Comparative numerical study of aerodynamic heating and performance of transonic hyperloop pods with different noses

Delayed detached eddy simulation (DDES) using a shear stress transport (SST) k-omega turbulence model was used to investigate the aerodynamic and temperature characteristics of hyperloop pods with different nose shapes, namely conical, spherical, and ellipsoidal, at transonic speed in a tube with pressure of 0.01 atm. The employed numerical model was validated by the results of a wind tunnel test and grid resolution, and the unsteady aerodynamic behaviours of the different pods in the tubes were analyzed and compared. The pods with the spherical and conical noses were found to generate the lowest aerodynamic pressure and friction drags, respectively. In addition, the effects of the nose shape on the maximum temperature and pressure in the tube were more significant in the deceleration stage than in other stages, and were least pronounced for the pod with the spherical nose. The pod with the ellipsoidal nose generated the lowest minimum temperature and pressure. In addition, the flow field around the pod tail was more sensitive to the nose shape compared with that around the pod head, with a high-temperature and pressure area generated around the tails of the conical- and ellipsoidal-nose pods. The observations indicate that a conical nose affords the best aerodynamic behavior of a transonic hyperloop pod in an evacuated tube.