| Transatlantic Hyperloop Tested by Dutch Marine Research Institute |
The Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (Marin) has carried out the first demonstration tests for a transatlantic underwater hyperloop. Although various parties around the world are working on the development of the hyperloop, no one has ever investigated the underwater version before. With a scale model of 140 metres, the equivalent of 15 kilometres of a real tube, Marin tested how the hyperloop reacts to wave movements at a depth of 50, 100 and 200 metres. This test is important to determine whether any movements of the hyperloop during further development allow the pods to travel through the tube safely and at sufficient speed.
Crossing the Atlantic would require a hyper current that could cover 5,500 kilometres. Marin assumes a speed of 1,000 kilometres per hour. Linda Kemp, project manager at Marin: “A scale model of 140 metres is at least necessary to record how such an immense underwater hair actually reacts to waves. Only at Marin can we test such a model at sufficient depth and with realistic waves in our 170-metre-long seagoing and manoeuvring basin.”
Alternative to Planes
William Otto, Marin project manager: "Sustainable use of the sea is an important mission of Marin. We wanted to investigate whether a transatlantic underwater hyperopsy could be a sustainable alternative to the 2,500 planes that cross the ocean every day. Stefan Immerzeel, mechanical engineer at the Hardt Hyperloop adds: “In the hyperloop, we transport pods that are around 30 metres in length and house about 60 people. So, compared to a high-speed rail that would be very small, but we do that to increase our frequency.”
Towards a Consortium
Marin is now analysing the results of the various tests. As soon as these are known, the research institute hopes to form a consortium with other parties to further develop the transatlantic underwater hyperloop.
Several Chinese scientists have proposed a submarine vacuum rail project that runs at a theoretical speed of 2,000 kilometers per hour, twice as fast as the Hyperloop concept initiated by Elon Musk.
The plan is largely on paper at the moment, and has not been formally accepted by government agencies as an official scientific project. The underwater railway is a vacuum tunnel floating in water, with 90% of its weight carried by buoyant force. Vehicles will be traveling using magnetic levitation technology.
A member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sun Jun, and members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, Gu Guobiao and Yue Jialing, have called on government agencies to consider setting up an official project to explore the technology.
Once completed, the submarine vacuum rail could shorten travel time between the coast of Fujian province to Taiwan, a distance of 72 nautical miles, to around ten minutes, according to an article published by China’s Technology Daily.
China Railway Tunnel Survey & Design Institute Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of China Railway Group Ltd., has completed preliminary studies to build a test submarine vacuum rail in Zhoushan, a coastal city near Hangzhou.
The submarine vacuum tunnel will be constructed using shielded underwater bridge technology. If completed, it will be the world’s first and longest underwater vacuum tunnel with a total length of 10 kilometers, according to the article.
There is currently no timetable on when the Zhoushan tunnel will be constructed, or if it will be built as relevant parties are still studying the plans.
For the past 20 years, China has built over 500 underwater tunnels and significantly improved its underwater tunnel construction technology. The submarine vacuum tunnel will move China to the forefront of the sector if it can be executed successfully, says the article.