West Drayton Station – 22nd June 2202
I passed through West Drayton station today and took these pictures.
Note.
- The rebuilding of the station is almost finished.
- There are three platforms that can be used by the Elizabeth Line.
- The new Platform 5 is still to be completed
The station is fully step-free between street and platform, but not between train and platform.
News Of The Day From Rolls-Royce
This press release from Rolls-Royce is entitled Rolls-Royce Advances Hybrid-Electric Flight With New Technology To Lead The Way In Advanced Air Mobility.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Rolls-Royce is officially announcing the development of turbogenerator technology, which includes a new small engine designed for hybrid-electric applications. The system will be an on-board power source with scalable power offerings and will complement the Rolls-Royce Electrical propulsion portfolio, enabling extended range on sustainable aviation fuels and later as it comes available through hydrogen combustion.
This paragraph outlines the use of the new small engine.
Current battery technology means all-electric propulsion will enable eVTOL and fixed wing commuter aircraft for short flights in and between cities and island-hopping in locations like Norway and the Scottish Isles. By developing turbogenerator technology, that will be scaled to serve a power range between 500 kW and 1200 kW, we can open up new longer routes that our electric battery powered aircraft can also support.
There is also a video in the press release, which gives more information.
- The turbogenerator is compatible to their electric power and propulsion offering.
- The turbogenerator has a power of 500-1200 kW to serve different aircraft platforms.
- The system is modular and can be tailored to different applications.
- The turbogenerator can either power the aircraft directly or charge the batteries.
- The system can be configured to provide primary power for other applications.
- Rolls-Royce are designing all the components; the turbogenerator, the gas turbine, the generator, the power electronics, so they all fit together in a compact and lightweight solution.
- Rolls-Royce intend to manufacture all components themselves and not rely on bought-in modules.
- Every gram of weight saved is important.
I suspect that one of the keys to making this all work is a very comprehensive and clever control system.
I have a few thoughts.
Weight Is Key
Rolls-Royce emphasise weight saving in the video. Obviously, this is important with any form of flying machine.
An Example System
Let’s suppose you want an electric power system to power a railway locomotive or one of those large mining trucks.
- The locomotive or truck has an electric transmission.
- Power of 2 MW is needed.
- A battery is needed.
- Fuel will be Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) or hydrogen.
A series hybrid-electric power unit will be created from available modules, which could be very fuel efficient.
What Will Rolls-Royce’s System Be Able to Power?
Although the system is aimed at the next generation of electric flying machines, these systems will be used in any application that wants an efficient zero- or low-carbon power source.
Consider.
- Some large trucks have diesel engines with a power of almost 500 kW.
- A Class 68 bi-mode locomotive has a 700 kW diesel engine.
- A Class 802 train has three 700 kW diesel engines.
- Rolls-Royce subsidiary MTU are a large supplier of diesel engines for rail, road and water.
It looks to me that Rolls-Royce have sized the system to hoover up applications and they have MTU’s experience to engineer the applications.
Class 43 Power Cars
The iconic Class 43 power cars running on UK railways are an interesting possibility for powering with Rolls-Royce’s new system.
- Despite being over forty-years old, there are over a hundred and twenty still in service.
- They were upgraded with new 1.7 MW MTU diesel engines in the early part of this century.
- Rolls-Royce is based in Derby.
- The Class 43 power cars were developed in Derby.
- Hydrogen-powered Class 43 power cars, hauling GWR Castles or ScotRail Inter7Cities would be tourist attractions.
- The Class 43 power cars need to be either decarbonised or replaced in the next few years.
Decarbonisation using Rolls-Royce’s new system would probably be more affordable.
This all sounds like a project designed in a pub in Derby, with large amounts of real ale involved.
But I wouldn’t be surprised if it happened.
Will The System Be Upgradable From Sustainable Aviation Fuel To Hydrogen?
This is an except from the introductory paragraph.
The system will be an on-board power source with scalable power offerings and will complement the Rolls-Royce Electrical propulsion portfolio, enabling extended range on sustainable aviation fuels and later as it comes available through hydrogen combustion.
