Could Rolls-Royce SMRs Be The Solution To Europe’s Gas Shortage?
Of all the offshore wind farms, that I’ve looked at recently, I find Magnora’s ScotWind N3 wind farm the most interesting.
I wrote about it in ScotWind N3 Offshore Wind Farm.
I said this.
In any design competition, there is usually at least one design, that is not look like any of the others.
In the successful bids for the ScotWind leases, the bid from Magnora ASA stands out.
- The company has an unusual home page on its offshore wind web site.
- This page on their web site outlines their project.
- It will be technology agnostic, with 15MW turbines and a total capacity of 500MW
- It will use floating offshore wind with a concrete floater
- It is estimated, that it will have a capacity factor of 56 %.
- The water depth will be an astonishing 106-125m
- The construction and operation will use local facilities at Stornoway and Kishorn Ports.
- The floater will have local and Scottish content.
- The project will use UK operated vessels.
- Hydrogen is mentioned.
- Consent is planned for 2026, with construction starting in 2028 and completion in 2030.
This project could serve as a model for wind farms all round the world with a 500 MW power station, hydrogen production and local involvement and construction.
I very much like the idea of a concrete floater, which contains a huge electrolyser and gas storage, that is surrounded by an armada of giant floating wind turbines.
These are my thoughts.
Floating Concrete Structures
To many, they may have appear to have all the buoyancy of a lead balloon, but semi-submersible platforms made from concrete have been used in the oil and gas industry for several decades.
Kishorn Yard in Scotland was used to build the 600,000-tonne concrete Ninian Central Platform,in 1978. The Ninian Central Platform still holds the record as the largest movable object ever created by man.
The Ninian Central Platform sits on the sea floor, but there is no reason why a semi-submersible structure can’t be used.
Electrolysers
There is no reason, why a large electrolyser, such as those made by Cummins, ITM Power or others can’t be used, but others are on the way.
- Bloom Energy are working on high temperature electrolysis, which promises to be more efficient.
- Torvex Energy are developing electrolysis technology that used sea water, rather than more expensive purified water.
High Temperature Electrolysis
High temperature electrolysis needs a heat source to work efficiently and in Westinghouse And Bloom Energy To Team Up For Pink Hydrogen, I described how Bloom Energy propose to use steam from a large nuclear power station.
Offshore Nuclear Power
I’ve never heard of offshore nuclear power, but it is not a new idea.
In 1970, a company called Offshore Power Systems was created and it is introduced in its Wikipedia entry like this.
Offshore Power Systems (OPS) was a 1970 joint venture between Westinghouse Electric Company, which constructed nuclear generating plants, and Newport News Shipbuilding and Drydock, which had recently merged with Tenneco, to create floating nuclear power plants at Jacksonville, Florida.
Westinghouse’s reactor was a 1.150 MW unit, which was typical of the time, and is very similar in size to Sizewell B.
The project was cancelled before the reactors were towed into position.
Nuclear Knowledge Has Improved
Consider.
- In the fifty years since Offshore Power Systems dabbed their toes in the water of offshore nuclear power, our knowledge of nuclear systems and engineering has improved greatly.
- The offshore oil and gas industry has also shown what works impeccably.
- The floating offshore wind industry looks like it might push the envelop further.
- There has been only one nuclear accident at Fukushima, where the sea was part of the problem and that disaster taught us a lot.
- There have been a large number of nuclear submarines built and most reached the planned end of their lives.
- Would a small modular nuclear reactor, be safer than a large nuclear power plant of several GW?
I would suggest we now have the knowledge to safely build and operate a nuclear reactor on a proven semi-submersible platform, built from non-rusting concrete.
An Offshore Wind Farm/Small Modular Reactor Combination Producing Hydrogen
Consider.
- A typical floating offshore wind farm is between one and two gigawatts.
- A Rolls-Royce small modular reactor is sized to produce nearly 0.5 GW.
- The high temperature electrolyser will need some heat to achieve an optimum working temperature.
- Spare electricity can be used to produce hydrogen.
- Hydrogen can be stored platform.
- Hydrogen can be sent ashore using existing gas pipes.
- Hydrogen could even be blended with natural gas produced offshore to create a lower-carbon fuel.
- It would also be possible to decarbonise nearby offshore infrastructure.
A balance between wind and nuclear power can be obtained, which would provide a steady output of energy.
Conclusion
There are a large numbers of possibilities, to locate a Rolls-Royce small modular reactor close to a wind farm to use high temperature electrolysis to create green hydrogen, which can be used in the UK or exported through the gas network.
