Originally Posted by Jaspertf
Hyperloop/Transpod
In layman's terms what is Hyperloop/Transpod? It is an object travelling at high speed in a vacuum. Why a vacuum? A vacuum has little to no air, air creates resistance (aerodynamic drag), if there is no air there is no drag and objects can travel at much higher speeds. Think of space travel.
However when it comes to passengers, we need air to breathe, so for passengers Hyperloop/Transpod becomes a pressurized vehicle travelling in a vacuum tube.
What is an object that operates with an interior pressure greater than the exterior? An aeroplane.
What is an object that operates with an interior pressure less than the exterior? A submarine.
What is the fastest form of propulsion? Electro-magnetic.
So an aeroplane propelled by mag-lev, inside a submarine.
As temperatures get colder, all metals and materials become more brittle and susceptible to fracturing. Over the past winter both CP and CN have been operating their trains at slow speeds to prevent breaking rails, causing the grain backlog. Ski hills will shutdown chair lifts below -20degC, to prevent cables snapping.
Also the temperature expansion coefficient of steel pipes per degree change of temperature is a constant 14x10-6 m/mdegC. The distance between Calgary and Edmonton is approx. 300km, the temperature variation over 1 year can go from +35 in summer to -40 in winter, a 75 degC temperature change. Over the course of a year in Alberta, an exposed carbon steel pipe from Calgary to Edmonton will expand/contract 135 meters.
All materials expand and contract with temperature changes:
Fiberglass would expand/contract 230m over 300km.
PVC would expand/contract 675m over 300km.
CPVC would expand/contract 855m over 300km.
The temperature in the Prairies gets below -40degC in the winter. The frost level in Alberta is considered to be 3.0m, all water utilities are buried below 3m in the ground to prevent freezing.
To work effectively in Alberta, Hyperloop/Transpod would have to be underground. Also with a speed of 1000kph it would have to be dead straight, which can easily be achieved with tunnelling.
So will Transpod cost CAD6billion between Calgary and Edmonton?
A simple train tunnel costs CAD20million per km, Crossrail is costing more. A Transpod tunnel would also need to be sealed in order to maintain a vacuum, and this does not include the mag-lev propulsion technology or the construction of the terminals and pods.
For a quick relevant example, Tokyo to Nagoya mag-lev. The direct route is 286km with the majority in a tunnel, it is currently estimated at JPY5.1Trillion or CAD 60 Billion.
Travelling in Hyperloop/Transpod
A typical person can handle 5g vertical and 20g horizontal for less than 10 seconds, in these situations the typical person is heavily restrained in the seat. Comfortable acceleration, where the unrestrained typical person does not fall over, is less than 1m/s/s or 0.1g.
• Passenger aircraft acceleration is 1.5m/s/s
• Supercar acceleration is approx. 40m/s/s
Hyperloop/Transpod is being sold as a cross between a passenger aircraft and a passenger train, the typical person is able to wander the cabin unrestrained, which means vertical and horizontal acceleration must be 1m/s/s or less. With a top speed of 1000km/h, acceleration/decceleration of the capsule will take approx. 4.5 mins and cover a distance of approx. 36km, the remaining 223km between Calgary and Edmonton will take approx. 14 mins. Additional stops would add 15 mins depending on re-pressurizing and de-pressurizing rates. In order to be able to wander the cabin any gradient change would need to be less than 0.1%, and the curve radius greater than 50km.
Result
Hyperloop/Transpod is a fantastic idea and a great use of technology, but it will be a massive white elephant for Alberta, costing more than CAD60 Billion. The combined population of Tokyo and Nagoya is 47 million, the population of Alberta is less than 4.5 million. The best place for this technology in North America is in the North East Corridor between Washington DC and New York.
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