Electron Beam Welded Foundation To Debut At Dogger Bank In Late 2023
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
A collaboration between SSE Renewables, Sif Group, Cambridge Vacuum Engineering (CVE), and TWI, has resulted in the first-ever electron beam welded section to be incorporated in an offshore wind turbine monopile foundation.
This is the first paragraph.
The resulting can was incorporated into a monopile transition piece in January 2023 and is scheduled to be installed offshore as part of a foundation in the second phase of Dogger Bank Wind Farm, located more than 130 kilometres off the Northeast coast of England, in late 2023.
And this paragraph details the advantages.
The technology – developed by CVE – has been shown to weld monopiles at least 25 times faster than current methods, whilst using 90 per cent less energy, costing 88 per cent less, and producing 97 per cent less CO2 emissions than SAW methods, the partners said.
Everybody thinks of biotech and electronics, when they think of Cambridge, but this is two Cambridge companies; Cambridge Vacuum Engineering (CVE) and The Welding Institute (TWI) innovating at the heaviest end of mechanical engineering.
Note.
- Cambridge Vacuum Engineering has a comprehensive web site.
- The technology is called Ebflow and is described on this web page.
- The Welding Institute has a comprehensive web site.
When I lived near Cambridge, I used to play real tennis at the Cambridge University Real Tennis Club. One of the guys I played against was a cousin of JRR Tolkien and he sold vacuum engineering machines to the world. He had some fascinating tales about dealing with the Russians, where signed copies of his cousin’s books made excellent bribes.
Elizabeth Line’s £29million Fares Bonanza As Passenger Numbers Hit New High
The title of this post, is the same as that of this news item on msn.
These four paragraphs outline the story.
The Elizabeth line has enjoyed a £29m fares income bonanza due to record passenger numbers, it was revealed on Wednesday.
But the positive state of its finances – alongside a prediction that it will break even this year – came as line managers belonging to the TSSA union announced they would strike on May 24 in an unresolved pay battle.
This threatens to close the central section of the £20bn line, between Paddington and Abbey Wood, and embarrass Mayor Sadiq Khan and Transport for London as the walkout falls on the first anniversary of its opening.
Latest figures from TfL show the Elizabeth line is carrying 3.5m passengers a week – and at times almost four million.
After the experience of continuously rising passenger numbers after the opening of the London Overground, it looks like the so-called mathematicians of Transport for London have got their numbers wrong again.
I have some thoughts.
When There’s A Sniff Of Money, The Unions Strike
This seems to be the case.
Perhaps Now Is The Time To Expand The Elizabeth Line?
I would add extra services between Oxford and Southend Victoria.
The extra fare revenue could be spent on trains.
MONTE and Eviation Sign Deal For Up To 30 All-Electric Alice Aircraft
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from MONTE.
These are the first two paragraphs.
MONTE is delighted to announce that it has entered into a Letter of Intent with Eviation, a leader in clean-sheet, all-electric aviation, to purchase up to 30 all-electric Alice Aircraft.
The Alice is a clean-sheet design, 9-seater aircraft built with industry leading MagniX electric propulsion systems. It is the only flight proven all-electric aircraft of its size. MONTE will provide financing and leasing solutions for the Alice and its associated charging infrastructure to its global customer base of regional aircraft operators.
My experience includes.
- As an engineer, experimenting with battery-powered rechargeable instruments in the 1960s.
- As a pilot, I have over a thousand hours in command of a Cessna 340A, which was powered by two piston engines.
- As a driver, I have owned and driven some of Colin Chapman’s composite masterpieces.
- As a financier, I have owned half of a finance company that leased large trucks.
The Alice may look futuristic, but it is based on proven engineering, manufacturing and aviation principles.
My leasing experience, leads me to believe, that leasing these aircraft could be a sound business.
I am looking forward to my first flight.
Is Putin Coeliac?
Under Construction
Coeliac Journey Through Covid-19 – More Research Needs To Be Done
More Research Needs To Be Done
I am inevitably lead to the conclusion that more research needs to be done.
Gluten-Free Hospital Food
I have discussed possible research routes with friends, who are research doctors and I feel, one piece of research that could be done, would be to look at how many gluten-free meals are served on wards, where covid patients are treated.
- I have been into hospital several times since I was diagnosed as a coeliac and there has been a couple of problems.
- But like all coeliacs, I complained and got what I need.
- By looking at the food, you would also pick up those, who hadn’t got a gold-standard diagnosis, but went gluten-free for good personal reasons.
- I used to monitor a forum for coeliacs and there were a lot of complaints about hospital food.
