Hyperloop environmental control system

Abstract

An environmental control system for conditioning a cabin of a vehicle positioned in an enclosed air-evacuated environment includes a first inlet for receiving a first medium, a second inlet for receiving a second medium, and a thermodynamic device including an electric generator and at least one turbine operably coupled by a shaft. A first mixing point is fluidly coupled to the second inlet and an outlet of the at least one turbine.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An environmental control system for conditioning a cabin of a vehicle positioned in an enclosed air-evacuated environment, the environmental control system comprising:
 a first inlet for receiving a first medium;   a second inlet for receiving a second medium;   a thermodynamic device including an electric generator and at least one turbine operably coupled by a shaft; and   a first mixing point fluidly coupled to the second inlet and an outlet of the at least one turbine.   
     
     
         2 . The environmental control system of  claim 1 , wherein the thermodynamic device is absent a compressor. 
     
     
         3 . The environmental control system of  claim 1 , wherein the at least one turbine further comprises a first turbine and a second turbine operably coupled by the shaft. 
     
     
         4 . The environmental control system of  claim 3 , wherein an outlet of the first turbine is fluidly coupled to an inlet of the second turbine such that the first turbine and the second turbine are arranged in series relative to a flow of the first medium. 
     
     
         5 . The environmental control system of  claim 1 , wherein the second medium is mixed with a medium output from a cooling system to form a third medium at a location upstream from the first mixing point. 
     
     
         6 . The environmental control system of  claim 5 , further comprising a circulation fan operable to pump the third medium to the first mixing point. 
     
     
         7 . The environmental control system of  claim 5 , wherein the third medium is mixed with the first medium provided from an outlet of the at least one turbine at the first mixing point to form a fourth medium. 
     
     
         8 . The environmental control system of  claim 5 , further comprising:
 a bypass conduit fluidly connected to the first inlet, the bypass conduit being arranged in parallel with the thermodynamic device; and   a valve associated with the bypass conduit, the valve being operable to control the flow of the first medium within the bypass conduit.   
     
     
         9 . The environmental control system of  claim 8 , further comprising a second mixing point fluidly coupled to the first mixing point and to the bypass conduit, wherein a conditioned medium is output from the second mixing point. 
     
     
         10 . The environmental control system of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one vessel of the first medium located on board the vehicle. 
     
     
         11 . The environmental control system of  claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is a train. 
     
     
         12 . A method of operating an environmental control system to condition a cabin of a vehicle positioned in an enclosed, air-evacuated tube, the method comprising:
 extracting energy from a first medium at at least one turbine of a thermodynamic device to form an expanded first medium, the extracted energy being used to generate power at a generator;   extracting energy from the expanded first medium at the at least one turbine to form a further expanded first medium, the extracted energy being used to generate power at the generator; and   forming a conditioned medium including the further expanded first medium and a second medium.   
     
     
         13 . The method of  claim 12 , wherein the at least one turbine further comprises a first turbine and a second turbine and energy is extracted from the first medium at the first turbine to form the expanded first medium and energy is extracted from the expanded first medium at the second turbine to form the further expanded first medium. 
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 12 , further comprising mixing the second medium and a medium from a cooling system to form a third medium. 
     
     
         15 . The method of  claim 14 , wherein forming the conditioned medium further comprises:
 mixing the third medium with the further expanded first medium at a first mixing point to form a fourth medium; and   mixing the fourth medium with a flow of the first medium provided from a bypass conduit to form the conditioned medium, the flow of the first medium provided from the bypass conduit having bypassed the thermodynamic device.   
     
     
         16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising pumping the third medium to the first mixing point via a circulation fan. 
     
     
         17 . The method of  claim 14 , further comprising:
 providing a first portion of the conditioned medium to the cabin; and   providing a second portion of the conditioned medium to the cooling system.   
     
     
         18 . The method of  claim 17 , wherein providing the second portion of the conditioned medium to the cooling system further comprises removing heat from the cooling system. 
     
     
         19 . The method of  claim 18 , wherein the conditioned medium heated at the cooling system is the medium from the cooling system of the third medium.