High-speed vehicles traveling in a tube with pressures similar to those experienced by aircraft at their maximum altitude are presented. Although the concept resembles Hyperloop, the pressure level investigated here is much higher and safer than that suggested by Hyperloop, and, therefore, the system design is markedly different. Calculating a vehicle’s aerodynamic performance in the initial design stages requires low-budget computational tools to enable iterative design processes. This study presents an algorithm for rapid flow-field prediction based on a one-dimensional Reimann solution, including viscosity and heat transfer effects. The flow-field is divided into near- and far-fields, where the near-field represents the solution directly around the vehicle. The far-field demonstrates the impact of the vehicle’s motion on the vehicle’s flow-field upstream and downstream. Two-dimensional URANS models are compared to the current numerical scheme. The developed algorithm analyzes the flow-field and the propagation of pressure waves along the tube to simulate the vehicle’s movement. The one-dimensional model shows the robustness and predictability of the near and far flow-fields. The results from the developed scheme provide good agreement, with less than a few percent deviations, compared to CFD simulations but with significantly lower computational resources.

The Hyperloop system offers revolutionary transportation, aiming for near-sonic speeds in a low-pressure environment. The aerodynamic design challenges of multiple vehicles in a confined tube remain largely unexplored, particularly regarding vehicle spacing and suspension gaps. This study investigates a jet-propelled, multi-vehicle Hyperloop system using Reynolds-Averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS) equations and the $k-\omega$ turbulence model. Analysis of suspension gaps and vehicle spacing on drag and thrust revealed that suspension gaps cause significant jet deflection, reducing effective thrust and increasing drag. It was found that vehicle suspension, with a 75 mm suspension gap, increased drag by 58% at Mach 0.7 compared to the unsuspended configuration. Meanwhile, smaller vehicle spacing ($X_v=0.25L_v$) reduced the drag by up to 50%, enhancing system efficiency. The results emphasize the need to address the effect of jet deflection and optimize vehicle spacing for maximum energy savings. These findings offer valuable insights for enhancing aerodynamic performance in multi-vehicle Hyperloop systems.