Capstone Project
| Group | 2023-01 | Status | completed |
| Title | Concordia Hyperloop 2.0 | ||
| Supervisor | K. Khorasani | ||
| Description | The objective of this Capstone Project is to build and test a prototype of the Elon Musk envisaged Hyperloop vision that is treated as a fifth mode of transportation that sends pods through a partially pressurized tube at very high speeds.
In recent years, transportation has become an increasingly critical issue due to the growing concerns about climate change, and the need for faster and efficient transportation solutions. The Hyperloop, an innovative transportation concept, has emerged as a promising solution that has the potential to revolutionize long-haul transportation for both passengers and cargo. This revolutionary concept involves a train traveling at high speeds in a vacuum tube, propelled and levitated by magnetic fields. With minimal energy usage and environmental impact, the Hyperloop promises to be a game-changer in the field of transportation. The Hyperloop concept has garnered significant interest from researchers, engineers, and innovators worldwide, owing to its potential to solve some of the most pressing transportation challenges. In this course the aim is to design, build, and test a scaled-down prototype of the concept, with a focus on demonstrating its feasibility and effectiveness as a full-scale mode of transportation for the future. This multidisciplinary project will require expertise in a range of engineering fields, including mechanical, electrical, and computer. By developing a functional prototype of the Hyperloop, this project seeks to contribute to the body of knowledge on sustainable transportation and provide valuable insights into the feasibility of implementing the Hyperloop concept on a larger scale. A full-scale implementation of the Hyperloop would allow for a trip to Toronto from Montreal to be as easy and time efficient as taking the train between two boroughs of a city. Travelling at 700km/hr, it would require conceptually less than an hour to get from Montreal to Toronto. This mode of transportation would provide a low-cost and efficient alternative to current travel options. The Hyperloop high speed and flexible schedule would also reduce wait and commuting times. Moreover, the environmental impact of traditional modes of transportation is a growing concern. Commercial airplanes, for instance, emit a considerable amount of greenhouse gases, contributing to climate change. The Hyperloop, however, is an eco-friendly mode of transportation that runs on electricity, theoretically producing zero emissions. Thus, it offers a sustainable alternative to traditional modes of transportation. For this Capstone Hyperloop Project 2.0 at Concordia it is expected that a total of 12 students will participate in with 8 or so of the team members from the ECE students and the other 4 or so students from the MIAE students. This will need to be a truly cross-disciplinary kind of a project! The project at the University of Waterloo had to make changes and simplify the prototype. Specifically, they had to use roller bearings instead of air bearings. It is also expected that the students will use electromagnetic motors as in the Musk Hyperloop concept of operation. Their design was able to propel a miniature pod through the tube at speeds of up to 3 meters per second. If scaled up, that amounts to roughly 160 miles per hour, which is far slower than the 760 mph Musk proposed. A couple of reasons for the discrepancy were provided. Roller bearings are slowed down by friction. Waterloo hyperloop has a vacuum pump to depressurize the tube (cutting down air resistance, allowing pods to travel faster), but it was not tested by the end of the semester. Last, the team is planning on adding additional motors to help speed up the pod. The links to the two university projects is given below: https://www.vice.com/en/article/mgbdx4/university-students-made-a-working-model-hyperloop and https://uwaterloo.ca/news/engineering-alumni/waterloo-students-could-make-hyperloop-happen See also https://uwaterloo.ca/news/university-waterloo-hosts-first-hyperloop-competition-canada https://engineering.queensu.ca/news/2023/03/Queens-Hyperloop-design-team-aims-to-develop-fifth-mode-of-transportation.html https://uttri.utoronto.ca/news/hyperloop-project-faces-challenges-of-new-unproven-technology-siemiatycki/ https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/newfoundland-paradigm-hyperloop-second-1.4266933 Transport Canada has published in July 2020 a report entitled Preliminary Feasibility of Hyperloop Technology, that can be found from the link below: https://tcdocs.ingeniumcanada.org/sites/default/files/2020-08/Hyperloop%20prelim%20study.pdf See also a project considered in Alberta potentially worth $7B https://www.enr.com/articles/49997-alberta-weighs-7b-hyperloop-between-calgary-and-edmonton and https://www.vice.com/en/article/gvyevw/its-official-spacex-is-building-elon-musks-hyperloop A brief video of the 2022-2023 Hyperloop project at Concordia can be found in the following link: https://youtu.be/18niNiUndjE All the details on the design specification, requirement, and hardware and software solutions will be made available to the 2023-2024 team. The goal of the 2023-2024 Capstone Project is to analyze and identify the causes of issues encountered in the first attempt at this project from the previous year implementation, develop alternative or improved solutions, and to then demonstrate the enhancements in a refined prototype. This project aims to optimize the performance and functionality of the miniature Hyperloop, bringing it closer to the envisioned capabilities of a full-scale Hyperloop system. Building on the foundation laid by the previous year experience and information, this year Capstone Project will focus on resolving the issues encountered in the initial prototype and refining the system for better overall performance. The students will be tasked with the following main objectives: 1. Further analyze the prior year project and determine the root causes of issues encountered. 2. Analyze the existing system and identify areas for improvement, including the propulsion method, materials, and overall system integration. 3. Develop alternative or improved solutions to address the identified issues and optimize the overall performance of the miniature Hyperloop prototype. 4. Implement and demonstrate the improvements in a refined prototype, showcasing advancements in speed, efficiency, and functionality. |
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| Student Requirement | The students are expected to physically construct the Hyperloop prototype and test and demonstrate its operation. Knowledge of control systems, magnetic levitation systems, accelerating a pod gradually through electric propulsion in a low-pressure tube, linear induction motors, power electronics, among others are required. | ||
| Tools | CAD software, power supplies, DC motors, servo motors, Oscilloscope, PCB CNC Machine, and soldering equipment, 3D printing. | ||
| Number of Students | 8-12 | ||
| Students | A. Li, Z.X. Si, K. Xu, H-L Tran, H. Duan, C. Liang, M. Al-Ghaziri, Y. Assefa, S. Sideris,Y. Tun | ||
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