Theoretical Studies of the Unloading of Containers in the Pneumatic Transport Systems of Today and Tomorrow

THEORETICAL STUDIES OF THE UNLOADING OF CONTAINERS

IN THE PNEUMATIC TRANSPORT SYSTEMS OF TODAY AND TOMORROW

S. Ya. Davydov,1 N. P. Kosyrev,1 N. G. Valiev,1 D. I. Simisinov,1

V. A. Kurochkin,2 and A. E. Zamuraev3

Translated from Novye Ogneupory, No. 6, pp. 13 – 22, June, 2013.

Original article submitted January 21, 2013.

A drive consisting of continuously rotating friction tires is used to force the uninterrupted movement of con-

tainers on the loading and unloading sections of a containerized pneumatic transport system. A method is de-

vised to determine the number of containers in the system, and another method is developed to describe the

motion of particles of the cargo in order to determine the angular velocity of the containers. A formula is pre-

sented to determine the terminal velocity of a continuously moving container train in the transport tube of the

system. A tube-based transportation system is proposed for transporting workers from quarry to factory — the

pneumatic transport system of tomorrow.

Keywords: containerized pneumatic transport, length of the unloading section, angular velocity, discharge

process, bulk material, tube, passenger pneumatic transport.

The most distinctive features of the new containerized

pneumatic transport (CPT) systems (Fig. 1) being used in the

construction industry were described in [1 – 5].

By-pass tube 6 — designed to transport compressed air

from the section in which the containers loaded with the ma-

terial being transported are braked to the section in which

empty containers in the transport tube are accelerated —

makes it possible to use spent air in the cargo section of the

tube to move empty containers.

An analysis of the technical and scientific literature

showed that the productivity of CPT systems depends mainly

on the loading and unloading sections. Productivity can be

increased by arranging for continuous movement of the con-

tainers on these sections. The problem of providing for unin-

terrupted loading of the containers was solved by redesign-

ing the system so that its loading is similar to the loading of

slat conveyors or conveyor trains with partitions. At the same

time, the ability to release a load of rocks without stopping

the containers by rotating them about their axial line depends

on the process used to discharge the bulk cargo. The contain-

ers are forced into continuous movement on the loading and

Refractories and Industrial Ceramics Vol. 54, No. 3, September, 2013

178

1083-4877�13�05403-0178 © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

1Ural State Mining University, Ekaterinburg, Russia.

2Ural State Academy of Architecture and Arts, Ekaterinburg, Russia.

3Ural Federal University Ekaterinburg, Russia.

Fig. 1. Containerized pneumatic transport system: 1 ) containers;

2 ) compressor station; 3 ) transport tube; 4 ) drive; 5 ) unloading sec-

tion; 6 ) by-pass tube; 7 ) air release valve; 8 ) safety valve; 9 ) load-

ing section.

Fig. 2. Diagram of the container unloading section of an annular

CPT system: 1 ) containers; 2 ) wheel supports; 3 ) spiral discharge

guide; 4 ) transport tube; 5 ) drive.

unloading sections by a drive (Fig. 2) which consists of con-

tinuously rotating friction tires. The tires are situated in such

a way that they are always in contact with the containers.

In addition to the massive tires just mentioned, automo-

tive tires and tires which are designed for mining machinery

and conform to the standard GOST 5883 can also be used.

After preliminary studies, the decision was made to use avia-

tion tires as the drive tires to transmit the tractive force for

the containers. Table 1 shows the maximum values of the op-

erating parameters of aviation tires satisfying the standard U

3800440–71 (tire certificate).

The main features of CPT transport systems: high

throughput and high labor productivity; simplicity and reli-

ability of the production equipment; independence from

weather-climatic conditions; cost-effectiveness; environmen-

tal neutrality; small footprint.

As is known, the optimum form of the cross section of a

container used in CPT systems is a circle. The maximum di-

ameter of the container dc in relation to the inside diameter of

the tube Dp is determined by the relation dc � 0.7Dp.

We use Fig. 3 to find the cross-sectional area of the cargo

F = 0.63dc

2. With allowance for the relation dc � 0.7Dp, we

have

F = 0.31Dp

2. (1)

The main parameters of the containers and the cross sec-

tions of the cargo for the chosen range of tube diameters

(0.299 – 1.620 m) are shown in Table 2.