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.
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.
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.
Green Hydrogen Magnate Forrest Sanctioned By Russia After Calling Putin A ‘Murderer’
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Recharge.
Andrew Forest’s reply or the part that can be printed included.
You’re not worth talking to unless you’ve been sanctioned
I think that to many experts, Forrest’s plans for green hydrogen are one of the biggest threats to Russia’s oil industry.
Nuclear-Enabled Hydrogen – How It Helps To Reach Net Zero
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Power Engineering.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Nuclear enabled hydrogen is zero carbon, has low cost energy input, is large scale and offers co-location synergy and energy system connectivity.
With the revival of interest in nuclear energy, interest is growing in the potential for nuclear-enabled hydrogen, otherwise sometimes known as ‘pink’ hydrogen, to meet the anticipated demand for hydrogen at scale.
The article is certainly a must-read.
Topics covered include.
- Co-location of pink hydrogen production with industrial clusters, where heat can also be provided.
- The production of hydrogen on a large scale.
- The use of high temperature electrolysis, using steam from the nuclear plant.
I particularly like the idea of combining a small modular nuclear reactor with high temperature electrolysis to generate hydrogen for local industry like a steelworks or chemical plant.
Vast Australian Renewable Energy Site Powers BP’s Ambitions
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
These are the first two paragraphs.
BP is to lead the development of a $36 billion wind, solar and hydrogen project in Western Australia in its latest foray into green energy.
The oil company has bought a 40.5 per cent stake in the Asian Renewable Energy Hub in the eastern Pilbara region and will become operator of the project, one of the biggest such developments globally.
The Wikipedia entry for the Asian Renewable Energy Hub, starts like this.
The Asian Renewable Energy Hub (AREH) is a proposal to create one of the world’s largest renewable energy plant in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It was first proposed in 2014, with plans for the project concept changing several times since then. As of November 2020, the project developers Intercontinental Energy, CWP Global, Vestas and Pathway Investments were planning to build a mixture of wind power and solar energy power generators which would generate up to 26 gigawatts of power.
Up to 1,743 wind turbines of 290 metres (950 ft) in height would be accommodated in 668,100 hectares (1,651,000 acres) of land, and 18 arrays of solar panels each generating 600 megawatts would cover 1,418 hectares (3,500 acres). It is to be located in the Shire of East Pilbara, about 30 km (19 mi) inland from 80 Mile Beach, with the nearest settlement on the map being Mandora Station. The total size of the scheme would be about 666,030 ha (1,645,800 acres).
It is a gigantic project and this Google Map of Western Australia shows its location.
It is no more than a pimple on the huge area of Western Australia.
I have my thoughts about BP getting involved with this project.
The Power Of Research
Around 1970, I spent four years in ICI applying mathematical methods to some of their processes, that were in research or development. I also worked for a time on their hydrogen plants. Some of the projects I heard about, were pretty wacky and some of these appear to have never been commercialised.
When I left ICI, I built a few mathematical models for other research organisations.
So I do wonder, if BP have found something, that will enable the process of making hydrogen from water a lot more efficient. There is an American startup called Bloom Energy, who have teamed up with Westinghouse to use steam from the nuclear reactor to do electrolysis more efficiently at a high temperature.
I wrote about this partnership in Westinghouse And Bloom Energy To Team Up For Pink Hydrogen, where Bloom Energy Vice President of Hydrogen Business Rick Beuttel, is quoted as saying this.
We are proud Westinghouse has turned to Bloom and our solid oxide technology to supercharge the clean hydrogen economy. Solid oxide technology is well suited for nuclear applications, efficiently harnessing steam to further improve the economics of hydrogen production. High temperature electrolysis is already garnering attention and accolades as a cost-effective and viable solution to create low-cost, clean hydrogen, which is critical to meeting aggressive decarbonization goals.
It sounds that by integrating the nuclear power station and the electrolyser, there are cost savings to be made.
Why not use solar power to create steam, which is called solar thermal energy and is used in various hot places in the world and then use high temperature electrolysis?
I suspect that BP are up to something, that is very similar to Fortescue Future Industries in the Australian company’s back yard.
So will they be selling the hydrogen to FFI, so they can market it together all over the world?
This BP deal is one to watch.
Thales Supports Rollout Of UK Digital Railway Programme
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Porterbrook.
The press release starts with these bullet points.
- Thales wins the fitment and supply of European Train Control System (ETCS) onboard units for Class 43 high-speed train retrofit.
