pressure drop without extensive CFD techniques, a simplified 1D analytical expression is developed to estimate the friction losses. The model assumes a constant ratio between the shear stress on the interior and the exterior walls throughout the channel. Then, instead of the hydraulic diameter as in the standard Fanno expression, a new definition of an equivalent diameter is performed to consider the annular-shaped domain and the movement of the interior wall. The new equivalent diameter is always higher than the original used for Fanno flows (hydraulic one), even twice when the wall speed equals the mean speed. This effect leads to smaller pressure losses due to the movement of one of the walls and indicates that the wall movement is always beneficial. To validate the results obtained from the model, they are compared with an equivalent CFD simulation, leading to a maximum deviation of 5% on the Mach number and 7% on the total friction coefficient.

Flow around a body moving at a high subsonic velocity in a tube filled with rarefied gas is studied. This aerodynamic problem is considered as applied to the task of designing a high-speed vacuum transport at finite Knudsen numbers. Parameters that are close to target characteristics of such systems are chosen, more precisely, speed of about 1000 km/h, significant transverse size of the body, and nitrogen–oxygen mixture (air) as the filling gas are chosen. The problem was solved in a three-dimensional statement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Super-high-speed guided systems such as hyperloops and MagLev are highly at risk of cyber and physical threats from either natural or man-made hazards. This study thus adopts a nonlinear finite element method to investigate and analyse blast responses of a spatial thin-shell structure formed as an essential part of the Hyperloop tunnelling system. The thin-shell structure is a longitudinal cylindrical tube used in hyperloop rail concepts that will have the capability to carry passenger pods travelling at speeds in excess of 1000 km/h. A robust parametric study has been carried out on a thin-shell metallic cylinder in accordance with experimental results to validate the blast simulation modelling approach. In addition, case studies have been conducted to simulate the effects of varied charge loading (TNT equivalent) of 10 kg, 15 kg and 20 kg. Since the hyperloop system is in its development stages, potential design modifications to adjust the thickness of the thin-shell cylinder are also simulated. Our findings demonstrate that thicker walls of 30 mm yield almost negligible dynamic displacements with lower blast pressures. However, this modification can cause serious ramifications in terms of infrastructure costs. On this ground, venting ports for blast mitigation have been proposed to alter and alleviate blast effects on the tube deformations. The novel insights reveal that increased venting port sizes can significantly increase the impulse deformations of the hyperloop tube but are key in reducing blast pressures within the asset infrastructure. These findings will inform hyperloop engineers about potential design solutions to ensure safety and reliability of future hyperloop rail travels amid the risks and uncertainties of cyber and physical threats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review paper examines the appropriateness of a hyperloop line between Mumbai and Pune in India, examining, in particular, its potential economic implications and impact on people. This assessment builds on an earlier in-depth examination by the authors of the key urban and transport planning, technical, environmental, economic and human factors surrounding the hyperloop technology. The current detailed analysis of hyperloop's expected implications in the Mumbai to Pune corridor is based upon use of a wide variety of existing indicative data from many sources, which are sufficient to provide a very broad "first-step" reality testing of hyperloop's suitability to India. It could be argued that this is precisely the kind of analysis that should have been conducted, or at least made public, prior to committing to hyperloop in India. The paper highlights many negatives concerning hyperloop's construction and operation, including a very high capital cost compared to other needed urban transport infrastructure projects in India, a potential lack of patronage due to a range of factors and its potentially exclusive upper income patronage cohort. It is concluded that rather than making a costly mistake, India should address current urban mobility challenges and needs such as bus rapid transit (BRT) and metros in its innumerable cities, whose construction costs are vastly lower than the expected cost of a single hyperloop line. Technology, such as the hyperloop, would need time to mature and gain operational experience. Should any corridor be found suitable, there would still need to be a thorough, detailed benefit–cost analysis together with a dedicated examination of the technology's broader urban planning implications and less tangible factors. Setting aside the ultimate worthiness of hyperloops, India would need to at least achieve certain preconditions before proposing or pursuing such systems in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Maglevs are typically accelerated