A recent discussion with some fellow engineers on oil and gas technology got me thinking if there was a way that Hyperloop technology could benefit from the experience of the oil and gas / pipeline / utility industries.
Hyperloop technology is essentially a magnet levitation train travelling inside of a pipe or tube that has been depressurized to allow the train to travel faster and use less energy, due to the lower aerodynamic forces.
However, this technology is still in its infancy at this point, with only small distance testing being completed at this point. To reach its full potential, Hyperloop technology will need to demonstrate that its train can travel very long distances, while still being fast and safe.
Ideally, miles of unoccupied pipe or tubes would not need to be depressurized to run a single train inside of it, but only the preceding segment of tube in front of the train and the section of tube with the train in it, would need to be depressurized briefly, and once the train has passed, the segment would no longer need to be depressurized. Kind of like motion sensor lights. They turn on when they detect movement, and then after the movement is no longer detected, the lights are turned off.
I do not work in the oil and gas / pipeline / or utility industries, so my knowledge on the requirements to depressurize pipes is minimal. Please educate me.
So for practitioners in these fields, do you see some knowledge cross over that could be beneficial to Hyperloop technology?
Have their been examples of only depressurizing parts of pipes?
Does storing pressurized air make sense? Is pressurized air dangerous to store? Should pressurized air be released into the environment instead?
I think this could be an interesting collaboration of where one industry can help another industry emerge.
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Doug Cantrell P.E., M.ASCE
Professional Engineer
Durham NC
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