UK – Hydrogen To Be Added To Britain’s Gas Supply By 2025
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Hydrogen Central.
These are the first three paragraphs.
Hydrogen to be added to Britain’s gas supply by 2025.
Hydrogen is to be pumped into Britain’s main gas pipeline by 2025 as part of a scramble to ditch fossil fuels and move to net zero.
Between 2% and 5% of the fuel flowing through the country’s transmission network will be hydrogen in two years under plans drawn up by National Gas, which owns the pipelines.
Note.
- The article says that.on a winter’s day, you’ve got seven times more energy going through the gas network than the electricity network.
- Between 2% and 5% of hydrogen, would be unlikely to mean that appliances, boilers and industrial processes would need to be changed.
- I suspect that domestic appliances and boilers would just need a good service.
- HyDeploy has shown that 20 % of hydrogen could be possible.
- The hydrogen could be added, where the natural gas enters the UK gas network.
The exercise would save a lot of carbon emissions.
How Much Electricity Would Be Needed To Create The Hydrogen?
In The Mathematics Of Blending Twenty Percent Of Hydrogen Into The UK Gas Grid, I calculated the amount of hydrogen that would be needed for 20 %, how much electricity it would need and how much carbon dioxide would not be emitted.
How Much Hydrogen Needs To Be Added?
This page on worldodometer says this about UK gas consumption.
The United Kingdom consumes 2,795,569 million cubic feet (MMcf) of natural gas per year as of the year 2017.
I will now calculate the weight of hydrogen needed to be added.
- 2,795,569 million cubic feet converts to 79161.69851 million cubic metres.
- I will round that to 79161.7 million cubic metres.
- Twenty percent is 15832.34 million cubic metres.
- A cubic metre of hydrogen weighs 0.082 Kg, which gives that in a year 1,298.25188 million kilograms will need to be added to the UK gas supply.
This is 1,298,251.88 tonnes per year, 3,556.85 tonnes per day or 148.2 tonnes per hour.
How Much Electricity Is Needed To Create This Amount Of Hydrogen?
In Can The UK Have A Capacity To Create Five GW Of Green Hydrogen?, I said the following.
Ryze Hydrogen are building the Herne Bay electrolyser.
- It will consume 23 MW of solar and wind power.
- It will produce ten tonnes of hydrogen per day.
The electrolyser will consume 552 MWh to produce ten tonnes of hydrogen, so creating one tonne of hydrogen needs 55.2 MWh of electricity.
To create 148.2 tonnes per hour of hydrogen would need 8,180.64 MW of electricity or just under 8.2 GW.
How Much Carbon Dioxide Would Be Saved?
This page on the Engineering Toolbox is entitled Combustion Of Fuels – Carbon Dioxide Emission and it gives a list of how much carbon dioxide is emitted, when a fuel is burned.
For each Kg of these fuels, the following Kg of carbon dioxide will be released on combustion.
- Methane – 2.75
- Gasoline – 3.30
- Kerosene – 3.00
- Diesel – 3.15
- Bituminous coal – 2.38
- Lignite 1.10
- Wood – 1.83
Engineering Toolbox seems a very useful web site.
I will now calculate how much carbon dioxide would be saved.
- In 2017, UK methane consumption was 79161.7 million cubic metres.
- One cubic metre of methane weighs 0.554 Kg.
- The total weight of methane used is 43,855,581.8 tonnes.
- Multiplying by 2.75 shows that 120,602,849.95 tonnes of carbon dioxide will be produced.
As twenty percent will be replaced by hydrogen, carbon dioxide emission savings will be 6,030,142.498 tonnes.
That seems a good saving, from a small country like the UK.
The UK would also reduce natural gas consumption by twenty percent or 15832.34 million cubic metres per year.
How Much Electricity Would Be Needed To Create The Hydrogen for a 5 % Blend?
I’ll now repeat the calculation for a 5 % blend,
How Much Hydrogen Needs To Be Added?
I will now calculate the weight of hydrogen needed to be added.
- UK gas consumption rounds to 79161.7 million cubic metres.
- Five percent is 3958.085 million cubic metres.
