Pump For Use In A Capsule Transport Pipeline

Abstract

A closed tube system is used to guide a number of cars around a fixed path and a series of pumping stations are located around the path. Each station is defined by a fluid flow pump section and a car by-pass section which has its opposite ends associated with the inlet and outlet respectively of the pump section. The pump is operated normally so as to create a tendency for reverse flow of air through the by-pass section so that a car in the section adjacent the pump outlet will be held against a pawl-type stop in the car by-pass section by positive pressure. Four methods of car injection are proposed. The first is to create a forward flow of air in the car by-pass section by temporarily throttling the outlet of the air by-pass section to create jet-pump action. The second is to increase temporarily the resistance to flow or to disconnect the pump means temporarily in order to reduce the flow in the air by-pass section which transiently induces a forward flow in the car by-pass section. The third is to transfer some of the linear momentum of an incoming car to the resident car or cars primarily by means of naturally entrapped air column and secondarily by impact through elastic bumpers. The fourth is to use an externally powered mechanism to push the resident cars forward a distance of one car length.