I believe that monitoring gluten-free food on wards, where covid patients are treated, could give a good insight into how diagnosed coeliacs on a gluten-free diet respond to the covids.
It is also something that could be applied easily at a hospital.
Testing Covid Sufferers For Coeliac Disease
This is supposedly a true story.
- A lady in Hampstead, wakes up one morning and she’s gone yellow.
- She phones her GP, who says she better come in to the surgery.
- The GP phones the local Royal Free Hospital, who are London’s experts on livers and they advise the lady to come straight in.
- The hospital say, it looks like her liver is packing up and she will need a transplant.
- So a doctor showed the lady a series of tests they would be doing.
- The last one was for coeliac disease and she said. “Why that? I can eat anything I want!”
- The doctor replied. “With 1-in-100, that is the cause of your liver problem!”
- She tested positive for coeliac disease and went gluten-free.
Last heard of, she was running a B & B in Corfu.
Given what I said in Coeliac Journey Through Covid-19 – Long Covid, where there is circumstantial evidence linking undiagnosed coeliac disease to long covid, if it works in a proportion of cases, why shouldn’t it be tried?
Have Your Say About Potential New Hydrogen Facility In Aldbrough
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on HullLive.
This is the first paragraph.
SSE Thermal is looking for input from the local community regarding its first-of-a-kind low-carbon hydrogen facility.
They are holding meetings in the Hull area as follows to discuss the project with anybody who is interested.
- Tuesday, June 6, 2:30pm – 7pm: Hedon Town Hall, 36 St Augustine’s Gate, Hedon, HU12 8EX
- Wednesday, June 7, 2:30pm – 7pm: East Village Meadows, Northfield Farm, Garton, HU11 4QB
- Thursday, June 8, 2:30pm – 7pm: Aldbrough Village Hall, Garton Rd, Aldbrough, HU11 4QA
I shall be going on the Tuesday. There are buses from Hull station, which take about 35 minutes.
This section is copied from the HullLive article.
What is the Pathfinder Project?
The Aldbrough Hydrogen Pathfinder project is an important building block in the development of a thriving Humber hydrogen economy, underpinning the region’s decarbonisation and supporting economic growth locally and nationally.
The project is proposed to be developed within its existing site at Aldbrough Gas Storage, and all visible infrastructure will be within the site boundary.
The project intends to use one of the current storage caverns and repurpose it to develop a project in the Humber that would unite hydrogen production, storage and power generation in one.
As someone, who feels strongly about the benefits of hydrogen, I feel this is a very worthwhile project.
Irish ESB Joins Northland Power On Two Scottish Offshore Wind Projects
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
ESB will acquire a 24.5 per cent interest in Northland Power’s ScotWind projects, the fixed-bottom offshore wind farm Spiorad na Mara and the floating wind project Havbredey. Northland will retain 75.5 per cent in each project and continue to lead their development, construction, and operation
This is the first paragraph.
The companies have signed definitive agreements on ESB’s purchase of project stakes, with all commitments made prior to the agreements to remain in place.
Last month, I wrote ESB Invests In Floating Offshore Wind Mooring Tech. so are they in acquisitive mode?
This map from Cross Estate Scotland shows all the ScotWind contracts.
ESB now lrasr the following stakes in ScotWind.
Their details are as follows.
- 14 – Havbredey – Floating – 1500 MW – 25 %
- 16 – Spiorad na Mara – Fixed – 840 MW – 25 %
- 20 – Unnamed – Floating – 500 MW – 100 %
These figures mean they lease about a GW.
I have my thoughts.
Will There Be A Multi-Purpose Interconnector between Ireland And Scotland?
Nothing has been mentioned yet, but could new wind farms om the future to the West of the Hebrides be connected to both the North of Scotland and the North of Ireland by a multi-purpose interconnector?
Ireland To Develop National Industrial Strategy For Offshore Wind
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Ireland’s Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Simon Coveney, has announced plans to develop a National Industrial Strategy for Offshore Wind which will set out how Ireland can maximise the economic opportunity arising from the production of offshore wind energy
Ireland’s current objectives for offshore wind are.
- To deliver 5 GW of offshore wind by 2030.
- A further 2 GW of floating wind to be in development by 2030.
- The target for offshore wind could rise to at least 37 GW by 2050.
- There is a target to provide 80 per cent of the country’s electricity to be from renewable sources by 2030.
The government appears to recognise collaborative approach between state and industry is needed.
Nothing is said about co-operation with Northern Ireland or the UK.
This is despite.
- UK and Irish companies like ESB, Flotation Energy, Simply Blue Group and SSE have projects in both countries.