- A cubic metre of hydrogen weighs 0.082 Kg, which gives that in a year 324.56297 million kilograms will need to be added to the UK gas supply.
This is 324,563 tonnes per year, 889.21 tonnes per day or 37 tonnes per hour.
How Much Electricity Is Needed To Create This Amount Of Hydrogen?
Earlier I said this.
The electrolyser will consume 552 MWh to produce ten tonnes of hydrogen, so creating one tonne of hydrogen needs 55.2 MWh of electricity.
To create 37 tonnes per hour of hydrogen would need 2,045.16 MW of electricity or just over 2 GW.
How Much Carbon Dioxide Would Be Saved?
Earlier, I found that a Kg of methane will produce 2.75 Kg of carbon dioxide on combustion.
I will now calculate how much carbon dioxide would be saved.
- In 2017, UK methane consumption was 79161.7 million cubic metres.
- One cubic metre of methane weighs 0.554 Kg.
- The total weight of methane used is 43,855,581.8 tonnes.
- Multiplying by 2.75 shows that 120,602,849.95 tonnes of carbon dioxide will be produced.
As five percent will be replaced by hydrogen, carbon dioxide emission savings will be 6030,142.4975 tonnes.
The UK would also reduce natural gas consumption by five percent or 3958.085 million cubic metres per year.
How Much Electricity Would Be Needed To Create The Hydrogen for a 2 % Blend?
I’ll now repeat the calculation for a 2 % blend,
How Much Hydrogen Needs To Be Added?
I will now calculate the weight of hydrogen needed to be added.
- UK gas consumption rounds to 79161.7 million cubic metres.
- Two percent is 1,583.234 million cubic metres.
- A cubic metre of hydrogen weighs 0.082 Kg, which gives that in a year 129.825 million kilograms will need to be added to the UK gas supply.
This is 129,825 tonnes per year, 355.68 tonnes per day or 14.8 tonnes per hour.
How Much Electricity Is Needed To Create This Amount Of Hydrogen?
Earlier I said this.
The electrolyser will consume 552 MWh to produce ten tonnes of hydrogen, so creating one tonne of hydrogen needs 55.2 MWh of electricity.
To create 14.8 tonnes per hour of hydrogen would need 817 MW of electricity or not even a GW.
How Much Carbon Dioxide Would Be Saved?
Earlier, I found that a Kg of methane will produce 2.75 Kg of carbon dioxide on combustion.
I will now calculate how much carbon dioxide would be saved.
- In 2017, UK methane consumption was 79161.7 million cubic metres.
- One cubic metre of methane weighs 0.554 Kg.
- The total weight of methane used is 43,855,581.8 tonnes.
- Multiplying by 2.75 shows that 120,602,849.95 tonnes of carbon dioxide will be produced.
As two percent will be replaced by hydrogen, carbon dioxide emission savings will be 2,412,057 tonnes.
The UK would also reduce natural gas consumption by two percent or 1,583.234 million cubic metres per year.
Summary Of Savings And Electricity Needed
2 %
- Hydrogen To Add – 14.8 tonnes per hour
- Electricity Needed – 817 MW per year
- Carbon Dioxide Savings – 2,412,057 tonnes per year
- Natural Gas Reduction – 1,583.234 million cubic metres per year
5 %
- Hydrogen To Add – 37 tonnes per hour
- Electricity Needed – 2,045.16 MW per year
- Carbon Dioxide Savings – 6,030,142.498 tonnes per year
- Natural Gas Reduction – 3,958.085 million cubic metres per year
20 %
- Hydrogen To Add – 148.2 tonnes per hour
- Electricity Needed – 8,180.64 MW per year
- Carbon Dioxide Savings – 24,120,569.99 tonnes per year
- Natural Gas Reduction – 1,5832.34 million cubic metres per year
Birmingham Plays The Green Card
This article in The Times today is entitled Birmingham Airport Set For Hydrogen Take-Off.
These two paragraphs introduce the article.
Birmingham Airport aims to become the first in Britain to operate commercial zero-emission hydrogen-fuelled flights — and by as early as 2025.