This would appear that if used in aviation, it will be possible to upgrade the system from sustainable aviation fuel to hydrogen, when a suitable hydrogen supply becomes available.
But all applications could be upgraded.
A truck, like the one shown in the picture could be delivered as one running on sustainable aviation fuel and converted to hydrogen later.
Conclusion
Rolls-Royce have put together a modular system, that will have lots of applications.
Step-Free Provision On Elizabeth Line West Of Paddington
The stations may be step-free between street and platform, but West of Paddington, there does not appear to be step-free access between the platform and the train.
These pictures show a selection of stops.
Compare these steps of a few inches, with those I showed in Step-Free Access Between Train And Platform On The Elizabeth Line.
These pictures were taken between Woolwich and Paddington stations and show first class step-free access between train and platform.
The step-free access on the Western branch of the Elizabeth Line does not appear to be up to the standard expected of a world class railway.
Is The Current Arrangement Only Temporary?
I took these pictures at Padding Station today of a Class 345 train alongside Platform 10.
Note.
- There are large gaps.
- I had a chat with a station guy, who’d just unloaded two wheelchair passengers from the train using a ramp.
- He felt things could be improved.
- I feel that level access for the Elizabeth Line at Paddington is important.
But when the Elizabeth Line is fully connected, it will be connected to a series of Central London stations, including Paddington, that will have full step-free access between the train and the platform.
So the current arrangement will be improved dramatically in a few months.
The Visitor To London In A Wheel-Chair
The Central London section of the Elizabeth Line between Paddington and Whitechapel or Woolwich stations is step-free between street and train.
So a visitor to London in a wheel-chair might choose to stay in a hotel on this easy section of the Elizabeth Line to make the most of their stay.
But because of the lack of step-free access between train and platform outside of the Central London section, would they have trouble visiting places like Windsor, which would require a change of trains at Slough?
Would It Be Possible To Separate Elizabeth Line and Great Western Railway Services?
Consider.
- Great Western Railway services between Paddington and Didcot Parkway use the Elizabeth Line platforms at Ealing Broadway, Hayes and Harlington, West Drayton, Slough, Maidenhead, Twyford and Reading.
- In addition, some express trains stop at Slough and Ealing Broadway.
- There are also freight trains passing through.
It might be sensible to move the Paddington and Didcot Parkway service to the Elizabeth Line and adjust platform heights appropriately.
Australian Mining Billionaire Touts A Green Revolution In U.S. Coal Country — With Skepticism Trailing Close Behind
The title of this post, is the same as this article on Forbes.
It is a definite must-read about Andrew ‘Twiggy’ Forrest, making one of the most difficult hydrogen pitches in the world, to coal miners in West Virginia.
Perhaps we need Mr Forrest to convince the RMT, that their views are wrong and so nineteenth century.
Crocheting On The Lizzie Line
I saw a lady crocheting on the Lizzie Line yesterday!
Gravity—Yes, Gravity—Is the Next Frontier for Batteries
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Popular Mechanics.
This is the first paragraph.
When the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t howling, suspended weights can step in to generate power.
The article goes on to explain Energy Vault and Gravitricity.
It is certainly an endorsement of the technique from one of America’s popular magazines.
Cost Of Turning Off UK Wind Farms Reached Record High In 2021
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Drax.
This is the first paragraph.
The cost of turning off wind farms in the UK has reached record levels, according to a new report.
The press release makes these points.
- Investing in more long duration electricity storage, such as expanding Drax’s Cruachan pumped storage hydro plant in Scotland, would mean more excess renewable power could be stored and made available when required, cutting costs and carbon emissions.
- The cost of turning off UK wind farms to manage the electricity system rose from almost £300m during 2020 to over £500m in 2021, contributing to higher energy bills and carbon emissions, according to a new report.
- Costs increased substantially because the system relied on expensive gas power to manage periods when wind power was curtailed, as not enough electricity storage was available to prevent the excess renewable power from wind farms going to waste.
Drax give these reasons for the problems.
This happened as a result of constraints in the transmission system and a lack of long-duration storage capacity, which is needed to manage periods when renewable power generation outstrips demand.
The problem is going to get worse as we increase the amount of wind power in the UK.
Penny Small, Drax’s Group Generation Director sums everything up.
This report underlines the need for a new regulatory framework to encourage private investment in long-duration storage technologies.
The UK is a world-leader in offshore wind, but for the country’s green energy ambitions to be realised we need the right energy storage infrastructure to support this vital technology, make the system secure and reduce costs.
Drax’s plan to expand Cruachan will strengthen UK energy security, by enabling more homegrown renewable electricity to power British homes and businesses, reducing system costs and cutting carbon emissions.
A good framework has been created for wind farms and many more are being proposed and developed.
Frameworks are needed for both transmission systems and long-duration energy storage capacity.
Volvo Trucks Showcases New Zero-Emissions Truck
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Volvo Trucks.
This is the first paragraph.
Imagine a truck that only emits water vapor, produces its own electricity onboard and has a range of up to 1 000 km. It’s possible with fuel cells powered by hydrogen, and Volvo Trucks has started to test vehicles using this new technology.
This picture shows one of the trucks.
It certainly looks like a normal truck.
From the press release, it looks like Volvo Trucks are taking a conservative approach to designing, developing and launching the truck.
- Early examples will go through an extensive test program.
- It uses two fuel cells can generate up to 300 kW.
- Range is quoted at up to 1000 km.
- Fully refuelling takes 15 minutes.
- Gross weight is up to 65 tonnes.
- It looks to be a straight replacement for a current diesel truck.
Full launch is mentioned as towards the end of the decade, after there are enough hydrogen filling stations.
Conclusion
I may not have driven a large truck like this, but I’ve certainly funded a large number and talked with many experienced operators.
It looks to me that this could be the truck for an operator or company, who wants to offer zero-carbon transport for commercial, environmental, public relations or tax reasons.
Drax To Pilot More Pioneering New Carbon Capture Technology
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Drax.
This is the first paragraph.
Renewable energy pioneer Drax has partnered with the University of Nottingham and Promethean Particles to trial a pioneering new bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) process at its North Yorkshire power station.
Normally, carbon capture from the flue gas of a power station uses a liquid solvent, which dissolves the carbon dioxide.
However, the process that Drax are trialling, uses porous compounds called metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) to absorb the carbon dioxide.
This page on the Promethean Particles web site described how their carbon-capture works.
Traditional solvent-based carbon capture systems require a significant amount of energy to regenerate the carbon-capturing material. In power generation applications, estimates put this energy penalty at up to 35% of the power station’s output. Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) capture carbon mainly through physical, not chemical means. This “trapping” process requires lower energy inputs to regenerate the MOFs and can therefore help achieve more energy-efficient carbon capture. By using MOF-based carbon capture, more of the power generated can go where it was intended, lowering the price of energy for consumers and CAPEX for the power generators.
Note.
- It is a physical rather than a chemical process.
- It is more energy efficient than traditional carbon-capture.
This Drax graphic from the press release, shows how this process can be incorporated into a power plant..
Note.
- The trial will last for two months and will be hosted within Drax’s BECCS incubation hub at its North Yorkshire Power Station.
- Metal Organic Frameworks are a unique class of solid sorbents offering lower operational costs and reducing potential environmental impacts.
Work to build BECCS at Drax could get underway as soon as 2024, with the creation of thousands of jobs.
Fifty years ago, I spent several months at ICI looking at the mathematics of different numbers and sizes of vessels of in a proposed chemical plant, to optimise the cost of the plant.
- I suspect a similar analysis could be applied to this process.
- It would surely be very suitable for Drax, whose main power station has four units fuelled by biomass and another fuelled by natural gas.
- Are two columns containing MOF, the optimum number?
- The calculation could involve a lot of permutations and combinations, which I’ve used to advantage for over fifty years.
I will follow this trial with interest.
Conclusion
This is another application of advanced physics and chemistry.
If Promethean Particles ever decide to go the crowdfunding route, I would look seriously at a small investment.
Why Can’t More Bags Be Like This?
I recently had my shoes fixed in Timpsons.
This was the bag that the company gave me with the shoes
Surely, paper bags score highly in many ways; practicality, affordability, recyclability and as advertising.
Why don’t we see bags like these more often?
The Anonymous Widower 