Cummins Accelerates Work On Hydrogen-Fueled Internal Combustion Engines
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on CSR Wire.
This is the first paragraph.
Global power leader Cummins Inc. is accelerating its work on internal combustion engines fueled by low-carbon hydrogen.
Cummins aren’t the only company going this route, as JCB have also developed a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine.
In some ways it makes sense, as in a truck, railway locomotive or specialist machine, the conversion of the current diesel version to a hydrogen one could be easier.
From my experience of selling software to Cummins, they see themselves as specialists in providing customised diesel engines for anybody who wants them.
So could they supply customised hydrogen engines which are a direct replacement for a diesel engine?
It could be a very profitable market for Cummins, good for the environment and a quick way to decarbonise a lot of applications.
Could Drax Power Station Solve The Carbon Dioxide Shortage?
Drax Power station is the largest power station in the UK, with a 2.6 GW capacity when burning biomass.
It has also been a regular target of environmental activists complaining of the power station’s carbon dioxide and other emissions.
But could it be an unlikely saviour to replace the carbon dioxide that comes from two fertiliser plants run by the CF Industries, that have been shut down by high gas prices?
I wrote about the shortage in Food Shortages Looming After Factory Closures Hit Production.
Two and a half years ago I wrote Drax Becomes First Wood-Burning Power Plant To Capture Carbon, which was based on an article in the Financial Times.
I said this about the report.
This news has been treated in a more sensationalist way by other news media and sites, but the FT gives it very straight.
Drax power station is running an experiment, that removes a tonne of carbon dioxide a day.
But that is only the start of the process and most of it is released to the atmosphere.
They are currently, looking for profitable and environmentally-friendly ways of disposal, including selling it to beer manufacturers.
Didn’t we have a carbon-dioxide shortage a few months ago?
Now is probably a good time to dig a little deeper into what Drax is doing.
The Wikipedia entry for Drax power station has a section called Carbon Capture And Storage.
This is the last paragraph of the section.
In May 2018, Drax announced a new carbon capture and storage pilot scheme that it would undertake in conjunction with the Leeds-based firm, C-Capture. The focus of this pilot will be on capturing carbon post combustion from the biomass burners as opposed to the coal burners. Drax will invest £400,000 into the project. The company, C-Capture, is a side company of the Department of Chemistry established at the University of Leeds. This would yield about 1-tonne (1.1-ton) of CO2 stored per day from the process, which could be sold on for use in the drinks industry. The pilot scheme was launched in February 2019. The capture of carbon from biomas burners is known as Bio Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS).
Who are C-Capture?
Their web site is very informative and this page is called Our Story, which explains the project at Drax.
We designed, built, and installed a pilot plant and have been operating it on site, with real flue gas, since early 2019. The data gathered from this trial is feeding directly into the design process for a full-scale plant, with a target of 10,000 tonnes of CO2 per day captured from one of Drax’s four biomass fired boilers. A recent development has been the installation of equipment to bottle the captured CO2 to allow other organisations to test their own developing technologies with genuine Drax derived CO2.
That looks like a result to me for C-Capture.
This page is called Technology and has a very neat interactive guide to how the technology works.
Conclusion
This company has some very special technology, that has a lot of applications.
It is also significant that Drax and BP have taken a shareholding in C-Capture.
‘Dramatically More Powerful’: World’s First Battery-Electric Freight Train Unveiled
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article in The Guardian.
It is a good article about Wabtec’s new FLXdrive battery train and is very positive about it coming from a typical Guardian direction.
The article is a must-read.
I am beginning to feel that what Wabtec has done is to create a practical and affordable solution, that will cut carbon emissions in a difficult area, that produces the figures and also is understandable by diverse groups, like journalists, politicians and environmentalists. And they are backing it with academic research from a good university.
I also believe that the technology can be applied to existing locomotives as I outlined in Could Class 66 Locomotives Be Converted Into Battery-Electric Locomotives?.