The ambitious goal follows the signing of a partnership with the British start-up ZeroAvia whose first trial flight of a 19-seater passenger aircraft powered by hydrogen fuel cells took place last month.
Other points from the article include.
- ZeroAvia is also working with Rotterdam Airport.
- Initially, it is likely that the hydrogen-powered aircraft will be used for cargo.
- The government wants all UK domestic flights to be zero-carbon by 2040.
- Birmingham wants to be zero-carbon by 2033.
- ZeroAvia has received upwards of £20 million of matched-taxpayer funding.
- It has some big backers and well-known airlines, who have placed orders.
These are my thoughts.
ZeroAvia’s Airliners
This paragraph from The Times article describes their first two aircraft.
ZeroAvia is retrofitting turboprops, 19-seater Dornier and in future 80-seater De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400s, with tanks of hydrogen which is converted by fuel cell stacks to energy taken to electric motors that power the propellers. The only emission is water. It is talking to potential new-entrant airframe makers to build all-new hydrogen aircraft of the future.
Note.
- The Dornier 228 is a 19-seater airliner of which over three hundred have been built.
- The de Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 is an 80-seater airliner of which over six hundred have been ordered and over 1200 of all marques of Dash 8s have been built.
Both are workhorses of the smaller airlines all over the world.
As the paragraph from The Times indicates the power system is not conventional, but then most of this new breed of small electric/hydrogen/hybrid airliners have electric propulsion. I suspect that there’s been a marked improvement in the design and efficiency of electric motors.
Electric propulsion should have a substantial noise advantage over turboprops.
ZeroAvia are also retrofitting their two chosen airliners.
This offers advantages in the certifying of the airliners. Providing the changes made to the airframe are not significant, the various certifying authorities in the UK, US and EU will allow previous certification to be carried over.
This means that ZeroAvia only have to thoroughly test and certify the powerplant and its integration into the aircraft.
One of their competitors, the Eviation Alice is a completely new airframe with battery-electric power, so I suspect this aircraft will take longer to certify.
I think ZeroAvia have used this shorter certification time to aim to get their airliners in service first.
Those that don’t win, don’t get the same fame.
Hydrogen At Birmingham Airport
Hydrogen will be needed at Birmingham Airport to refuel ZeroAvia’s airliners.
But will hydrogen also be used on the airside to power some of the heavy vehicles you see on airports.
Look at this page on the Hawaii Technology Development Corporation, which shows a Hydrogen Fuel Cell U-30 Aircraft Tow Tractor. The specification indicates, that it can tow a C-17 or a Boeing 747.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see Birmingham Airport build their own electrolyser nearby both to supply hydrogen-powered aircraft and decarbonise the airside.
To And From Birmingham Airport
Consider.
- Birmingham Airport is connected to Birmingham International station by a free AirRail Link.
- Birmingham International station has an impressive number of services, many of which are electric.
- There will be a people mover to connect to Birmingham Interchange for High Speed Two.
- Birmingham Interchange will have five trains per hour (tph) to and from London, taking under forty minutes.
- There are plans to extend the West Midlands Metro to the airport, with journeys taking thirty minutes from the City Centre.
- Birmingham Airport is at the centre of the UK’s motorway network.
Most public transport to Birmingham Airport will be zero-carbon and the percentage that is will increase.
A Green Air Bridge To Ireland
Currently the fastest services between London and Birmingham International station take a few minutes over the hour.
But after High Speed Two opens, the service will improve.
- High Speed Two will take under forty minutes.
- There will be five tph.
- High Speed Two will connect to the Elizabeth Line and the London Overground at Old Oak Common station.
- Euston station will have better connectivity to the Underground.
This diagram shows High Speed Two services.
Consider.
- Birmingham Interchange has good connections in the North.
- I can see that Birmingham Airport could start to attract lots of passengers going between the islands of Great Britain and Ireland.
- And don’t forget Cardiff, Swansea, Exeter, Isle of Man and New Quay.
- Could Birmingham-Dublin and Birmingham-Belfast be run as frequent shuttles?