The length of the cylindrical part of the container is

taken to be equal to

lc

= (2.5 – 3.5)dc. (2)

The length of the container in relation to the diameter of

the tube

lc� 2.15D

p. (3)

The average length of the container is determined from

the following relation in accordance with the specifications

ls

= 2.35Dp. (4)

The length of the train

lt= 2.35D

pn

c, (5)

where nc

is the number of containers in the train, nc

= 4 – 15.

Theoretical Studies of the Unloading of Containers in the Pneumatic Transport Systems 179

TABLE 1. Maximum Operating Parameters of the Aviation Tires

Model* Load, kNVelocity,

m/sec

Working pressure

in the tire, kPa

Burst pressure,

kPa

6A (700 � 250) 20.0 66.67 600 3000

22.4 69.40 650 3000

15.7 45.80 300 3000

15.5 55.50 400 3000

7A (1050 � 300) 64 66.67 650 3000

72.5 66.67 750 3300

8A (900 � 300) 32.5 65.27 500 2800

27 61.10 500 2800

50 52.80 600 2800

54 56.90 600 2800

* The dimensions of the tires are shown in parentheses.

TABLE 2. Parameters of the Cross Sections of the Cargo

Outside

diameter

of tube D, m

Diameter

of container

dc, m

Width of

surface of

cargo dg, m

Width

of charging

window Bw, m

Cross-sectional

area of the

material F, m2

0.299 0.196 0.182 0.139 0.028

0.426 0.291 0.271 0.207 0.056

0.630 0.470 0.437 0.334 0.123

0.820 0.618 0.482 0.368 0.208

1.020 0.706 0.657 0.501 0.222

1.220 0.806 0.750 0.572 0.461

1.420 1.004 0.934 0.713 0.625

1.620 1.104 1.027 0.784 0.814

Fig. 3. Cross section of the cargo in a container: dc) diameter of the

container; Dp) inside diameter of the transport tube; Cg) portion of

the container’s width occupied by the cargo; Bw) width of the charg-

ing window; �) angle of natural repose of the cargo.

With allowance for free movement along the curvilinear

tube, the maximum radius of curvature of the tube will be

equal to

Rp

= 0.5lb

2/(D

i– d

c), (6)

where lb

is the base of the container; Diis the inside diameter

of the tube.

The linear dimensions of the containers for the chosen

range of tube diameters are determined from the relation

am

= �sa

b, (7)

where am

is the value of the parameter of the variant; �s

is the

scale factor; ab

is the value of the parameter of the base.

The linear mass of the containers is determined from the

following relation as a function of the diameter of the tube

qt= 259D

1.608. (8)

With allowance for the space factor Ks = 0.8, the linear

mass of the cargo in the containers is

qg

= 0.22 D2�

g, (9)

where �g

is the density of the cargo, kg/m3.

Table 3 shows the parameters of the containers in rela-

tion to the diameter of the tube.

For a CPT system in which the containers are in continu-

ous motion on the loading and unloading sections, the load-

ing time tl or unloading time tu should be equal to the length

of time tp that it takes for the containers to travel the average

distance L1 (Fig. 4):

tp

=0.5(tl+ t

u) at t

l= t

u, t

l= t

p. (10)

tl= l

c/v

l, (11)

tp

= L1/v

p, (12)

where vl

and vp

are the velocities of the containers on the

loading section and inside the tube, respectively.

If there are np trains on the line, the product obtained

when the average distance L1 between identical points on dif-

ferent trains is multiplied by np gives the transport distance L

without allowance for the lengths of the loading and unload-

ing sections:

L1np = L – nllc, (13)

where nlis the number of trains on the loading section or un-

loading section.