Could this be another example of positive environmental change brought about by when the big beasts play their cards in the jungle?
Going green is a way of company survival! And Wabtec are going in that direction.
FLXdrive ‘Electrifies’ Pittsburgh
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Railway Age.
The article describes Wabtec’s FLXdrive locomotive, as “the world’s first 100% battery, heavy-haul locomotive”
It is well worth a read, as it describes some of the design philosophy.
In addition, this page on the Wabtec web site gives some details of the locomotive.
It is powered by lithium-ion batteries.
- There are around 20,000 battery cells
- The batteries have their own air-conditioning
- There is a sophisticated battery-management system.
- The total battery size is 2.4 MWh
- Power output is 4400 HP or 3.24 MW
- Locomotive will run for 30-40 minutes at full power.
- The locomotive has regenerative braking.
- Operating speed is 75 mph
Note that running at 75 mph for 40 minutes would cover fifty miles.
The Railway age article has this paragraph, which describes a partnership between Carnegie-Mellon University (CMU), Genesee & Wyoming and Wabtec to create the Freight Rail Innovation Institute.
CMU, Genesee & Wyoming and Wabtec also hope to create the Freight Rail Innovation Institute, described as “the first-of-its-kind effort to create zero-emission locomotives, develop technology that increases freight rail utilization and improve safety by 50%, and create 250,000 jobs by 2030.” G&W’s Buffalo & Pittsburgh Railroad will pilot technologies developed by the Freight Rail Innovation Institute, including a zero-emissions battery and hydrogen-powered train that is planned for revenue operation on 200 miles of track between Pittsburgh and Buffalo, N.Y. within the next three years.
Note.
- The paragraph is very much a mission statement.
- Genesee & Wyoming are the parent of Freightliner in the UK, who are developing a dual-fuel locomotive, that I wrote about in Freightliner Secures Government Funding For Dual-Fuel Project.
It strikes me CMU, Genesee & Wyoming and Wabtec are on the right track.
Rolls-Royce And Flanders Electric Plan To Develop Hybrid Retrofit Solution For Mining Trucks
The title of this post, is the same as that of this Press Release from Rolls-Royce.
This is the first paragraph.
Rolls-Royce and Flanders Electric have agreed to develop a retrofit solution for hybridizing mining trucks with mtu engines, batteries and hybrid control systems, and Flanders drive train solutions. The two companies have signed a Memorandum of Understanding enabling them to offer a scalable retrofit kit for hybridizing mining trucks in a wide range of mining applications.
This looks to be a promising application of a version of MTU Mybrid PowerPack technology, that is being trialled on a Class 168 train on Chiltern Railways.
They are claiming a CO2 reduction of twenty percent.
Caterpillar, Cummins Move On Hydrogen For Trains
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Construction Equipment.
This is the first paragraph.
Caterpillar and Cummins are working separately to put hydrogen to work in locomotives.
They have a lot to lose with the extinction of their diesel businesses, so why not join the party.
What Happened To The Class 158/159 Bi-Mode Study?
In Class 158/159 Bi-Modes?, I discussed the possibility of turning South Western Railway‘s Class 158 and Class 159 trains into bi-modes.
I said this.
In the March 2018 Edition of Modern Railways, there is a short news item, which is entitled Bi-Mode Study For SWR DMUs.
The Class 158 and Class 159 diesel multiple units used by South Western Railway are diesel-hydraulic units.
Under their franchise agreement, South Western Railway, agreed to perform a study, to see if the multiple units could be converted from diesel-hydraulic to diesel-electric transmission.
If this is successful, then the plan would be to fit a third-rail capability to the trains, so they could use the electrification between Basingstoke and Waterloo on services to Salisbury and Exeter.
Could the conversion also raise the operating speed of the trains from their current 90 mph to a more timetable-friendly 100 mph?
