AKKA is proud to bring its expertise into the aerodynamic design of the capsule, together with Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, Inc. Engineered and designed to hover through a network of low-pressure tubes between cities, it will transform travel time from hours to minutes.

Historically, the innovation in high speed trains have been hampered by the difficulty to handle the friction and the aerodynamic resistance which increase proportionally with the raise of the speed. Due to this fact, the Hyperloop design is thought to work minimizing the aerodynamic resistance via capsules circulating through continuous steel tubes in almost void environment.

As prime partner of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, AKKA engaged aerodynamic design analyses of the HyperloopTT capsule in almost void environment. In the wind tunnel tests preparation framework, almost void environment steady-state computations have been led two Navier Stokes solvers on several capsule concepts, in order to choose, the prototype which gather the best aerodynamic characteristics for the performance inside the tubes. In parallel, a sensitivity and aerodynamic methods study has been carried out including numerical schemes, turbulence models, convergence strategy, etc. Finally, a global roadmap is being finalized to enhance multi-physics modeling including acoustics, thermal management and fluid/structure interactions.

“We are proud of being able to participate in this great project which will provide us with a before and an after in the mobility sector. The first large-scale passenger´s Hyperloop capsule-built means bringing airplane speeds to ground level, safely. To make this speed of over 1200 km/h reality, the design phase must use as a fundamental pillar the most highly aerodynamic analyze, computational or through trials, achieving the less iterations possible and make the project readiness to go forward” explains Juan Pineda, AKKA´s business manager.

 

Hyperloop TT project.

Hyperloop transportation Technologies is one of the three enterprise developing routes and prototypes of this new transport, fighting to be the first firm to build it and they can count with partnerships with some European companies, which enabled to construct the first capsule model in Cadiz, Spain. In the initial project, passengers and freights will travel in pressured capsules hovering via a magnetic field frictionless inside the tubes. The capsules work with a linear induction engine, electromagnetic drive and integrated batteries, so at the end it will be a silence and a sustainable solution.

The capsules are engineered and designed to create a safe and harmonious environment for the passengers, with customized interior for use-based experiences. Each capsule is 30 meters in length and can carry 28 to 40 passengers. The system is designed for capsule departures every forty seconds with a maximum speed of 1,223 km/h, and capable of moving 164,000 passengers a day on one line at full efficiency.

The autonomy and energetic efficiency are two of the main points of the project. Everything is automatized with advanced technologies, so workers would just control and follow that everything is working right. The automatization enhances the efficiency and reliability due to the system elements are always in communication with each other and with the operations centres in order to get answers and reactions in real time.

The enterprise has firm a contract with the local mobility authorities of Abu Dhabi to carry out a viability study which allows to connect the cities of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain using the Hyperloop TT system.

Akka Technologies Spain deliver engineering services in aeronautics, railways, automotive, and energy sectors. They go along their clients in the developing of the different phases of the projects, from R&D and project designs to the industrial production.

The AKKA group is teamed by 20000 employees all over the world. In Spain they count with the trust of 50 clients and with more than 500 employees and headquarters in Madrid, Barcelona, Pamplona, Bilbao and Sevilla. Their engineers work with projects at the cutting edge of the worldwide technology, thankfully to the strength of the international group and the mobility of their work teams.