We find from Eq. (13) that

L1

= (L – nllc)/n

p. (14)

180 S. Ya. Davydov, N. P. Kosyrev, N. G. Valiev, et al.

TABLE 3. Parameters of the Containers in a Pneumatic Transport System in Relation to the Diameter of the tube

Parameter

Diameter of tube Dp, m

0.299 0.426 0.63 0.82 1.02 1.22 1.42 1.62

Wheel diameter dw, m 0.05 0.06 0.12 0.16 0.19 0.22 0.27 0.30

Wheel base lb, m 0.45 0.70 1.00 1.45 1.65 1.90 2.25 2.55

Seal diameter ds, m 0.29 0.41 0.61 0.80 0.99 1.19 1.31 1.59

Container length lc, m 0.60 0.90 1.30 1.90 2.20 2.50 3.00 3.40

Average length of containers lc, m 0.70 1.13 1.48 1.93 2.40 2.87 3.34 3.80

Train length, m:

minimum lt.min 2.81 4.52 5.92 7.72 9.60 11.48 13.36 15.20

maximum lt.max 10.54 16.96 22.20 28.95 36.00 43.05 50.10 57.00

Weight, kg:

of container Gc 170 50 154 321 372 803 1424 1864

of pneumatic drive Gd 20 59 186 406 720 1055 1775 2400

Linear mass of container train qt, kg/m 26 47 112 182 239 307 461 545

Minimum radius of curvature of tube Rp, m 1.2 2.1 2.8 4.5 4.7 5.2 6.2 7.0

Fig. 4. Diagram used to determine the number of containers for a

CPT system.

With allowance for the continuity of the loading opera-

tion

vl = Q/(3.6q) (15)

and Eqs. (10) – (12), we write:

36.,

l q

Q

L n l

n v

c l c

p p

�

�

(16)

where Q is the productivity of the loading equipment; q is the

linear mass of the cargo being transported.

Thus, the number of trains on the linear part of the tube

in the loaded or empty directions will be

nQ L n l

ql vp

l c

c p

�

�( )

.36. (17)

The number of trains needed to ensure transport of the

specified cargo flow,

no = 2np + 2nl + nres, (18)

where Nres

is the reserve number of trains available for use

during a repair period. The value of Nres

is assumed to be

equal to 10% of the theoretical number of trains in the sys-

tem.

Let us examine the main theoretical postulates for un-

loading the scoops of the elevators in the case of containers

that are emptied by rotating them about the axis of the tube.

One distinctive aspect of this case is that the geometric axis

of rotation of the containers coincides with their own axis

and is in the plane of the cross section of the cargo.

For any particle of material in a container, the resultant R

(Fig. 5) of the force of gravity mg and the centrifugal force

Fc intersects the container’s vertical diameter at the same

point P at a given moment of time. This point is called the

pole, and its distance from the axis of the container is

h g��

2, (19)

where is the angular velocity of the container.

As the container is being inverted, some of the material

remains stationary at each moment of time. To analyze this

process, it is very useful to determine the boundary between

the moving and relatively stationary parts of the material, i.e.

the slip surface or the surface of natural repose.

In accordance with the theory of the discharge of bulk

materials, the boundary of the stationary layer relative to the

rotating container is a curvilinear surface bounded by a loga-

rithmic spiral that traverses the edge of the container over

which the material is discharged. The equation of the spiral

in polar coordinates

C = aetg�

, (20)

where C is the distance from the pole P to a point on the spi-

ral (see Fig. 5); a is the base of the spiral; � is the angle of

natural repose of the material; is the angle between the ray

M0P and the base a.

For the case being discussed, the logarithmic spiral is

called the curve of natural repose, and the surface formed by

the curve is the surface of natural repose. The particles of the

material that are located above the surface of natural repose

projected through the discharge edge of the container will be

in motion, while the particles below that surface will be in a

state of rest.

During the unloading operation, a large mass of particles

is separated from the lower-lying layers of the material with-

out having reached the discharge edge. The motion of the

particles is shown in Fig. 5. The particles brought into mo-

tion relative to the container either slide downward along the

surface of natural repose M0Em or are separated from this

surface and subsequently travel along the parabolic trajec-

tory M0KM1. Whether a given particle does the former or the

latter depends on the angular velocity of the container, the

position of the particle in the container, the radius of the con-

tainer, and the properties of the material.

For the material to be fully discharged, the angular ve-

locity of the container should be such that the pole P is lo-

cated outside the diameter of the container. Otherwise, the

particles that are pressed against the inside wall in the upper

position Z cannot be separated from it (since Fc > mg) and

cannot escape the confines of the container. The value for the

angular velocity of the container at which Fc = mg is called

the critical velocity:

cr

��

g r0 5 0 5. .

, (21)

where r is the radius of the container.

Having compared r > g–2 with Eq. (19), we have h > r.