It looks like it could be a feasible , especially as the article states they might re-use redundant modern traction equipment from Class 455 trains, which are due for replacement.
It sounded a sensible plan to do a study.
But we’ve heard nothing since.
- Has the late delivery of the Class 701 trains, pushed the availability of the Class 455 trains, that wioll donate the traction system, too far into the future?
- Has the Covids delayed another project?
- Would First Group prefer more Hitachi trains as five of their companies use them or have them on order?
- Is the 90 mph speed of the diesel trains, too slow for the busy London Waterloo and Basingstoke route?
Or could it be that Alstom, CAF, Hitachi, Stadler or another manufacturer have a much better zero-carbon plan?
Ryanair Backs Away From Boeing Jet Order
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on The Times.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Ryanair has ended talks to purchase tens of billions of dollars of Boeing jets amid a stand-off over the price.
The Irish budget airline had been in talks to buy as many as 250 planes of the 737 Max 10 model but said yesterday that the talks had collapsed.
But have Michael O’Leary and Boeing fallen out over hydrogen?
Consider.
- Many countries in Ryanair’s largest markets are aiming to go net carbon-free by 2050 or even earlier. Scotland is aiming for 2045.
- An airliner delivered today will still be flying twenty or even thirty years later.
- I believe that by 2030, small airliners up to thirty passengers will be zero-carbon.
In Could An A320 neo Be Rebuilt As A ZEROe Turbofan?, I came to this conclusion.
I very much feel that there will be a route to convert some or all of the A 320 neo aircraft to hydrogen power.
If Airbus can offer an airliner, that can be rebuilt as a hydrogen-powered plane that must change the economics of purchasing a fleet of airliners, which could be made worthless by worldwide carbon emission legislation.
Because the Boeing aircraft is a 1960s design with an aluminium airframe, I would doubt it is designed to be converted to hydrogen power.
Improving The Cross Country Route
The Cross Country Route is one of the UK’s forgotten railway lines.
- It runs between York and Bristol Temple Meads.
- Intermediate stations include Leeds, Wakefield Westgate, Rotherham Central, Meadowhall, Sheffield, Chesterfield, Derby, Burton-on-Trent, Tamworth, Birmingham New Street, University, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire Parkway, Cheltenham Spa and Bristol Parkway.
- At the Northern end trains can swap to the electrified East Coast Main Line and can extend services to Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
- At the Southern end trains can swap to the Great Western Main Line and extend services to Taunton, Exeter, Plymouth and Penzance.
- Trains can also swap to the South Wales Main Line in the Bristol area, to serve Cardiff and South Wales.
- Operating speeds are generally around 100 mph, but there are sections of 125 mph running.
- Some sections of the route have 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
I very much believe that it is a route that is ripe for improvement.
These are my thoughts.
Extra And Rebuilt Stations
Recently, Worcestershire Parkway station has been opened on the route.
Bromsgrove station was rebuilt and reopened in 2016.
Derby station was remodelled in 2018.
In addition, there are aspirations for other mew stations and station improvements on the route.
- University station is being rebuilt for the 2022 Commonwealth Games.
- Sheffield Region are proposing a station at Barnsley Dearne Valley. I wrote about this in Sheffield Region Transport Plan 2019 – A New Station At Barnsley Dearne Valley.
- Sheffield Region may be creating a new station in Rotherham.
I can see more station improvements and additions on the Cross Country Route.
New Trains
Most services are run by CrossCountry, who only use diesel trains.
Their core services are as follows.
Plymouth And Edinburgh uses the route between York and Bristol Temple Meads. The service runs under wires North of Leeds and at Bristol Parkway and at Birmingham New Street.
Southampton Central And Newcastle uses the route between York and Birmingham New Street. The service runs under wires North of Leeds and at Reading and at Birmingham New Street.
Bournemouth and Manchester Piccadilly uses the route at Birmingham New Street. The service runs under wires North of Birmingham New Street.
