Hyperlooping and Planetran

There has been considerable fanfare this week over the Hyperloop idea, put forward by Elon Musk. In this concept, which was, in this case developed by engineers at Tesla and SpaceX, trains would travel in evacuated tubes at speeds of up to 800 miles an hour.

The Hyperloop concept (Tesla motors)

The concept itself is not new. Back when The Oil Drum was first started I wrote a piece on Planetran, based on an article in the Ecyclopaedia Britannica 1980 Science and the Future yearbook. (And it also was mentioned in one of Robert Heinlein’s books, though I have forgotten which).

Figure 2. The Planetran Concept as illustrated in the Encylopaedia Britannica in 1980.

The concept at the time (it dates back to an idea in 1957 at Lockheed) was to drill high speed tunnels and after they were lined evacuate them. The trains would be magnetically elevated (Maglev) and with little air in the tubes could be accelerated using the surrounding magnets at an acceleration of 1 g.

Planetran "trains" would consist of lightweight cars which are "floated" by magnetic repulsion between vehicles and guideway. These repelling magnetic fields would be phased so as to produce a traveling wave along the guideway. This magnetic wave would provide both vehicle support and propulsion (or braking.) Planetran tunnels would follow the Earth's curvature and would be generally located several hundred feet below the surface in rock structures. Besides evacuated tubes for high-speed Planetran travel the tunnels would also house conventional railroad lines and power lines, communication links, and pipelines. This shared usage would help defray tunnel costs, which are the major element in Planetran's overall expense.

The tunnels are expensive, but when comparing costs consider that it is can be relatively cost competitive to drive a tunnel under a city, relative to the price of surface construction.

To give some idea as to how this might change life consider:

Instead of two-way local service in a four-tube tunnel, planners have considered operating locals in one direction only. Because of the high speeds achieved, passengers could go the long way around to their destination. An example is the New York City - Boston link with local traffic to Hartford. By running local traffic only in the NYC to Boston direction, a traveler from Hartford to NYC would go by way of Boston. Hartford to Boston on the local would take 7 minutes, and Boston to NYC 11 minutes, for a total of 18 minutes.

Some 30-plus years later the technology plans to use a linear induction motor for propulsion, and light-weight materials such as those used as in aircraft construction. However the tube will not be evacuated, and instead will rely on pulling air into the front of the train and ejecting it underneath the train to provide suspension. (This is a technology that works quite well as an air bearing in moving heavy loads. The project description notes that these have been proved to work at speeds up to Mach 1.1 – higher than those planned for this system (which will remain sub-sonic).

Figure 3. Hyperloop car, showing the air compressor at the front, and the air bearing support.

By covering the top of the tube with solar panels it will be possible to provide more than enough energy for the system, and by mounting it on pylons along the Interstate land costs can be minimized. This takes away from the need to drive tunnels (although in time these may still be needed for the in-town sections), which is a pity since that was one of my main reasons for being interested. However the development of new technologies has resolved some of the existing problems and lowered the cost considerably. It is now estimated to cost only $6 billion to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles, and Mr Musk is apparently willing to invest his own money in further development. This could get quite interesting since this is, in a sense, competing with the High-Speed Rail Projet that California has started.

Of Trains, planes and Segways

If the world supply of crude is going to become tight a little sooner than the general public, and many governments, realize, then rates at which change is occurring should probably get more prominence than it does. For example the two major producers of crude at the moment are Russia and Saudi Arabia. Looking at Russian production and exports, these are reported down from last month, though refined products are up over last year. Overall Russian oil output has increased 1.4% over last year, though crude exports are down. Overall Russia is projecting that crude production, which fell in 2008 over 2007 will stabilize this year at about last years number, but will then start declining again. This will, in turn reduce the amount of crude, and refined products, that are exported. So given that Russia is the largest non-OPEC producer that really isn’t that exciting a set of news. (Natural gas production is also declining, but some of that may be seasonal at this time).

Some governments are taking note of this – in the UK there is a new plan to shift some 46 million domestic air passengers from commuting by plane to high speed trains. This will require a higher speed network (at up to 250 mph) and that is going to take over a decade to install. There has been a criticism of the plan by local carriers and the response of the transportation minister is instructive.

Those who think that the airlines will continue to monopolise short-haul European destinations from London have got their heads in the sand," he said. "It is nonsense to suggest that high-speed rail will be competitive with airlines only for internal British journeys. High-speed rail already has the lion's share of the London to Paris and Brussels market. Once the Dutch high-speed line from Brussels to Amsterdam is open later this year, rail will be competitive from London to Amsterdam and Rotterdam; and it won't be long before the same is true of Cologne and Frankfurt."

The airlines point out that where it took decades to get 3 km of runway built (at Heathrow) so that anyone expecting the rail to be put in anytime soon is incurably optimistic. However both the government and their opposition, in their arguments are focusing around the impact of fuel on the climate.

While I will hold off on discussing the reality of that reasoning given the growing gap between IPCC forecasts and actual temperatures, it is much more likely that the argument will soon change to one over the availability of fuel, and the costs that are being paid for it – an appreciation lacking on both sides at the moment.