- Irish company; ESB is developing the Malin Sea Wind wind farm in Scottish waters and landing the electricity near Derry City.
- Scottish company; SSE is building biomass power stations in Ireland.
- Some promising waters for wind power are shared between the two countries.
- There are three interconnectors between the two main islands.
I would expect that there could be some multi-purpose interconnectors across the Irish and Celtic Seas.
These would connect windfarms between the islands to both the UK and Ireland. National Grid and TenneT are building the LionLink between England and The Netherlands, which I wrote about in World’s Largest-Of-Its-Kind Power Line To Deliver Clean Power To 1.8m UK Homes And Boost Energy Security.
I very much feel, that there will be a lot of co-operation between the UK and Irish governments as if they work together, the development of Ireland’s offshore wind and that of the West Coast of the UK could be more efficient.
Coeliac Journey Through Covid-19 – Should Newborns Be Tested For Coeliac Disease?
Should Newborns Be Tested For Coeliac Disease?
This article on the BBC is entitled Newborns To Get Rapid Genetic Disease Diagnosis.
This is the sub-heading.
Rare genetic disorders will be diagnosed and treated in babies thanks to a project to sequence the complete DNA of 100,000 newborns.
These are the first four paragraphs.
It should spare hundreds of families in England months, or years, of anguish waiting to find out why their children are ill.
The project is the first time that whole genome sequencing (WGS) has been offered to healthy babies in the NHS.
It will screen for around 200 disorders, all of them treatable.
The Newborn Genomes Programme, to begin next year, is thought to be the biggest study of its kind in the world. If successful, it could be rolled out across the country.
- My family have suffered greatly because of coeliac disease, as I related in Coeliac Journey Through Covid-19 – The Pain Of Coeliac Disease.
- Coeliac disease affects at least 1-in-100 of the UK population.
- The test is not difficult to perform.
I believe that for these reasons, coeliac disease must be one of the diseases that are tested for in the Newborn Genomes Programme.
£77 Million Investment For UK Heavy Duty And Commercial Vehicle Projects
The title of this post is the same as that of this press release from the Advanced Propulsion Centre.
These are the projects.
Ford to design, develop, and build a fleet of 8 hydrogen fuel cell powered Transit vans, with the latest advances in technology
£8 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £16.3 million.
This research project will design and develop a hydrogen fuel cell-powered version of the Ford Transit van, with a Ford Dagenham estate facility re-purposed for upfitting of the vehicle. By bringing the manufacturer, vehicle operator and supply chain businesses together, this project aims to establish a business case for the wider rollout of hydrogen Light Commercial Vehicles.
Project partners include: Ocado, BP, Cygnet Texkimp, Cambustion, Viritech.
Note.
- I suspect Ocado will do the road testing.
- BP will probably supply the hydrogen.
- Cygnet Texkimp are a company based in Northwich and is a leading global provider of fibre handling and converting technology. Have they developed a machine for knitting hydrogen fuel tanks?
- Cambustion‘s Engineering Services team provides powertrain development and testing services to a range of global clients from our Cambridge, UK base.
- Viritech’s web site has a mission statement of Rewiring the DNA of Hydrogen Powertrains.
Ford seem to have assembled a team of all the talents.
Wrightbus to develop a new world-leading zero-emission battery and hydrogen fuel-cell electric, multi-axle vehicles
£6.4 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £12.7 million.
This project will produce a new, market-leading platform for battery and fuel cell electric driven buses. Whilst demand is growing for zero-emission vehicles, there are currently few options available for heavy, multi-axle vehicles like large buses.
Project partners include: Queens University Belfast, Grayson Thermal Systems, Hutchinson Engineering, Translink.
Note.
- Grayson Thermal Systems are based in Birmingham and specialise in providing HVAC for vehicles and especially zero-carbon ones.
- Hutchinson Engineering are based in Widnes and invest in state-of-the-art machinery and technology to give our customers the most advanced, cost-effective solutions in design, fabrication and manufacturing.
- Translink provides public transport in Northern Ireland.
It looks like Wrightbus have excellent partners.
ULEMCo creating a zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell range extender for prototype ambulance, fire engine and road sweepers
£3.9 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £7.9 million.
This project will develop a hydrogen fuel cell range extender for electric vehicles used for special purposes, such as ambulances, fire engines and street sweepers. The zero-emissions range extender will be based on existing, proven technology from the Toyota Mirai, and demonstrate how zero emissions vehicles can be used in a wide range of specialised and challenging settings.
Project partners include: Altair Engineering, Emergency One, Technical Services Ltd, Oxon Fire & Rescue Services
Note.