using electromagnetic propulsion and levitation. High-temperature superconducting (HTS) magnets along with electrodynamic suspension (EDS) and linear synchronous motors are one of the best options for Hyperloop. However, the strong magnetic fields generated by HTS magnets on the pods inevitably interact with the magnetic and conductive structures in the vacuum tubes, along with the tube itself, while the pods move through the tubes. This interaction is observed as a drag force on the pods, significantly reducing the propulsion efficiency. This study comprehensively analyzes the electromagnetic drag force (EDF) generated by HTS magnets on pods, which accounts for most of the drag forces faced by Hyperloop. Theoretical analysis and 3D FEA simulations are performed to analyze the propulsion forces with HTS magnets and all the drag forces on the pods. The EDF generated by AISI 1010 steel rebars in concrete guideways is even greater than the designed propulsion forces of 40 kN. Consequently, high-manganese (Hi-Mn) steel and insulated steel rebars are adopted and analyzed using 3D FEA simulations. The EDFs generated by the AISI 1010 steel and Hi-Mn steel vacuum tubes are determined by varying the distance between the HTS magnets and tubes at 50 and 1200 km/h, respectively; a minimum distance of 0.75 m is determined by a drag force below 8 kN within their operating velocities. Lastly, the total EDFs of the AISI 1010 steel and Hi-Mn steel tubes with EDS rails are obtained through the optimal design of rebars and tubes. The simulation results show that the total EDFs can be significantly reduced to below 10 kN (approximately 25% of the designed propulsion force after the levitation of pods). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Hyperloop is a proposed novel mode of high-speed transportation that uses magnetically levitated pods, propelled by a linear synchronous motor in a partially evacuated environment to transport passengers. It is being commercialized on multiple routes across the world with different operating speeds: Mumbai-Pune (India-360 km/h), Dubai-Abu Dhabi (UAE-750 km/h), Chicago–Pittsburgh (USA-1484 km/h). The work investigates the energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and embodied energy of the technology using a transparent framework, first principal energy balances, and public domain information. The article provides a transparent framework to analyze the energy consumption per passenger-km compared with current transport modes. The study has been carried out considering the Mumbai-Pune Hyperloop corridor as the base case for projected ridership and distances. The analysis shows that with an operating energy of 707 kJ/passenger-km (for the Mumbai–Pune route with a ridership of 20,500 per direction), the Hyperloop is three times energy-expensive as the E5 Bullet train and Transrapid Maglev, although 40% more energy efficient than an airplane. The Hyperloop system's embodied energy calculated per passenger-km is 61% greater than an airplane. The carbon emissions of the Hyperloop are critically dependent on the carbon intensity of the electricity generation, and net savings over aircraft and other modes can only be achieved if the power grid has a high penetration of clean energy sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A reliable train‐to‐ground wireless communication system is proposed for the foundation of the safe operation of Hyperloop. The wireless channel characteristics of Hyperloops at millimetre‐wave (mmWave) bands are analysed based on the ray‐tracing method. Considering the reflection paths and line of sight path, the channel transfer function expression is derived for each multipath and then the channel impulse response is obtained. On this basis, the investigation and analysis of the large‐scale and small‐scale channel characteristics, including the path loss, shadow fading, delay spread, and angular spread of 4 different mmWave frequency carriers, that is, 28/38/45/60 GHz, are conducted. Simulation results show that the path loss increases as the frequency increases while the time delay spread and angular spread almost keep unchanged. The relevant research results will contribute to the design of future Hyperloop wireless communication systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The guide of the Hyperloop system in the paper is mathematically represented as a continuous system along which the force from the capsule travels, with the capsule in turn represented as a discrete system. The simulations discussed in the article were used to determine the displacements of the magnet elements. ANSYS software was used to perform the simulations using finite element calculations (FEM). The stability of the capsule will be determined from the results of the displacements present in the system. Taking into account the existing conditions in the magnet and guide assembly system, the simulation results were used to analyse stability in technical and stochastic terms (Lyapunov criteria) for non-linear systems. In the technical stochastic stability analysis, the transverse displacements of the electromagnets were used. The probability of unstable Hyperloop motion was then calculated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperloop has become one of the key reserve technologies for future high-speed rail