the entire pipeline. On the contrar

the entire pipeline. On the contrary, they need only to be placed at
strategic locations along a PCP. Furthermore, single-sided LIMs can
be used to control the direction of motion of capsules at pipeline
branching points (see Figure 4). By turning on the LIM on one side
of the branch instead of the other, a lateral electromagnetic force is
generated to direct the capsule into the desired branch. This means
that the LIM can also be used for system control purpose.
All PCP systems must be automatically controlled. This requires
the detection of capsules at many strategic locations along the pipe.
Capsules can be detected and identified by placing bar codes on them
and using a special bar-code scanner to detect and identify them.
For transporting bulk materials such as minerals or solid wastes,
cylindrical capsules in cylindrical pipe are preferred. In contrast,
for transporting packaged commodities, capsules of square or rectangular
cross sections traveling inside a square or rectangular conduit
will be the choice. A 1.5 m wide rectangular section will allow
cargoes to be transported on pallets, and a 2 m wide rectangular
section will allow large crates to be transported. Rectangular conduits
can be used for PCP due to the relatively low internal pressure
in the system—usually not more than one or two atmospheric pressure.
Such conduits can be made of reinforced concrete.