- Will there be AirRail tickets between Euston and Belfast and Dublin?
I also wonder if zero-carbon travel will attract passengers?
Zero-Carbon Air Cargo At Birmingham Airport
This article on Railway Gazette is entitled Varamis Rail Launches Regular Express Light Freight Service.
These three paragraphs outline the service from Varamis Rail.
Varamis Rail has launched a 160 km/h express freight service between Glasgow and Birmingham International using a converted electric multiple-unit.
The service is targeted at express parcels and third-party delivery companies seeking next day delivery of consumer goods.
Consignments arriving at the Glasgow hub by 17.30 from Monday to Friday can reach Birmingham at 23.00, with northbound freight arriving at the Birmingham site by 23.00 reaching Glasgow at 05.30 the next morning.
I think this service would interface well with cargo planes operating overnight from Birmingham Airport.
It seems to me, that Spokes at Speke could be reborn at Birmingham.
Conclusion
Birmingham Airport seems to be positioning itself to take advantage of aviation’s new breed of planes.
East London Is A Duckers And Divers Paradise
This is the East End Tube Map, which I clipped off the full tube map.
I live just South of the East London Line between Canonbury and Dalston Junction stations.
Today started just after nine, as many others do by braving the nightmare on the buses to take a 141 bus to Moorgate.
- At Moorgate, I had breakfast as I do regularly in the Leon, by Moorgate station.
- After breakfast, it was one stop South on the Northern Line to Bank, to see if the new entrance had opened.
- It was then a trip on the new moving walkway to the Central Line.
- I took the Central Line to Stratford to do my main shopping at the start of the week, in the large Marks and Spencer in Eastfield, by the station entrance.
- It was then on to the North London Line to go back home.
- I didn’t go all the way home on the Overground, but got off the train at Hackney Central and using the new Graham Road entrance, I crossed to get a 38 bus, which would take me home.
- But two 38s passed as I tried to cross the road and in the end I took a 277 bus to Dalston Junction station.
- From the Junction, I got a 56 bus home.
I got home about eleven.
At least now, I’ve got food until Thursday!
Very Busy Lizzie
Yesterday, I took the Elizabeth Line, back from Reading to Moorgate.
- When, I got on at Reading, there were perhaps fifty empty seats and I was able to have three seats to myself.
- But by Slough, It was standing room only!
- It cleared a bit at Paddington, but by Moorgate there were only a few seats left.
Currently, there are two trains per hour (tph) between Abbey Wood and Reading stations.
As other passengers said it’s always busy, I suspect that Transport for London need to tweak the signalling, so that four tph run to Reading.
This section called Planned Service in the Wikipedia entry for the Elizabeth Line says this.
In May 2023, it is planned to allow trains to run from both eastern branches to west of Paddington. This will allow both more flexible, and higher frequency, services: 24 tph peak, 20 tph off-peak, and direct services between Shenfield and Heathrow. In the longer term, when Old Oak Common opens, all trains will serve Old Oak Common, with those not serving the Reading or Heathrow branches reversing there.
The service changes for May 2023 were confirmed in February 2023. The peak timetable will increase to 24 trains per hour. Off-peak service level will remain at 16 trains per hour, with two Shenfield–Paddington trains extended to Heathrow Airport Terminal 5 and two Abbey Wood–Terminal 5 trains switching to Terminal 4.
This will give an Off Peak schedule as follows.
- Reading and Abbey Wood – 2 tph
- Maidenhead and Abbey Wood – 2 tph
- Heathrow Terminal 4 and Abbey Wood – 4 tph
- Heathrow Terminal 5 and Abbey Wood – 0 tph
- Heathrow Terminal 5 and Shenfield – 2 tph
- Paddington and Shenfield – 6 tph
I don’t believe it is good enough.
- There is no direct Heathrow Terminal 5 and Abbey Wood service.
- Reading needs four tph to Central London.
- See Elizabeth Line: Commuters Say Service ‘Not What Was Promised’
- See So Many Cases On A Train!
I suspect passenger congestion and reaction will force a rethink by the Mayor and Transport for London.
The Anonymous Widower 