But the public may also be taking notice. Sales of Segways, the scooter that you stand on, after being very slow in the UK have started to rise. The Segway is a fairly expensive toy over there since it can’t be operated on the roads. But on the other hand an 11.5% increase in sales is indicative of something in the current climate. Perhaps some folks are just being prescient.

"The battery needs replacing after about three years, and that can cost up to £800, but it can run 18 miles on about 15p of electricity."

A Department for Transport spokesman said the Segway "does not currently meet minimum safety standards for vehicles on UK roads" but could be used on private land such as airports or shopping centres.

A basic Segway costs £4,795 including VAT but extras such as a £75 lock kit, £120 bag and £25 tail-light can add to the cost.

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British Public Transport is so easy, and convenient

Hmm! Well this was going to be a post on American driving habits, but instead it is going to be on the downside of relying on British public transport. (With the odd redeeming feature). After posting last night (following the delayed dinner for which I got the free wine since it took so long) I was looking forward to a gentle journey through the English countryside by train, with a single change at Carlisle, and getting into Dumfries in time for a pleasant relaxed dinner. Instead of which I had, as I told Elaine, a fellow passenger, what should be thought of as an adventure (lest we despair).

Having been brought up in the UK, and remembering the reliability of the trains under British Rail, I meandered over to the London station at Euston*, expecting that I would have to wait at most an hour, for a train North. Wrong! There were repairs to the line going on up past Lancaster, and so we would have to bus around the problem section and, as a result, I should take the 2:25 pm train and not the one just after noon, getting on the bus at Oxenholme. That was when the good luck went away.

So I grabbed a paper and waited the couple of hours and then hopped on the train. One of the nice things that the railway folks in the UK do is to allow you to upgrade to first class on the weekend for about $20, so I did (the train was full) and thus got free coffee and cookies as the train rumbled north. Until we got to Preston. This is South of Lancaster, and so I was wondering why we were staying at the station.

Then I heard the announcer with the news that a freight train had broken down between Lancaster and Preston, and there was no passage further North. We should all proceed from the train, over the bridge, and out of the station, where a bus would soon come by to pick us up and take us on our way. This is a fully loaded 11-carriage train folks! So we all got off and dutifully moved across the bridge into the cool of a British Spring afternoon (did I mention I had left my heavy coat, gloves and scarf back in the London hotel for my return). We left the train at about 4:45 pm. I passed the time outside doing a Sunday Telegraph Sudoku. No buses, I did the other Telegraph Sudoku (these ain’t easy folks so this took some time). Still no buses. (They had been waiting for us at Lancaster, and so had to drive down to Preston first). And finally they came. So did they get parked along the concourse so that they could all load at once? Er, no we queue, and load them one at a time from the front. (I got on bus four). And so we left for Lancaster.

The orderly wait for 8 buses at Preston
It was 6:10 pm when we left, and getting dark as the bus drew in to Lancaster.

7:00 pm Arrival at Lancaster

Here the train-load was split into different destinations, and fortuitously, instead of having to go up to Oxenholme, they split the group so those of us going to Carlisle could go directly there. The bus was somewhat more comfortable (I could just read my Kindle) and off we went.

7:15 pm the bus leaves Lancaster

And so North to Carlisle, where we were to change to another bus, since they were apparently repairing the line to Dumfries. So we get to Carlisle, and look for a bus to transfer to.

8:20 pm Arrival at Carlisle

However we are now back on a schedule, and the bus to Dumfries leaves at 9:12 pm. I trust you will understand if, at this point, I beat a retreat to the bar in the local hotel and had a beer! (and a sandwich – just so that I didn’t feel guilty using the loo for free, you understand). Then back out for the bus to Dumfries. . . . .bus for Dumfries . . . . bus for Dumfries. The organizer was looking harassed (they tend to make public announcements in a whisper to their closest neighbor), but eventually we gathered that the bus had arrived 3 hours earlier and gone to park in the local Car Park. . . . . . (I could have had another beer).

9:40 pm No bus, nor taxi yet at Carlisle

The company instead ordered 3 taxis, to take the 11 of us up to Dumfries. There is a long pause, Elaine reminds us that they made a movie about a trip like this, with Steve Martin. Did I mention I did not have my gloves and scarf! A while later the taxis arrived. And so I shared a taxi with 6 others (including an opera singer from Kirkcudbright) and off we set into Scotland.

9:50 pm leaving Carlisle

We arrived at Dumfries at 10:30 pm, and the restaurant was closed, etc etc
What an adventure ! Can’t wait until tomorrow!

But the rail company did provide the taxis, and the buses, and though we rarely knew what was happening until it did, they did get me here – and I probably didn’t need that dinner any way.

Even before we left London there was much complaining of the cost of the tickets in the carriage I was in, and yet, as I said, the train was full. (The fare was sensibly one hundred English pounds (about $145).

* Having been given Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere for Christmas by the Advocate and the Bishop, I couldn’t resist this link.