Fig. 5. Motion of particles of the material in the container.

The angular velocity of the container at which a particle

moves from a circular trajectory to a parabolic trajectory

with the angle of separation � is found from the formula

��

g r0 5 0 5 0 5. . .

cos . (22)

With allowance for Eq. (21)

��cr

cos.0 5

. (23)

The coordinates of the vertex of the parabola (see Fig. 5,

point K) and the point where it intersects the container’s cir-

cumference (point M1) are determined from the equation

x rK

� sin cos� �2

, yK

� 052

. sin cos� �,

x rM

1

42

� sin cos� �, y rM

1

42

� � sin cos� �.

Using these equations, we obtain

x xK M

� 0251

. , y yK M

� 01251

. .

It follows from Fig. 5 that

tan tan� � � ��

BM M y xM M0 1

1

1 1

�,

i.e. the inscribed angle on the arc BM1

is equal to � in abso-

lute value, while the arc is equal to 2� and the arc M0BM

1is

equal to 4�.

The time of flight of the particle over the parabola is de-

termined from the equation of motion of the particle M:

x = vtcos�.

It follows from this that the particle’s time of flight over

the parabola

t = x/(vcos�). (24)

The angle of rotation of the container during this time

� t. (25)

The relationship between the angular velocity and radius

(diameter) of the container is apparent from Eq. (22). In turn,

the inside diameter of the container is connected with the di-

ameter of the tube Dp by the relation

dc = 0.7Dp. (26)

This makes it possible to determine the angular velocity

of the container for any tube diameter based on the known

angle � associated with the transition of the particles from

the circular to the parabolic trajectory. Values of the angle �

are determined from the relation

cosmax

� ��2 2

cr, (27)

where max

is the maximum angular velocity of the container

at which the particles comprising the cargo begin to remain

inside the container.


Fig. 6. Diagram of the motion of a particle M to determine the angular velocity of the container: 6.9 (a) and 7.817 rad/sec (b ).

Values of the pole distance C = M0P for a given material

being transported are found from the well-known formula

(Fig. 6)

C r h r� � �[ sin ( cos ) ].2 2 2 0 5

� � . (28)

When point M1 is below point D1 (point M1 flies out of

the container), it is necessary to decrease the value of the

separation angle �2 somewhat (Fig. 6b ). If the point turns out

to be higher, then it is necessary to increase the value of �2

and find the positions of points M2 and D2 in the same se-

quence as was done earlier for points M1 and D1. In this case,

it is also necessary to obtain a value for the angle �2 at which

point M2 will be located on the circle arc somewhat higher

than D2 (see Fig. 6b ).

We find the increment of angular velocity � by interpo-

lation. Using the relation (Fig. 7)

2 1

1 2 1

�

�

�

S S S

�

we find that

�

�

�

�

2 1

1 2

1S S

S , (29)

where S1

is the arc M2D

2(see Fig. 6a ); S

2is the arc M

2D

2

(see Fig. 6b ).

With the condition that the container be fully emptied of

its cargo, its maximum angular velocity will be

max

= 6.9 + �. (30)

As an example, we determined the angular velocity of a

container with an inside diameter of 200 mm and a discharge

window that forms the central angle � = 90° in the cross sec-

tion (Table 4). The angle of natural repose of the cargo

� = 31°30�.

After we used Eq. (29) to determine that � = 0.836

rad/sec, we found max = 7.736 rad/sec.

Values of the angle of rotation �rt of the container at the

moment the last particle flies out of it are shown below for

different angular velocities:

, rad/sec. . . . . . . . 7.736 6.900 3.950 2.090 1.045

�rt, deg . . . . . . . . . 200.0 188.0 170.0 166.5 166.5

Table 5 shows values of the pole distance C.

We used the above formulas to determine the parameters

of the process of the cargo’s discharge from the containers

(Table 6) as a function of the diameter of the tube.

The results plotted in Fig. 8 based on the data in Tables 5

and 6 show that regardless of the diameter of the container,

the particles fall to the edge opposite the discharge open-

ings — all of which are on the line OM1.

