Tube Design

The Carbon and Glass Fullerene Geo-Truss consists of three interlocked tube structures within an outer tube structure. The tube structures are fullerene geo-truss shapes patterned like carbon nano-tubes. The outer tube structure encloses the three cylindrical glass "travel tubes" and hexagonal glass plates, some of which include translucent solar film, enclose the outer structure.

The glass travel tubes contain a near vacuum with a design pressure on the order of 1/1,000 to 1/1,000,000 of atmospheric pressure with a gas consisting primarily of water vapour or air. One thousandth of an atmosphere was proposed for the Hyperloop and lower pressures reduce the power required to push capsules through the tube at the expense of greater work required to keep the pressure low in airlocks and other points of entry to the tube.

The travel tubes are kept at near constant temperature and do not have expansion joints. The daily heating cycle is balanced with a water based system which removes daytime excess heat, restoring it at night and supported by backup geothermal temperature management. If you walk through a forest on a sunny day, you can feel the change in temperature walking from open to tree covered paths. Trees draw water up from the soil and release it to the atmosphere in a process known as transpiration where the evaporation of water from stomata in leaves cools forest air.

The panels covering the upper half of the outer tube structure include a solar film which collects 8-10% of the solar energy that passes through it.