The Hyperloop may sound like a new kind of toy for children, but it certainly isn't. The Hyperloop is the name for the new 'means of transport of the future' and coined by Tesla founder Elon Musk. TU Delft students won a design competition around the Hyperloop last year. How close is the realisation of such a means of transport?
It was back in 2012 that Musk presented his futuristic train of thought to the world: a train that shoots through a tube at high speed. The Hyperloop travels at 1,200 kilometres per hour and should take you from Amsterdam to Paris in about 30 minutes. According to Musk, the realisation of this modernised high-speed train is definitely possible.
Best alternative
On his website, Musk says he was quite disappointed when the new Californian high-speed rail line was announced. He says it is good that there will be a new public transport system, provided it becomes a better alternative than driving or flying. The California line, he said, was not. The train was relatively slow and costly per kilometre. According to him, the Hyperloop is the solution for direct transport between two cities less than about 1,500 kilometres apart.
One of the main challenges for a means of transport such as Musk envisions is the air resistance it will face. "If you look at what is the best means of transport between two cities you quickly end up with a tube, with low pressure so that it takes as little energy as possible," Tim Houter, who built a pod of the Hyperloop with a team from TU Delft, explained earlier. "Because there is so little air in the tube, there is little air resistance. You can therefore go faster than a plane but with the efficiency of a train." The idea is that in the Hyerloop's final track design, air pressure will be reduced to just 1 millibar.
Magnets
In addition, something has yet to be devised that will allow the train to actually run. Current trains usually use steel rails for this, combined with electric propulsion. At high speeds, however, the rails will wear out quickly. The Hyperloop is powered by magnetic levitation technology, or electromagnetic suspension. A configuration is created between magnetic poles that generate a strong repulsive magnetic field on one side and a softer one on the other. The strong side is directed towards the track, causing the train to float, so to speak.
Finally, safety measures must also be carefully considered before the Hyperloop can become a reality.
TU Delft
In addition to his own efforts and an elaborate design and realisation plan, the Tesla founder last year challenged 27 student teams from around the world to build so-called 'pods' for the transport concept. Early this year, the pods were tested in a 1.2km-long tube located next to SpaceX's Los Angeles site. TU Delft's came out on top overall.
Considered included reliability, design, scalability and, of course, speed. The student teams' pods were all built to half-scale. Team captain Tim Houter said earlier that he and his fellow students had tried to make a pod 'that could be scaled up like this'. The Delft Hyperloop Team also received the Award for best construction and design. The Delft students' design is very light: by using lightweight and strong carbon fibre, the Delft pod weighs only 149 kilograms. Using the levitation technique described above, the Delft pod floats above the track and little energy is lost. During the race, speeds were around 90 km/h. In a longer tube, the Delft prototype should be able to reach speeds of up to 1,200 km/h.
Musk aims to put the first Hyperloop between Los Angeles and San Francisco. In Hawthorne, where SpaceX is also located, a 1.5-kilometre-long tube containing an artificial vaccuum of almost 100% is currently being constructed. Later this year, the student teams' pods will undergo further testing there.
By: Kelly Bakker
Source photos: Delft Hyperloop
