gyti.techpedia@sristi.org
Compressed Air-based Cargo Hyperloop Mobility System
Project Description :

The traditional transport systems for coal and commercial goods accrue material losses and uncertainty in delivery time. conventional modes of transportation, including roadways, railways, slurry pipelines, and conveyor belts, face several challenges, such as air pollution, material losses, extended travel times, and unreliable delivery schedules. in contrast, a closed conduit pipeline transportation system offers significant advantages by effectively addressing these challenges. among these systems, slurry-based pipeline transportation demonstrates the potential for efficient long-distance material transport. however, its effectiveness is hindered by issues such as flow losses, pipeline corrosion, water pollution, and substantial water requirements, raising concerns about the sustainability of utilising such a critical natural resource for transportation. these factors collectively reduce the overall efficiency and feasibility of the system. the present invention focuses on developing an alternative method for transporting coal/commercial goods from mines to user agencies through a closed conduit pipeline system. it envisaged a in-pipe robot-based cargo transportation system for coal/commercial goods, offering enhanced energy efficiency alongside the dual advantage of an integrated real-time pipeline monitoring system. the series of in-pipe robots, viz. cargobots, are designed to traverse the pipeline, utilising energy harnessed from compressed air flow. the system can be conceptualised as a cargo-specific adaptation of a hyperloop system, where the driving force is derived from the air/fluid pressure in the pipeline network. upon loading goods at the mining launch section, the cargobot will transport the goods to the designated receiving/unloading sub-section. this process operates continuously, with multiple robotic vehicles potentially running in series, depending on workload and requirements. the use of parallel pipeline loops can further enhance transportation efficiency. the cargo hyperloop system also incorporates an accurate, reliable, and continuous robot positioning system. the system deploys a hybrid multi-sensor fusion strategy for cargobot positioning in pipelines to achieve such positioning performance in extended gps-denied environments such as pipelines. furthermore, the system can feature a novel design of rails and wagons to enable frictionless and high-speed transportation of goods. the cargobots are levitated on an air cushion to eliminate friction between the wagons and rails, reducing energy consumption and wear & tear of rollers and the rails as in the existing system. the extent of levitation can be controlled by employing a governing mechanism to adjust the shape of the follower flaps, which can also be used for braking mechanisms. the wagons will incorporate an airfoil-shaped short wingspan to develop an aerodynamic lift to aid the levitation, further enhancing the system's transportation efficiency by utilising the aerodynamic lift (ground-effect phenomenon). this innovative closed conduit transportation system presents a promising approach to address material loss, uncertainty in delivery time, and air pollution associated with conventional coal transport apart from the timely delivery of commercial goods. an effective design of such a system can reduce the number of trucks and railway wagons substantially, further reducing the pressure on traffic in over-loaded freight-carrying tracks and roadways. it allows the user agency to establish an underground pipeline transportation network for the cargo-hyperloop system. hence, it will enable a better land utilisation aspect of the land usage and land cover (lulc) to achieve sustainable development of the landscape and save our environment from degradation. the power requirement to drive the cargobot is localised as it is not driven by active actuators; instead, the system needs air compressor facilities for operations. furthermore, solar panels can be installed at all sub-power stations between coal mines and user agencies to power the compressor system, promoting the use of green and renewable energy while addressing sustainability and environmental concerns in alignment with the national solar mission.

 
Other Photos :
 

No Updates

 
Project Details :
  • Date : Dec 12,2024
  • Innovator : Shivam Gupta
  • Team Members : Kanhaiya Lal Chaurasiya,Yashaswi Sinha
  • Guide Name : Prof. Bishakh Bhattacharya
  • University : Indian Institutes of Technology Kanpur
  • Submission Year : 2024
  • Category : Mechanical Engineering
Share Project :