Thus, for all of the container diameters, the angle � re-

mains constant when the angular velocity of the containers is

at its maximum. It follows from this that regardless of the di-

ameter of the containers, their maximum angle of rotation


TABLE 4. Results from Determination of the Container-Discharge Parameters

Angle of sepa-

ration, deg

Parameters determined

cr

, rad/sec , rad/sec h, m C, m , deg a, m ti, sec , deg S, m

60 9.76 6.90 0.206 1.178 61 0.092 0.251 99.4 6.2

50 9.76 7.82 1.160 0.124 49 0.072 0.252 112.8 –0.6

TABLE 5. Parameters of Segments of Logarithmic Spirals

Angle of ro-

tation, deg

Distance C, m, for different tube diameters, m

0.325 0.630 0.820 1.020 1.420

90 0.195 0.443 0.582 0.667 0.953

100 0.217 0.494 0.649 0.744 1.063

105 0.229 0.522 0.685 0.768 1.122

110 0.247 0.562 0.737 0.846 1.208

Fig. 7. Illustration on determining the increment of the angular ve-

locity � of the container when the cargo is completely discharged.

�max at the moment the last particle flies out remains constant

when their angular velocity is at its maximum value:

�max = 3� + 0.5� = 198.3°, (31)

where � is the central angle of the discharge window DOE

(see Fig. 6).

It was established that the particles which are induced to

move relative to the container slide downward over the sur-

face of natural repose and move along a parabolic trajectory.

Here, the particles at flung at high speed at a certain angle to

the horizontal. Thus, the limiting parameter with respect to

the throughput of a CPT system is the velocity of the con-

tainers on the unloading section — which depends on the

containers’ angular velocity.

The above theoretical results were confirmed by experi-

mental studies [5] obtained with an H043 oscillograph. Stan-

dard oscillograms recording the time of acceleration of the

drive showed that the startup (acceleration) time of the unit ts

is nearly twice as short as the time from the beginning of its

rotation to the beginning of discharge of the cargo (Fig. 9).

Taking into account that the unit’s acceleration is completed


Fig. 8. Effect of a change in the diameter dc of the container on the

angle � through which a particle moves from the circular trajectory

to the parabolic trajectory.

Fig. 9. Typical oscillograms of the time of acceleration of the drive

with rt equal to 3.98 (1), 1.99 (2), and 0.99 rad/sec.

TABLE 6. Parameters of the Container-Unloading Process*

Parameter

Tube diameter, m

0.325 0.630 0.820 1.020 1.420

Container diameter, m 0.206 0.470 0.618 0.706 1.004

Angular velocity, rad/sec

critical 9.760 6.460 5.630 5.270 4.420

maximum 7.740 5.120 4.460 4.180 3.500

Pole distance OP, m 0.164 0.374 0.490 0.561 0.801

Distance PM0, m 0.128 0.290 0.381 0.436 0.623

Time of flight of particle tm, sec 0.250 0.380 0.440 0.470 0.560

Flight velocity of particle, m/sec 0.797 1.203 1.380 1.475 1.759

Coordinates of a point, m:

xC 0.0316 0.072 0.095 0.108 0.154

yC 0.020 0.045 0.059 0.067 0.095

* The angle of rotation of a container during the time tm is 112° and the angle of incidence of a particle 4� is 204.4°.

before the discharge process begins, we assumed that the an-

gular velocity of the containers during discharge is constant.

Figure 10 depicts the movement of the containers on the

unloading section.

After modification of the formula for determining the

length of the unloading section [5, p. 13, (7)]

lu = �vc(�/rt + 57.3tu)/180, (32)

where vc

is the velocity of a container as it moves along a he-

lical line on the unloading section, m/sec, � is the angle of ro-

tation of the container at the moment the last particle flies out

of it, deg, rt

is the angular velocity of the container during

unloading, rad/sec, and tu

is the time of discharge of the con-

tainer, we obtain the velocity of the containers as they travel

along a helical line while discharging their contents

vc = 180lu/[�(�/rt + 57.3tu)]. (33)

Using the formula [4, p. 18, (13)] to determine the brak-

ing distance of a train of containers in a pneumatic buffer

with non-hermetic seals

Lm v v

PS F maò

rb

rt

�

�

� �

052 2

. ( )

�

� �

� �

� � �

1

45 5

( )

Re ( )

� �

� �

PS F ma lRT V

v D PS F ma lRT V

rt lk

rt

�

� �lk

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

� �

�

410 6 3

2 2

Re

( )

v D

PS F ma R t k l

�

� � ��rt

(34)

we obtain the final velocity of the train in the buffer as it

moves without stopping inside the CPT system

v v

PS F ma Lv D

PS F ma RT t

rb

rt b

rt� �

� � �

� �2

10 6 3

2 2

4( )

Re

( )

�

�

�

� � �

�

�

k l

mPS F ma lRT V

v D P

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

� �

�

0 5 1

45 5

,( )

Re (

� �

�

rt lk

S F ma lRT V� �

�

�

�

�

�

�

!