transit. The gas in the tube is compressed and rubbed, leading to a strong aerodynamic heating effect. The research on the flow field characteristics and aerodynamic heating effect of hyperloop is in its infancy, and that on the flow field structure is lacking. In this study, the nozzle theory was used to make a preliminary judgment on the choked flow phenomenon in the hyperloop. Based on the flow results obtained under different working conditions, the identification basis of the choked flow phenomenon in the hyperloop was obtained. Furthermore, the effect of the choked/unchoked flow on the flow structure, temperature, and pressure distribution of the annular space in the tube was analyzed. Based on traditional high-speed railway aerodynamics, according to relevant theories and calculation in aerospace field, and combined with the model test data, the reliability verification analysis on the characteristics of the flow field are carried out. The structure of the flow filed in the tube can be divided into choked and unchoked. The judgment is dependent on whether the throat reaches the speed of sound. Under the choked flow, a normal shock wave is formed in front of the tube train. The temperature rise of the local flow field exceeds 50 K; the temperature rise of the stagnation region exceeds 88 K, and the pressure is approximately 1.7 times that of the initial pressure in the tube. When the flow is unchoked, differences arise in the distribution of the flow field corresponding to different incoming Mach numbers. When the incoming flow is supersonic, the flow field maintains a supersonic speed, and a bow-shaped shock wave is formed at the front of the tube train. Owing to the shock wave or expansion wave, the local flow field exhibits significant fluctuations in temperature and pressure. Conversely, when the incoming flow is subsonic, the flow field in the tube maintains a subsonic speed, and no shock wave structure is observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hyperloop concept is not new, but for many years it was hard for engineers to believe that it could be economically and technically feasible. Nowadays some technical solutions, which could enable construction and operation of a guided transport system based on hyperloop concept, are much more imaginable. Therefore a number of start-up companies are working on comprehensive proposals and chosen technologies aiming at creating the fifth transport mode thanks to innovative concepts, new technologies, and chosen railway, air transport, and space technologies. As new transport mode is expected to offer transport with high speed nearly equal to the speed of sound its feasibility will strongly depend also on coherency between transport means and transport infrastructure in a scale of a future fifth transport mode continent-wide transport network. To meet this challenge railway and start-up companies work together in two streams – in the formal framework of the European standardisation to prepare future hyperloop related EN standards and in research and development projects. The scale of required wide technical coherency on one side and the diversification of products and existence of different developers/producers/contracting entities providing infrastructure and transport means and creating market on the other side contradict if appropriate rules are not set precisely early enough. Such rules in railway transport are based on interoperability concept supported by agreed stable essential requirements and defined in the Railway Interoperability Directive and Technical Specifications for Interoperability. Paper presents findings regarding poor applicability of the railway interoperability to the hyperloop type transport systems at their early stage of development as well as challenges and proposed approaches for the dedicated hyperloop coherency approach – the hyperoperability as it is being discussed in the framework of the Hypernex European project.

The rapidly evolving urbanization is generating unprecedented travel demand, notably in intercity travel. With increasing challenges in motorized traffic, innovative and sustainable transport modes are more than ever necessary. The Hyperloop system is an emerging transportation mode with the potential to change long–distance commutes, especially between cities. There is a need for, but also gap in, understanding this potentially emerging transport mode. This study aims at filling this gap by deploying a stated preference study in Germany, in which data was collected for 786 respondents with 5640 scenarios, to investigate the factors impacting users’ preferences towards Hyperloop systems. Models were developed to examine factors impacting the immediate Hyperloop adoption (in the first year of its implementation), but also the choice between Hyperloop and other long–distance travel modes, such as airplanes and high-speed trains. Results indicate that mode-related characteristics (travel time, travel cost, safety), individual characteristics (gender, income level, availability of a driving license, access to a car, familiarity with the Hyperloop system), the current satisfaction level with high-speed trains and airplanes, and personality traits (confidence, affinity to technology) are the most significant factors in the choice and early adoption of Hyperloop systems.