- ULEMCo are based in the Liverpool City Region and it is very much in Liverpudlian DNA to repurpose something that works. Hence the use of The Toyota technology.
- Altair Engineering is a multinational engineering and technology company.
- Emergency One is a Scottish manufacturer of fire engines and emergency vehicles.
- Technical Services Ltd, who are based in Cleckheaton, supply thermal management systems and solutions.
- Oxon Fire & Rescue Services will obviously be doing the testing.
In Hydrogen-Powered Ambulance Drives Into Glasgow Ahead Of London Trial, I wrote about a prototype hydrogen-powered ambulance, that was built by ULEMCo and industry partners, that was shown at COP26.
Is this project turning the prototype into a system, that can be manufactured in large volumes?
Bramble Energy developing a hydrogen double-deck bus, using innovative, low-cost fuel cell technology
£6.3 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £12.7 million.
This project will demonstrate a fuel cell/battery hybrid powertrain on a double-decker bus. This novel product will be cheaper than the equivalents currently available for large vehicles like buses and uses innovative new electronics and energy recovery technologies.
Project partners include: University of Bath, Equipmake, Aeristech
Note.
- Bramble Energy‘s Printed Circuit Board Fuel Cell (PCBFC™) is a patent protected, revolutionary design which leverages existing manufacturing routes from the printed circuit board industry to offer a cost-effective, scalable hydrogen fuel cell solution.
- Equipmake are based at Snetterton in Norfolk.
- In Equipmake Hybrid To Battery Powered LT11, I describe Equipmake’s conversion of a New Routemaster to battery operation.
- Aeristech are based in Crawley and have developed a range of award-winning compressors for Tier-1, OEMs and other customers.
- Is the compressor needed to pump a mixture of hydrogen and air through the fuel cell?
I have a feeling, that this could be a very revolutionary design.
BorgWarner developing hydrogen combustion systems for heavy-duty commercial transport
£4.9 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £9.8 million.
This project aims to speed up the rollout of hydrogen-burning internal combustion engines, as an alternative to diesel. Hydrogen is a clean fuel, producing only water when burned. Project Cavendish will develop new fuel and air management systems, so that existing heavy duty diesel technologies can be repurposed to use hydrogen as fuel.
Project partners include: Mahle, Cambustion, Hartridge
Note.
- BorgWarner is a large American automotive supplier.
- Mahle is a large German automotive supplier.
- Cambustion‘s Engineering Services team provides powertrain development and testing services to a range of global clients from our Cambridge, UK base.
- Since the brand formation in 1930 Hartridge, who are based in Buckingham, has become a world leader in diesel fuel injection test equipment.
- Project Cavendish is obviously named after Henry Cavendish, who discovered hydrogen.
In Ricardo Supports Industry Leaders To Develop Innovative Dedicated Hydrogen Engine, I talk about another project involving BorgWarner. Is Project Cavendish a follow-on from the original project or a new one?
Leyland Trucks scaling up the production of electric trucks through innovations in automation and advanced testing
£2.6 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £5.1 million.
By better use of automation and advanced testing, Leyland Trucks aim to increase productivity and step up their production of battery electric trucks. A ‘digital twin’ of the Leyland production line will be set up, meaning any changes can be run in simulation before being rolled out physically.
Project partners include: Expert Tooling, HSSMI
Note.
- Leyland Trucks is one of Britain’s leading manufacturing companies. It is PACCAR’s established centre for light and medium duty truck design, development and manufacture. The company is based in Leyland.
- Expert Technologies are specialists in delivering industrial automation solutions. The company is based in Coventry.
- HSSMI is a sustainable manufacturing consultancy.
As I have done a lot of simulation in my time, I’m very much in favour of digital twins.
JLR leading a consortium research project to develop a high-efficiency and highly integrated 800V inverter designed and built in the UK
£6.3 million awarded by government, matched by industry to a total £12.6 million.
This project will explore and develop technology for inverters – a key component in electric vehicles. As well as developing a best-in-class product, this work will support the growth of a UK supply chain in components for electric vehicles.
Project partners include: University of Bristol, Custom Interconnect Ltd, API Capacitors Ltd
Note.
- JLR is Jaguar Land Rover.
- Custom Interconnect is an advanced electronics manufacturing company, which is based in Andover.
- API Capacitors is the UK’s leading designer and manufacturer of high quality power capacitors for power electronic applications. The company is based in Great Yarmouth.
I suspect this invertor will have several applications.
Conclusion
The grants seem to have been widely spread around the UK.
The Anonymous Widower 