The Anonymous Widower

Green Light For Orkney Transmission Link

The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item from SSE.

These three paragraphs outline the project.

SSE’s Transmission business, SSEN Transmission, has welcomed today’s publication by Ofgem in which the energy regulator has provisionally approved long awaited and much needed plans to provide a subsea electricity transmission link to Orkney.

The Orkney Islands are home to some of the world’s greatest resources of renewable electricity, from established onshore wind, to emerging marine technologies, where Orkney is at the forefront of global developments in marine energy generation.

Following significant growth in small-scale renewable electricity generation in Orkney, the local electricity network has long been at full capacity and no new electricity generation can connect without significant reinforcements.

This paragraph describes the scope of the project.

SSEN Transmission’s proposed solution would enable the connection of up to 220MW of new renewable electricity and consists of a new substation at Finstown in Orkney, and around 57km of subsea cable, connecting to a new substation at Dounreay in Caithness.

200 MW seems a good return for a substation and forty miles of cable.

March 5, 2023 Posted by | Energy | , , , , | Leave a comment

Thoughts On The Wash Barrier

I first learned about tidal power, when I worked for a few months at Frederick Snow and Partners and one of their engineers briefed me about their plans for the Severn Barrage.

That was in about 1973 and it should be remembered, that I didn’t see my first large wind turbine until the last few years of the last century at Swaffham in Norfolk.

I suspect that an engineer revisiting the Severn Barrage would design it differently now.

The Wash Tidal Barrier Corporation

This company is proposing the Wash Barrier, which has a web site.

The name suggests they will generate tidal power.

The home page has a picture of wind turbines, which could be lined up on the barrier.

It also has this introduction to the project.

Sea level rise and climate change are major threats to the Wash coast and fenland environment. Sea level is predicted to rise by at least one metre by 2100 and sea temperatures, already 1°C higher, are increasing by 0.4°C each decade. Storm surges sufficient to overwhelm the Wash coastal defences are becoming ever more likely.

Raising the height of existing coastal defences would not only be prohibitively expensive, but also have a major impact on marginal habitats such as salt marsh, inter-tidal mudflats and sandbanks.

A tidal barrier across the Wash will provide us with the opportunity to manage the tide height and range within the Wash. The Barrier also offers a number of additional benefits – in particular, the generation of a large and reliable amount of green electricity and flood protection for more than 500,000 people, 300,000 hectares of grade 1 agricultural land and billions of pounds’ worth of assets.

The Wash Tidal Barrier Corporation plc is a private company, founded by Cambridgeshire-based entrepreneur Peter Dawe specifically to promote and build a barrier.

The proposed barrier will span the Wash from Hunstanton in Norfolk to just south of Skegness in Lincolnshire, a distance of approximately 18km, with an additional 5km of barrier in Lincolnshire in order to reach high ground.

Following are many of the design considerations we need to assess.

If you click on the Next button, you are led though a few pages that describe the barrier and the issues it raises.

I feel it is a comprehensive outline of what could be done.

It’s also quite old, as it suggests completion in 2012.

This are my thoughts.

Transport Across The Barrier

Some of the world’d barrages across rivers and estuaries have either road or rail links on the top.

Frederick Snow’s original plans for the Severn would have carried a Second Severn Crossing.

In Thoughts On Belgium’s Coastal Tram, I said this.

Along The North Norfolk Coast

This is a route, that could be developed, to ease the traffic problems in the area.

It could connect Kings Lynn and Sheringham stations.

And why shouldn’t it be extended to Skegness?

If the Dutch can put a road across the IJsselmeer, why can’t we put a road across the Wash.

Flood Protection

One of the things I remember from my chat at Frederick Snow and Partners fifty years ago was someone saying, that if you build a barrage, then make sure it sorts out any flooding.

The Wash Barrier web site, says this about flood protection.

The Barrier will provide flood protection for more than 500,000 people, 300,000 hectares of grade 1 agricultural land and billions of pounds’ worth of assets. While building higher significantly adds to the cost, the probability of the Barrier being overwhelmed is greatly reduced.

The promoter of this project would be in deep trouble, if after completion, it didn’t solve the flooding problems, as they said it would.

This article from the Eastern Daily Press, is entitled Norfolk’s Darkest Night: Remembering The 1953 Floods.

No-one wants something like that to happen again.

Electricity Generation

As I said earlier there are possibilities for both wind and tidal power in the project.

As an experienced mathematical modeller, I would be surprised if the power generation and costs of a project like this couldn’t be predicted to a reasonable degree of accuracy by an expert.

Planning Permission

Given the problems that have been associated with building electricity substations and their power cables in Norfolk recently, I would be surprised if planning permission for a Wash Barrage was a piece of cake.

It Could Be One For The Accountants

Once a project like this has been defined, I believe it should be possible to go through the standard financial procedures to see if it was worthwhile to proceed.

I

March 5, 2023 Posted by | Energy, Finance | , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Thoughts On Watford DC Line Electrification At Euston Station

I was in Euston station this morning and took these pictures of the electrification on Platform 9.

Note.

  1. Watford DC Line trains usually use Platform 9.
  2. The first two pictures show the 750 DC third rail electrification.
  3. The last three pictures show the 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
  4. The train is a five-car Class 710/3 train, which is a dual-voltage train.

The train’s pantograph was in the down position, as far as I could see.

This Google Map shows the ends of Platforms 6 to 11 at the station.

Note.

  1. The platforms have their numbers painted on the end.
  2. The train in the top-left corner of the image is in Platform 5.
  3. Platforms 9 and 10 appear to be fitted with 750 VDC third-rail electrification.
  4. All Platforms also seem to have 25KVAC overhead electrification.