The Hyperloop system is a new and innovative mode of transportation in which high-speed pods move through near-vacuum tubes. The multi-pod Hyperloop Systems are essential for increased transportation capacity. In this study, a multi-pod Hyperloop System was analyzed using numerical simulations at different values of the distance between the pods (i.e., 2 L–3.5 L). The pressure and velocity flow fields and the aerodynamic characteristics of the pods were analyzed for four different flow speeds, that is, 100, 200, 300, and 400 m/s, using unsteady compressible flow conditions. The simulation results indicated that the pressure waves generated across the pods play a significant role in the determination of the aerodynamic characteristics of the pods. Increasing the distance between the pods results in the delay of the pressure wave interaction. The aerodynamic drag increases on the first pod with the increase in the distance between the pods due to an increase in the pressure gradient. In contrast, the aerodynamic drag decreases across the second pod with the increase in the distance between them. So, the distance between the pods is a critical factor that should be considered when designing the Hyperloop System with more than one pod. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperloop system design is a uniquely coupled problem because it involves the simultaneous design of a complex, high-performance vehicle and its accompanying infrastructure. In the clean-sheet design of this new mode of high-speed mass transportation there is an excellent opportunity for the application of rigorous system optimization techniques. This work presents a system optimization tool, HOPS, that has been adopted as a central component of the Virgin Hyperloop design process. We discuss the choice of objective function, the use of a convex optimization technique called geometric programming, and the level of modeling fidelity that has allowed us to capture the system's many intertwined, and often recursive, design relationships. We also highlight the ways in which the tool has been used. Because organizational confidence in a model is as vital as its technical merit, we close with a discussion of the measures taken to build stakeholder trust in HOPS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Open organizations are structures in which members of the public engage in work for the organization. Examples include open-source software, Amnesty International, Wikipedia, and Lego communities. Much research focuses on structural design characteristics of open organizations, such as pre-specified task divisions and integration teams. These practices require the organization to a priori structure in response to its mission. Increasingly, however, open organizations like CrowdDoing and Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HyperloopTT) require public involvement across volatile, uncertain, complex, ambiguous (VUCA) contexts. These open organizations must respond to changing political, competitive, and socio-economic events. Structural clarity is more difficult, and contributors may participate in the creative development of new technologies, new policies, and new sources of funding. Working from practices supporting participant engagement in more stable environments, we qualitatively observe HyperloopTT to understand internal practices for open organizing in more VUCA contexts. We observe four practices allowing for the flexibility, versatility, and accommodations needed for open organizing in such settings. The HyperloopTT practices allow more porosity and self-determination—not simply in how people divide and integrate tasks, but also in the exploration and experimentation of the work itself. More than task workers, we see a new class of open organizing participants: creative work designers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The hyperloop concept envisions a low pressure tube and capsules, called pods, traveling at the speed of commercial aircraft as a sustainable, future-proof mass transportation system between cities. However, in contrast to the use case of such a system, the detailed technical concept is still under development. One challenging difference in comparison to other modes of transportation lies in the technical concept of the infrastructure, which is hard to change in the long term and therefore allows a few iterations only. This study’s key contribution is to showcase the conceptual design decisions of the 24 m full-scale Hyperloop Demonstrator at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) for the propulsion and suspension system, featuring the design decision tree (DDT) method as a framework to visualize and explain the technical design decisions and dependencies of complex hardware systems. The construction of the full-scale demonstrator not only proved the feasibility of the concept but also provided valuable concept-level experiences, which are shared within this work. Compared to existing maglev and hyperloop concepts, the presented concept features a separated air-cored long stator propulsion system and a homopolar electromagnetic suspension at the bottom with the track wrapping around the vehicle, revealing promising advantages like the structural simplification of the infrastructure and the independence of the guideway and tube.

The ultrafast transport of adsorbates in confined spaces is a goal pursued by scientists. However, diffusion will be generally slower in nano-channels, as confined spaces inhibit motion. Here we show that the movement of long-chain molecules increase with a decrease in pore size, indicating that confined spaces promote transport. Inspired by a hyperloop running on a railway, we established a superfast pathway for molecules in zeolites with nano-channels. Rapid diffusion is achieved when the long-chain molecules keep moving linearly, as well as when they run along the center of the channel, while this phenomenon do not exist for short-chain molecules. This hyperloop-like diffusion is unique for long-chain molecules in a confined space and is further verified by diffusion experiments. These results offer special insights into molecule diffusion under confinement, providing a reference for the selection of efficient catalysts with rapid transport in the industrial field. Normally, the diffusion of the object is suppressed in the confined space. Here, by regulating the degrees of freedom of the molecule, authors demonstrate ultrafine diffusion in the sub-nano space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperloop is envisioned as the next generation of railway transportation mode, which can proceed at a speed of more than 1000 km/h. The safe operation of the Hyperloop depends heavily on the support of a stable communication system. In this paper, we propose a 3D channel model in vacuum tube scenarios based on the ray-tracing method. The reflection paths and line of sight (LoS) paths are considered. We derive the channel transfer function (CTF) expression for each multipath, and then the channel impulse response (CIR) is obtained. On this basis, the large-scale and small-scale channel characteristics, including path loss, shadow fading, correlation coefficient, delay spread, and angular spread, are investigated and analyzed. Simulation results show that the proposed channel model can characterize the wireless channel in the Hyperloop scenarios in detail, and the results maintain a high level of symmetry between the range of 0–250 m and 250–500 m. The relevant research results will contribute to the design of future Hyperloop wireless communication systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hyperloop technology is a transport mode designed to move passengers anywhere in the world, using electric propulsion to carry passengers through a vacuum/near-vacuum tube for a maximum speed of 1200 km/h. Given this, governments, engineers, researchers, and billionaires have been racing over the past years to obtain the first operational system in the world off the ground and bring it from concept to reality. The paper aimed to maximize the capacity of the Hyperloop's capsule and identify a suitable design of Hyperloop technology based on the different capacities and speeds of the capsules as well as the assumptions of the initial annual demand. Additionally, significant attention will be paid to the interior design of the capsules in which people travel to make the journey more comfortable and enjoyable. The design will be conducted in AutoCAD and Autodesk Revit models based on the allocation of different components such as capacity, compressor fan, batteries, compressor motor, etc. The Hyperloop is powered by solar panels located on the top of the tube, which will allow the capsule to generate more energy based on its capacity than it needs to run. The optimizing cost of each design of the Hyperloop's capsule will be considered using an MS Excel sheet. As a result, the Hyperloop capsule with a lower capacity (28 seats) has the highest value of optimizing cost due to the number of acquired capsules (38) compared to 25 capsules and 16 capsules for medium- and high-capacity capsules, respectively. The total annual cost of the Hyperloop's capsules with different capacities of 28, 40, and 50 seats is EUR 5.6 million, EUR 5.5 million, and EUR 6.2 million, respectively, which is determined through the sum of the purchasing cost, operating cost and maintenance cost of capsules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a novel means of high-speed transportation, the Hyperloop can proceed at an ultra-high speed (more than 1000 km/h) in the long and narrow pipelines. In this paper, the channel characteristic of the Hyperloop wireless communication systems is the main objective. Based on the geometric scattering theories, a novel nonstationary channel model is proposed to investigate the channel characteristics for Hyperloop train-to-ground communications. According to this model, the channel impulse response (CIR) is obtained, and the closed-form expressions of the multi-link spatial-temporal correlation functions, including the spatial cross-correlation function (CCF) and the temporal autocorrelation function (ACF) are derived and analyzed. Simulation results show that a high correlation between the multi-link channels in vacuum tube scenario can be observed. The relevant research results will contribute to the design of future Hyperloop wireless communication system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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