- Implementation will benefit passengers and freight operators by delivering additional capacity, improving performance, enhancing safety and reducing the costs of operating the national railway.
Which is followed by this explanation.
As a key player in delivering this digital transformation, Thales has today been awarded the contract for the Class 43 First in Class (FiC) design and fitment project that will use Network Rail’s new measurement train power cars in the Infrastructure Measurement fleet. The FiC project will culminate in a Type approval from the Office of Road and Rail to enable subsequent Class 43 ETCS fleet fitments.
The new Thales onboard system will be integrated as part of the Digital Railway train control system, and will enable rolling stock to operate on ETCS-equipped infrastructure. The onboard equipment is an evolution of Thales’s level 1 ETCS system that has been successfully deployed worldwide.
This could be a smart move.
- Type Approval will mean that the Class 43 power cars of ScotRail’s Inter7Cities, Great Western Railway’s Castles and those of other operators can be retrofitted.
- Will the New Measurement Train also be used to test the digital signalling, as it covers all the tracks in Great Britain in a four-weekly cycle?
- Fitting of these iconic 1970’s designed power cars with the latest modern signalling could be a design exercise, that helps in the fitting of ETCS to other older and unusual locomotives.
I still think, that because of the iconic nature of the InterCity125, that we may see a conversion of Class 43 power cars to more sustainable operation.
- All power cars now have modern MTU diesel engines, which probably could be fuelled by hydrogen.
- The simplest way would be to run them on HVO, as I wrote about in Powered By HVO.
- Some operations like the short format trains in Scotland and South-West England might be more suitable for battery-electric operation.
- Given that there are 167 in operation or in store, it would be a good-sized order for the company converting the power cars.
I also believe that zero-carbon InterCity 125s could be an unusual tourist attraction.
Conclusion
The fitting of digital signalling to Class 43 power cars is a good move, but is it the start of a wider plan to bring these iconic trains up to modern standards.
Westinghouse And Bloom Energy To Team Up For Pink Hydrogen
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Hydrogen Fuel News.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Westinghouse Electric Company and Bloom Energy Corporation have announced that they have signed a letter of intent together for the production of pink hydrogen in the commercial nuclear power market.
Note.
- Westinghouse Electric Company is an American builder of nuclear power stations.
- Bloom Energy Corporation make a solid-oxide electrolyser.
- Pink hydrogen is green hydrogen produced using nuclear power.
Figures on the Bloom web site, claim that their electrolysers could be upwards of twelve percent more efficient than PEM electrolysers, as produced by companies like ITM Power.
Bloom Energy Vice President of Hydrogen Business Rick Beuttel, is quoted as saying this.
We are proud Westinghouse has turned to Bloom and our solid oxide technology to supercharge the clean hydrogen economy. Solid oxide technology is well suited for nuclear applications, efficiently harnessing steam to further improve the economics of hydrogen production. High temperature electrolysis is already garnering attention and accolades as a cost-effective and viable solution to create low-cost, clean hydrogen, which is critical to meeting aggressive decarbonization goals.
It sounds that by integrating the nuclear power station and the electrolyser, there are cost savings to be made.
Conclusion
I think this could turn out to be a significant development.
Some countries, like Iceland, Indonesia, New Zealand, Philippines and the United States, who can generate large amounts of electricity and steam from geothermal energy, Bloom’s technology must surely be a way of electrolysing hydrogen.
Namibia Proposes Green Hydrogen Supply To EU To Replace Russian Oil And Gas
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on H2 Fuel News.
These paragraphs explain the plan.
The African country has considerable wind and sunshine resources available, providing the opportunity to use renewable energy for the production of H2. Namibia is located along the African South Atlantic coastline and is among the world’s driest countries. Its 3,500 hours of sunshine per year mean that solar panels will be able to absorb a tremendous amount of energy, without much unexpected downtime.
That energy will be used for producing yellow H2, a form of green (renewable) H2 made using electrolysers powered by solar electricity. The electrolyser will split seawater, another abundant resource for the country due to its position on the map. As a result, it has the potential to offer the European Union a clean fuel source that can help it to simultaneously combat the energy crisis and the climate crisis.
Note.
- Liquid hydrogen will be shipped to Europe by tanker.
- I don’t think Vlad the Mad will like the plan!
- How many other countries have the resources like Namibia to become hydrogen exporters?
This plan was proposed at the World Economic Forum at Davos.
The Anonymous Widower 