Bristol Temple Meads and Manchester Piccadilly uses the route between Bristol Temple Meads and Birmingham New Street. The service runs under wires at Bristol Parkway and North of Birmingham New Street.
Cardiff Central and Nottingham uses the route between Gloucester and Derby. The service runs under the wires West of Bristol Parkway and at Birmingham New Street.
Birmingham New Street and Nottingham uses the route between Birmingham New Street and Derby. The service runs under the wires at Birmingham New Street.
Birmingham New Street and Stansted Airport does not use the route. The service runs under the wires at Birmingham New Street and around Cambridge and Peterborough.
Birmingham New Street and Leicester does not use the route. The service runs under the wires at Birmingham New Street.
Note.
- Several services run under wires for sufficient time to charge a battery-electric train.
- Several services turn in stations for sufficient time to charge a battery-electric train.
- At least six or possibly seven of the services run for at least fifty miles on tracks that can handle 125 mph running. Some of this track will be upgraded to 140 mph with digital signalling.
This Hitachi infographic shows the Hitachi Intercity Tri-Mode Battery Train.
I believe that Hitachi could produce a version of this train, that would partially meet CrossCountry’s need for a new fleet to reduce their carbon footprint.
For the purpose of this analysis, I will assume this about the trains.
- Battery power will always be used in stations.
- The trains have a battery range of around forty miles at 100 mph.
- Running at 125 mph will need 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
This table shows the current electrification status of the Cross Country Route.
- York and South Kirby junction- 45.4 miles – Electrified
- South Kirby junction and Birmingham New Street – 96.6 miles – Not Electrified
- Birmingham New Street and Bromsgrove – 16 miles – Electrified
- Bromsgrove and Bristol Parkway – 69.8 miles – Not Electrified
- Bristol Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads – 4.8 miles- Not Electrified
The trains would appear to still need to use diesel on some parts of the route.
Or Hitachi ABB Power Grids could install short lengths of 25 KVAC overhead electrification to top up the trains’ batteries in appropriate places.
I believe CrossCountry could decarbonise this route using battery-electric trains and discontinuous electrification.
This would surely refresh the line and attract passengers, but would the trains speed up the service?
- Birmingham New Street and Leeds is 116.4 miles and currently takes just under two hours at an average speed of 59.3 mph in a Class 221 train.
- Several sections of line between Birmingham New Street and Leeds can sustain 125 mph running.
- London Liverpool Street and Norwich is 114.5 miles and has regularly been achieved by British Rail-era electric trains in ninety minutes on a 100 mph line, which is an average speed of 76 mph.
- Averaging 76 mph between Birmingham New Street and Leeds would give a time of 92 minutes.
For these and other reasons, I am fairly sure that a battery-electric train capable of running at 125 mph with fast acceleration could run between Birmingham New Street and Leeds in under ninety minutes, with the addition of some discontinuous electrification.
- There is currently one tph between Birmingham New Street and Leeds, which also serves Sheffield.
- There is also one tph between Birmingham New Street and Sheffield by a different route.
- There is two tph between Birmingham New Street and Nottingham.
- My calculations indicate that the Nottingham and Sheffield services would take under an hour to and from Birmingham New Street, with the Leeds service taking thirty minutes longer.
In normal circumstances no diesel would be used.
Track Improvements And Discontinuous Electrification
This table shows the current electrification status of the Cross Country Route.
- York and South Kirby junction- 45.4 miles – Electrified
- South Kirby junction and Birmingham New Street – 96.6 miles – Not Electrified
- Birmingham New Street and Bromsgrove – 16 miles – Electrified
- Bromsgrove and Bristol Parkway – 69.8 miles – Not Electrified
- Bristol Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads – 4.8 miles – Not Electrified
Solutions will have to be found to decarbonise a lot of the route.
I have flown my virtual helicopter from Tamworth to Sheffield and this part of the route seems to the sort of route that could be upgraded to a full 125 mph line, as it is fairly straight and some sections already allow trains to travel at this speed.