!

!

rt lk)� �

, (35)

where v is the velocity of the containers in the transport tube,

m/sec; m is the mass of the containers, kg; �P is the pressure

drop across the seals of the containers, Pa; S is the cross-sec-

tional area of the tube, m2; F

rtis the frictional force, N; a is

the deceleration of the containers m/sec2; l is the length of

the containers, m; R is the gas constant, R = 287 J/(kg·K); T

is the initial absolute temperature of the air inside the tube,

K; �Vlk

represents the air leaks, m3/sec; Re is the Reynolds

number; D is the diameter of the seals, m; � is the density of

the air, kg/m3; t is the initial temperature of the air inside the

tube, K; � is the thermal conductivity of the tube, W/(m·K); k

is the heat-transfer (heat-exchange) coefficient for the tube,

W/(m2·K); � is the thickness of the tube wall, m.

Table 7 shows the results obtained from calculations of

the parameters of the container braking section when the

containers’ final velocity in the pneumatic buffer is greater

than the velocity of the containers travelling ahead of them in

the unloading section.

Since it is necessary to satisfy the condition (see Fig. 9)

vrb

> vc,

then with allowance for Eqs. (33) and (35) we have

v

P Lv D

P RT t k l

mP

2

10 6 3

2 2

4

05 1

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

res ò

res

r

Re

.

�

� � �

es lk

res lk

�

� �

lRT V

v D P lRT V

�

�45 5

Re �

�

�

�

�

�

!

!

>

180

57 3

l

t

p

òð

òð

p�

�

�

�

�

�

�

�

!

!

,

, (36)

where Pres

is the resistance to the motion of the containers in

the tube, Pres

= (�PS + Frt

+ am).


TABLE 7. Parameters of the Braking and Unloading Sections

Parameters

Tube diameter, m

0.299 0.426 0.630 0.830 1.020 1.220 1.420 1.620

Velocity on the unloading section, m/sec 0.82 0.94 1.10 1.25 1.45 1.63 1.69 1.84

Terminal velocity in the pneumatic buffer, m/sec 0.88 1.03 1.21 1.38 1.60 1.79 1.89 2.02

Fig. 10. Diagram of the movement of the containers on the unload-

ing section: �) angular velocity of the containers in the transport

tube, m/sec; vtb) terminal braking velocity, m/sec; vh) velocity with

the container following a helical path, m/sec; lu) length of the un-

loading section, m; Lb) brake path length, m; Lo.s) length of the open

section, m.

It was determined that the particles of the cargo that are

brought into motion relative to the container slide downward

over the surface of natural repose and move along a para-

bolic trajectory in the manner of particles that are flung at

high speed at a certain angle to the horizontal. All of the

above findings apply to CPT systems that move industrial

cargo.

The approach described below is being proposed in light

of the large number of ongoing projects that are making use

of CPT systems, the limited amount of experience in this

area among designers, surveyors, and planners, and the

building restrictions that were imposed for the Sverdlovsk

metropolitan area in 1975 – 1976.

In the case of the use of a containerized pneumatic-trans-

port system (see Fig. 1) with an open section that is shorter

than the container trains, the system should be used to trans-

port workers between quarry and factory in areas with a se-

vere climate. The Norilsk area is one example. In this case,

the CPT system will be called a passenger pneumatic trans-

port (PPT) system — the pneumatic transport system of to-

morrow (Figs. 11 – 13).

In this case, the stations on the transit line are similar to

the stations of an urban light-rail system. One innovation in

the design of the station sections of the line is that the trains,

with their doors open, continue to move inside the stations at

the same speed as pedestrians. The doors are closed when the

train passes through the transport tube.

There are several distinctive features to a pneumatic

train. One of them is the train’s high speed (150 – 200 km/h).

