Paradigm Hyperloop is a team of students from Memorial University of Newfoundland, College of the North Atlantic, and Northeastern University of Boston that has been planning, designing, and developing a hyperloop pod, which is a conceptual fifth mode of transportation that involves levitating train-like vehicles that travel through low pressure vacuum tubes. The team has been at the project for two years!
J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI) is proud to sponsor the innovative work that the Paradigm Hyperloop team is doing.
The global SpaceX Hyperloop Pod Competition is put on by SpaceX for students to get involved and build hyperloop test vehicles. There are three academic competition, all independent of the other. These competitions allow engineering students across the world the means to see who can push the Hyperloop concept closer to reality by designing, building, and testing their own prototype; not to mention recognition on an international level.
Not only is the Paradigm Hyperloop team the only Canadian team to make it to the second competition, they were placed in the top 24 and advanced directly to the finals without having to conduct further technical assessment. The competition took place in Hawthorne, California at the SpaceX Headquarters between August 25th and 27th. The Paradigm Hyperloop team was incredibly successful in this round, finishing second in the world and first in North America!
“The team was incredibly successful this past week and I am so proud of everyone who is a part of it.” says Adam Keating, Project Lead for Paradigm Hyperloop.
“We are the first and only air bearing pod to successfully complete a High Speed Vacuum run in the Hyperloop Test track. We reached 101km/h with the largest and heaviest pod in the competition, weighing in at 1,800lbs and 20ft in length. Many other teams chose to pursue Maglev or wheel systems, Paradigm however chose to stick to the original path and prove the original concept was a viable premise.” adds Mark Comeau, Manufacturing Lead.
Competition three details are not finalized yet but it is expected to be similar format to competition two. As such, the Paradigm Hyperloop team is well-positioned to make a finals appearance once again given their successes in the first two competitions!
Want to learn more about the Paradigm Hyperloop Team? Visit their Facebook and LinkedIn page.
Sentinel Capital Partners, a private equity firm that invests in promising companies at the lower end of the middle market, today announced the acquisition of Nekoosa, a leading manufacturer of specialty paper and film products used in the graphics and commercial print markets. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Headquartered in Nekoosa, Wisconsin, Nekoosa produces a comprehensive suite of specialty engineered materials in four key product areas: application and pressure sensitive tapes used to protect and transfer graphics onto surfaces such as store windows and commercial vehicles; specialty synthetic papers that offer a digitally printable tear-and-water-proof alternative to lamination; sheeted digital and offset grade carbonless paper; and extruded film products used in wall panel, credit card, and lighting applications. Through a network of more than 1,000 global distributor partners, Nekoosa serves a highly-diverse base of more than 70,000 commercial print and graphics shops in 65 countries. Click Read More below for additional information.
As part of Sappi Europe's full scale decarbonisation roadmap, Gratkorn mill is expanding the share of biomass to be used as an energy source, further driving the move away from fossil fuels as part of the mill’s contribution to the European roadmap. The project follows the recent modernisation of the power plant boiler which enabled the shift from coal to a combined approach of biomass and natural gas. The mill is now embarking on a next step, enhancing its infrastructure and therefore capacity in order to handle the delivery, sorting and processing of increased biomass levels. This increased utilisation requires an improved biomass handling system at the mill as well as decentralised intermediate storage terminals within the surrounding regions.
Stora Enso will invest EUR 10 million at its Enocell pulp mill in Finland to replace fossil-based heavy fuel oil with renewable pitch oil. This will reduce the environmental impact of the operations and help in reaching the ambitious target for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Currently, the main energy sources for Enocell pulp mill are renewable black liquor, bark, and saw dust powder, but fossil-based heavy fuel oil is needed when the pulp mill is started up after maintenance stops or production disturbances. By replacing heavy fuel oil with pitch oil that is made from trees, Enocell pulp mill aims at becoming a site running 100% on bio-energy and, thus, reduce its fossil CO2 emissions by almost 70 000 tonnes annually, which is approximately 50% of Biomaterials division’s fossil CO2 emissions, and a significant contribution to achieving Stora Enso’s climate targets.