As the 15.5 miles between Clay Cross North Junction and Sheffield will be updated and electrified for High Speed Two’s spur into Sheffield sometime in the future, I would feel that as updating this section benefits High Speed Two, the Midland Main Line, the Cross Country Route and the Hope Valley Line, that this section should be rebuilt as necessary and electrified, as soon as is practically possible.
I believe that Clay Cross North Junction and Sheffield is one of the most important routes in the country to be electrified, if not the most important.
This table shows the electrification status of the Cross Country Route after electrification of Clay Cross North Junction and Sheffield.
- York and South Kirby junction- 45.4 miles – Electrified
- South Kirby junction and Sheffield – 18.8 miles – Not Electrified
- Sheffield and Clay Cross North junction – 15.5 miles – Electrified
- Clay Cross North junction and Birmingham New Street – 62.1 miles – Not Electrified
- Birmingham New Street and Bromsgrove – 16 miles – Electrified
- Bromsgrove and Bristol Parkway – 69.8 miles – Not Electrified
- Bristol Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads – 4.8 miles – Not Electrified
It looks that by electrifying the 15.5 miles between Sheffield and Clay Cross North junction, the gap of 18.8 miles between South Kirby junction and Sheffield could be easily bridged by a battery-electric train.
The section between Clay Cross North junction and Birmingham New Street can be split into three.
- Clay Cross North junction and Derby – 20.9 miles
- Derby and Tamworth – 23.9 miles
- Tamworth and Birmingham New Street – 17.3 miles
If Hitachi ABB Power Grids installed discontinuous electrification at Derby and Tamworth, this should bridge the gap to the electrification at Birmingham.
As some of this section can sustain 125 mph running, it may be better to fully electrify part of the route.
This table shows the electrification status of the route would become
- York and South Kirby junction- 45.4 miles – Electrified
- South Kirby junction and Sheffield – 18.8 miles – Not Electrified
- Sheffield and Clay Cross North junction – 15.5 miles – Electrified
- Clay Cross North junction and Derby – 20.9 miles – Not Electrified
- Derby and Tamworth – 23.9 miles – Not Electrified
- Tamworth and Birmingham New Street – 17.3 miles – Not Electrified
- Birmingham New Street and Bromsgrove – 16 miles – Electrified
- Bromsgrove and Bristol Parkway – 69.8 miles – Not Electrified
- Bristol Parkway and Bristol Temple Meads – 4.8 miles – Not Electrified
I have also flown my virtual helicopter from Bromsgrove to Westerleigh junction, where the Cross Country Route joins the electrified Great Western Main Line, about 4.5 miles East of Bristol Parkway station.
It looks to me that this Southern short section of electrified line would be able to charge a battery-electric train so that it could reach Bristol Temple Meads station.
But the sixty-plus miles of route without electrification between Bromsgrove and Westerleigh junction would be too far to travel without some electrification.
This could either be full electrification or discontinuous using the methods proposed by Hitachi ABB Power Grids.
It certainly looks to me, that Hitachi’s technology or similar, that I talked about in Solving The Electrification Conundrum could be used to run battery-electric trains between York and Bristol Temple Meads on the Cross Country Route.
Digital Signalling
I would assume this will be installed on the route, to give more precise control of trains on the more complicated sections of the route.
East Coast Main Line Improvements
There are several improvements to the North of York, that will reduce journey times on all services using the East Coast Main Line.
These could contribute time saving of up to ten minutes, according to High Speed Two’s Journey Planner and current timetables.
Comparison With The Proposed Eastern Leg Of High Speed Two
With all the talk about possible cancellation of the Eastern Leg of High Speed Two could an improved Cross Country Route be used in the interim?
I will look at a few timings from Birmingham.
Birmingham And Leeds
A fully-developed High Speed Two is claiming forty-nine minutes, as against the one hour and fifty-eight minutes today.