The motion of the train is so smooth that a passenger stand-

ing in the middle of a car without means of support is not at

risk of falling either during the steady movement of the train

or during its acceleration and deceleration. The tubular main

line plied by the train can be built underground, under or

above a river, or on piers.


Fig. 11. Passenger pneumatic transport system: 1 ) display and a

line showing the progress along the route; 2 ) inside surface of mod-

ule; 3 ) internal housing of module; 4 ) framework of module; 5 ) ex-

ternal housing of car; 6 ) operating equipment of the car.

Fig. 12. Module of a car in a pneumatic train of a PPT system: 1 )

LED screen; 2 ) wall-mounted display; 3 ) external housing; 4 ) aux-

iliary surface; 5 ) floor-mounted seating; 6 ) framework.

Fig. 13. Interior of a car of a PPT system.

Passenger pneumatic-transport systems are not impacted

by weather. They are environmentally clean and non-pollut-

ing. Since the transport tubes can be laid on rocky terrains,

on marshland, and in hard-to-reach areas, PPT systems can

be used where the construction of other types of transporta-

tion systems would pose engineering problems and entail

high costs. The staffing required is minimal, which makes it

easier to introduce PPT systems in remote regions with lim-

ited labor resources. Passengers travel in comfortable condi-

tions and sit in ergonomically designed seats. The interior of

the passenger cars and their equipment are of a modern de-

sign developed with consideration of current trends.

Calculations performed for a PPT system running from

the Malino station to Zelenograd over a 6-km route showed

that the capital and operating costs of this type of transport

would be approximately half that of an urban light-rail sys-

tem and that the passenger capacity of the PPT system would

be only slightly lower than that of the light-rail system [6].

The author of the dissertation [7] developed a compre-

hensive transit plan and determined the number of lines that

would be needed, the optimum air-train speed in-city

(72 km/h, with a frequency of 10 – 12 sec) and out-of-city

(120 kg/h, with a frequency of 3 min). Two-thirds of each

line would be transparent and have a diameter of 2 m. The

system would not disturb the city’s skyline of buildings and

pedestrian walkways. The transport tube would be 10 – 12 m

above ground and would not interfere with street lighting.

Even given the severe shortage of building space, the piers

would occupy a total area of just 4 m2. All of the projects and

proposals discussed above have been developed with an eye

to the transportation strategy of the Russian Federation for

the period up to 2030.

REFERENCES

1. S. Ya. Davydov and A. M. Mal’tsev, Containerized Pneumatic

Transport and Its Use to Move Bulk Freight [in Russian],

TsNIItsvetmet Ekonomiki i Informatsii, Moscow (1981).

2. S. Ya. Davydov, Energy-Saving Equipment for Transporting Bulk

Materials: Research, Development, Fabrication [in Russian],

Ural State Technical University – Ural Polytechnic Institute,

Ekaterinburg (2007).

3. S. Ya. Davydov, I. D. Kashcheev, A. E. Zamuraev, et al.,

“Containerized pneumatic transport with high throughput,”

Novye Ogneupory, No. 7, 17 – 21 (2005).

4. S. Ya. Davydov, I. D. Kashcheev, S. N. Sychev, et al., “Design of

a continuous system for containerized pneumatic transport,”

Novye Ogneupory, No. 5, 15 – 20 (2010

5. S. Ya. Davydov, G. G. Kozhushko, and S. N. Sychev, “Experi-

mental studies of the discharge of bulk cargo from a rotating con-

tainer in a containerized pneumatic transport system,” Ibid.,

No. 2, 9 – 14 (2011).

6. A. M. Aleksandrov, V. E. Aglitskii, P. V. Kovanov, et al., Con-

tainerized Pneumatic Transport in a Tube [in Russian]. Mashino-

stroenie, Moscow (1979).

7. A. F. Zakuraev, Theory of the Design of an Elevated Universal

Tube-Based Passenger Transportation System in a Metropolitan

Area. Author’s Abstract of Engineering Sciences Doctoral Dis-

sertation. Nalchik (2003).

8. http://mindortrans.tatarstan.ru/rus/file/pub/pub_19753.pdf.


Documents

Theoretical Studies of the Unloading of Containers in the Pneumatic Transport Systems of Today and Tomorrow