US 11,492,020 B2Granted

Method of intelligently managing pressure within an evacuated transportation system

AssigneeFlowserve Management Company

InventorsMichael Albert Mancuso, Paul Matthew Hawkins

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Abstract

A high-speed transportation system comprises an evacuated travel conduit divided into a plurality of segments by closable gates, and associated with corresponding segment pumps that maintain operating vacuums within the segments when vehicles are present. When a segment is unoccupied, energy is saved by closing the adjoining gates and deactivating the associated segment pump, thereby deactivating the segment and allowing the segment's internal pressure to rise due to leakage. As a vehicle approaches, the segment pump is reactivated, lowering the internal pressure to the operating vacuum, and the gates are opened. Embodiments include a boom-tank system that can accelerate re-evacuation of a segment having an increased internal pressure by establishing fluid communication with at least one recently deactivated segment having a lower internal pressure. As a vehicle transits the conduit, a rolling, contiguous group of activated segments surrounding and in advance of the vehicle can be maintained.

Claims15

Dependent claims

An evacuated transportation system, comprising:

a travel conduit configured, when in operation, to enable transit therethrough of vehicles, the travel conduit being separated into a sequential plurality of conduit segments by intervening closable gates, said conduit segments being characterized as occupied whenever at least one of the vehicles is transiting therethrough, and being characterized as unoccupied when none of the vehicles is transiting therethrough;
a plurality of segment evacuation systems:
each of the segment evacuation systems being associated with a corresponding one of the conduit segments;
each of the segment evacuation systems being configured, when activated, to establish and maintain an internal pressure of its corresponding conduit segment that is at or below a maximum operating pressure;
and
each of the segment evacuation systems being configured, when deactivated, to disengage from its corresponding conduit segment and to minimize its consumption of energy;
and
a controller that is able to activate and deactivate the segment evacuation systems, and to cause the gates to open and close,
the controller being configured to conserve energy while the travel conduit is in operation by deactivating at least one of the segment evacuation systems when its corresponding conduit segment is unoccupied, while ensuring that each of the conduit segments, whenever it is occupied, is evacuated to an internal pressure that is at or below the maximum operating pressure.

6 more elements

A method of reducing energy consumption of an evacuated transportation system comprising a travel conduit configured, when in operation, to enable transit therethrough of vehicles, the travel conduit being divided into a sequential plurality of conduit segments by intervening closable gates;

the transportation system further comprising a plurality of segment evacuation systems, each of the segment evacuation systems being associated with a corresponding one of the conduit segments, the method comprising periodically or continuously performing the following steps:
for each of the vehicles that is within the travel conduit, determining the vehicle's location, speed, and direction of travel;
for each of the conduit segments that is occupied, in that it contains at least one of the vehicles, causing the associated segment evacuation system to maintain an internal pressure of the conduit segment at or below a specified maximum operating pressure;
for each of the conduit segments that is unoccupied, in that it does not contain one of the vehicles determining a time duration tu during which the conduit segment will remain unoccupied and a length of time te required for the associated segment evacuation system to reduce the internal pressure of the conduit segment until said internal pressure is at or below the specified maximum operating pressure, and
if tu is greater than te, deactivating the associated segment evacuation system;
or
if tu is less than or equal to te, activating the associated segment evacuation system.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 16/867,049Filed 5 May 2020
Published: US 2021/0347391 A111 Nov 2021
Granted: 8 Nov 2022
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification12 codes

B61B 13/122
Systems with propulsion devices between or alongside the rails, e.g. pneumatic systems: pneumatic systems
B60L 13/06
Magnetic suspension or levitation for vehicles: means to sense or control vehicle position or attitude with respect to railway
B60V 3/04
Land vehicles, e.g. road vehicles: co-operating with rails or other guiding means, e.g. with air cushion between rail and vehicle
B61B 13/08
Other railway systems: sliding or levitation systems