So platforms 9 and 10 appear to be able to handle trains which need either form of electrification. When I took the first set of pictures, there was a Class 350 train in Platform 10.

These dual voltage platforms 9 and 10, may help with the operation of the station.

I have some questions.

Do TfL Intend To Increase Watford DC Line Services?

Currently, the services on the Watford DC Line are as follows.

  • Four trains per hour (tph) between Euston and Watford Junction stations.
  • In the last few weeks, I’ve seen both four-car Class 378 and five-car Class 701 trains on the route.
  • All trains that work the route appear to be dual voltage.

This TfL infographic illustrates their plans.

It says Watford and Euston would be run by five-car trains at a frequency of four tph.

TfL have ordered six five-car Class 701/3 trains for the Watford DC service.

Will The Watford DC Platforms Be Moved In The Euston High Speed Two Rebuild?

The operation of the Watford DC Line works well at present, but as Euston station is going through a major rebuild for High Speed Two, the platforms could be moved or rebuilt.

Would Health and Safety object to laying third-rail electrification and insist that Watford DC services used 25 KVAC to access Euston?

They could do this, as all trains running on the Watford DC Line are dual-voltage trains.

Would Removing Third-Rail Electrification From Euston Station Improve Safety?

Health and Safety would say it did and as the trains are dual-voltage, they could transition at Queen’s Park or South Hampstead stations.

An Alternative To Changing The Electrification

The distance between Euston and Queen’s Park stations is just under four miles.

In Will London Overground Fit On-board Energy Storage To Class 378 Trains?, I asked whether it would be worthwhile.

I finished with these two sentences.

I have no idea how much electricity would be saved by regenerative braking on the London Overground, but various applications of regenerative braking technology talk of electricity savings of between ten and twenty percent.

I think it is only a matter of time before the technology is proven to be sufficiently reliable and the numbers add up correctly for the Class 378 trains to be fitted with on-board energy storage.

What would be the advantages from fitting on-board energy storage?

  • There would be the savings of electricity by the use of regenerative braking to the batteries.
  • Trains could be rescued from the Thames Tunnel, if there was a power failure.
  • Hotel power would be maintained, if there was a power failure.
  • Trains can be moved in depots and sidings without power.
  • Trains would be able to move in the event of cable theft.
  • The battery would probably have sufficient capacity to move the train into and out of Euston.

There could be a saving in train operating costs and safety would be improved.

 

March 5, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Universal Hydrogen And Railway Locomotives

On the product page of the Universal Hydrogen web site, there is a section, which is entitled Other Transportation Applications, where this is said.

Our lightweight, aviation-grade modular hydrogen capsules can be used in a wide range of transportation applications where weight, safety, and speed of refueling are important. We are working with partners in automotive, heavy equipment, maritime, and railroad domains. If you have an application that can benefit from our global modular green hydrogen distribution network, please get in touch!

I believe that the railway locomotive of the future will be hydrogen-electric. And so do some of the UK’s rail freight companies, judging, by some of their press releases.

  • It would have an electric transmission. like most locomotives today, such as the UK’s Class 66, Class 68, Class 70, Class 88, Class 93 and the upcoming Class 99 locomotives.
  • It will be able to use 25 KVAC overhead electrification, where it exists.
  • Hydrogen-power will be used, where there is no electrification.

The lowest-carbon of the locomotives, that I listed, will probably be the Class 99 locomotive.

  • Thirty have been ordered by GB Railfreight, from Swiss company; Stadler.
  • The locomotives will be built at Valencia in Spain.
  • It will have up to 6 MW, when running using electrification.
  • It will have up to 1.6 MW, when running using a Cummins diesel, with a rating of 2,150 hp.
  • Because a proportion of UK freight routes are electrified, it is likely that these locomotives will substantially reduce carbon emissions for many locomotive-hauled operations.

It should be noted that Cummins are heavily into hydrogen and their philosophy seems to embrace families of engines, which are identical below the cylinder head gasket, but with appropriate cylinder heads and fuel systems, they can run on diesel, natural gas or hydrogen.

I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that the Class 99 locomotive will have a diesel engine, that has a hydrogen-powered sibling under development at Cummins.

With perhaps a power on hydrogen of about 2.5 MW, these zero-carbon locomotives would be able to handle upwards of ninety percent of all heavy freight trains in the UK.

These are further thoughts.

Alternatives To Cummins Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines

There are two main alternatives, in addition to similar engines from companies like Caterpillar, JCB, Rolls-Royce mtu and others.

  • Fuel cells
  • Gas-turbine engines.

Note.

  1. Universal Hydrogen and others have fuel cells, that can probably deliver 2.5 MW.
  2. Universal Hydrogen use Plug Power fuel cells.
  3. Rolls-Royce have developed a 2.5 MW electrical generator, based on the engine in a Super Hercules, that is about the size of a typical beer-keg. I wrote about this generator in What Does 2.5 MW Look Like?.

Cummins may be in the pole position with Stadler, but there are interesting ideas out there!

Cummins have also indicated, they will build hydrogen internal combustion engines at Darlington in the UK.

Would One Of Universal Hydrogen’s Hydrogen Capsules Fit In A Railway Locomotive?

These are various widths.

  • Class 66 locomotive – 2.63 metres.
  • ATR72 airliner – 2.57 metres.
  • DHC Dash-8 airliner – 2.52 metres
  • Class 43 power car – 2.74 metres

I suspect that even if it was a bit smaller a hydrogen capsule could be made for a UK locomotive.

How Big Is The Market?

The UK has around five hundred diesel railway locomotives.

 

March 5, 2023 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments