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Mitigating the Piston Effect in High-Speed Hyperloop Transportation: A Study on the Use of Aerofoils

Author

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  • Aditya Bose

    (Mechanical Engineering Department, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA 95192, USA)

  • Vimal K. Viswanathan

    (Mechanical Engineering Department, San Jose State University, San Jose, CA 95192, USA)

Abstract

The Hyperloop is a concept for the high-speed ground transportation of passengers traveling in pods at transonic speeds in a partially evacuated tube. It consists of a low-pressure tube with capsules traveling at both low and high speeds throughout the length of the tube. When a high-speed system travels through a low-pressure tube with a constrained diameter such as in the case of the Hyperloop, it becomes an aerodynamically challenging problem. Airflow tends to get choked at the constrained areas around the pod, creating a high-pressure region at the front of the pod, a phenomenon referred to as the “piston effect.” Papers exploring potential solutions for the piston effect are scarce. In this study, using the Reynolds-Average Navier–Stokes (RANS) technique for three-dimensional computational analysis, the aerodynamic performance of a Hyperloop pod inside a vacuum tube is studied. Further, aerofoil-shaped fins are added to the aeroshell as a potential way to mitigate the piston effect. The results show that the addition of fins helps in reducing the drag and eddy currents while providing a positive lift to the pod. Further, these fins are found to be effective in reducing the pressure build-up at the front of the pod.

Suggested Citation

  • Aditya Bose & Vimal K. Viswanathan, 2021. "Mitigating the Piston Effect in High-Speed Hyperloop Transportation: A Study on the Use of Aerofoils," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(2), pages 1-18, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:14:y:2021:i:2:p:464-:d:481607
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Eric Chaidez & Shankar P. Bhattacharyya & Adonios N. Karpetis, 2019. "Levitation Methods for Use in the Hyperloop High-Speed Transportation System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(21), pages 1-18, November.
    2. Jae-Sung Oh & Taehak Kang & Seokgyun Ham & Kwan-Sup Lee & Yong-Jun Jang & Hong-Sun Ryou & Jaiyoung Ryu, 2019. "Numerical Analysis of Aerodynamic Characteristics of Hyperloop System," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-17, February.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mohammed Abdulla & Khalid A. Juhany, 2022. "A Rapid Solver for the Prediction of Flow-Field of High-Speed Vehicle Moving in a Tube," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-15, August.
    2. He, Deqiang & Teng, Xiaoliang & Chen, Yanjun & Liu, Bin & Wang, Heliang & Li, Xianwang & Ma, Rui, 2022. "Energy saving in metro ventilation system based on multi-factor analysis and air characteristics of piston vent," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 307(C).
    3. Lambros Mitropoulos & Annie Kortsari & Alexandros Koliatos & Georgia Ayfantopoulou, 2021. "The Hyperloop System and Stakeholders: A Review and Future Directions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-28, July.
    4. Zhiwei Zhou & Chao Xia & Xizhuang Shan & Zhigang Yang, 2022. "Numerical Study on the Aerodynamics of the Evacuated Tube Transportation System from Subsonic to Supersonic," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-19, April.

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