Passive drag reduction of hyperloop pod by ventilation ducts
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: In this paper, the applicability and efficiency of ventilation duct (VD) as a novel passive drag reduction method for Hyperloop pod were investigated using 3-D numerical simulations. Ventilation duct connects the upstream and downstream parts of the pod, increasing the effective cross-sectional area and reducing drag caused by choked flow between the pod walls and the external tube. This study addresses two critical gaps in Hyperloop drag reduction research. First, it resolves the limitation of allocating central space exclusively to the passenger compartment by redirecting ducts along pod shell’s boundary. Second, it optimizes the pod internal space by implementing a distributed duct configuration. For this purpose, four different design strategies along with six and eight number of ducts were proposed. The accuracy and validity of the solution were established through four distinct phases, including two comparisons with different experimental surveys, numerical research, and an assessment of mesh dependency. Results of the simulations showed that design strategy type 1 has the best performance in drag reduction. Only a minor difference in total drag was observed by changing number of ducts. It was demonstrated that VDs can decrease the total power consumption at all pod speeds with a maximum reduction of 16% obtained while occupying only 2.5% of the passenger compartment space. Comparisons of the VD method with compressor revealed that with identical removed frontal area, VDs bring a higher reduction in power consumption with less occupation of pod space.
Language: English
Subfield: Aerospace Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,740
OpenAlex ID: W4410644170