I have stated that ninety minutes is an attainable time on a 116.4 mile journey, where a good proportion of 125 mph running will be possible, sustained by electrification.
But with full electrification, more 125 mph running and even some 140 mph running under the control of digital signalling, I suspect that ninety minutes is only an upper limit to the journey time between Birmingham and Leeds.
High Speed Two are saying they will run two tph between Birmingham and Leeds, which is twice the current frequency.
I could see that an improved frequency on the Cross Country Route could be very convenient, if it increased the frequency between the two cities to four tph.
Is it going to annoy passengers, that services will leave from two different stations in Birmingham and if you go to the wrong one, you’ll have to wait thirty minutes for the next train?
Birmingham And Middlesbrough
Times between Birmingham and Middlesbrough will be determined by adding a Leeds and Middlesbrough time to the Birmingham and Leeds times.
The best time between Leeds and Middlesbrough today is one hour and 23 minutes, which I suspect will lose a few minutes due to East Coast Main Line improvements North of York.
This gives using High Speed Two to Leeds a time of two hours and eight minutes, as against two hours and forty-nine minutes using an improved Cross Country Route.
Birmingham And Newcastle
A fully-developed High Speed Two is claiming one hour and fifty-seven minutes, as against the three hours and twenty-six minutes today.
Based on the current and possible times between Birmingham at Leeds using CrossCountry, I feel times to stations North of Leeds will be reduced by at least twenty-eight minutes, putting the Birmingham and Newcastle time a few minutes under three hours.
Birmingham And Nottingham
A fully-developed High Speed Two is claiming twenty minutes to East Midlands Hub, which when adding in the tram to Nottingham City Centre will be thirty-five minutes..
,Current services are one hour and ten minutes today.
On an improved Cross Country Route, with with battery-electric trains and some 125 mph running, I can see this time shrink to under an hour, even with the reverse at Derby.
Midlands Connect are also proposing a high speed service between Birmingham Curzon Street and Nottingham station, which will take thirty-three minutes.
High Speed Two are saying they will run three tph between Birmingham and East Midlands Hub, which compares with two tph using the Cross Country Route.
Birmingham And Sheffield
A fully-developed High Speed Two is claiming fifty-seven minutes, as against the one hour and fifteen minutes today.
I have stated that an hour is an attainable time on this route, with battery-electric trains and some 125 mph running.
A time of an hour would be very competitive with the Eastern Leg of High Speed Two.
High Speed Two are saying they will run two tph between Birmingham and Sheffield with a change at East Midlands Hub, which compares with two tph using the Cross Country Route.
Conclusion
A fully developed East Coast Main Line will give High Speed Two a good run for its money on services between London and Yorkshire, North East England and Scotland. I indicated my thoughts and conclusions in What Is Possible On The East Coast Main Line?.
I also believe that an improved Cross Country Route could give the Eastern Leg of High Speed Two a very good run for its money.
Perhaps, we should safeguard the route of Eastern Leg of High Speed Two for building later to increase capacity when it is needed, but in the interim we should upgrade the following routes.
- Cross Country Route
- East Coast Main Line
- Midland Main Line
- Northern Powerhouse Rail
- West Coast Main Line
These routes should have at least these minimum standards.
- All passenger trains electric or battery-electric.
- All freight locomotives electric, battery-electric or hydrogen-electric.
- Where possible all lines should allow 125 mph running.
- Universal in-cab digital signalling
- There should be sections of 140 mph running, where possible.
We will need the Eastern Leg of High Speed Two in the future, but we don’t need it in the next few years.
Ricardo To Engineer Zero Emission Buses For UK’s First Hydrogen Transport Hub
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article from Ricardo.
This is the first paragraph.
As part of its mission to support the decarbonisation of the global transport and energy sectors Ricardo, a world-class environmental, engineering and strategic consulting company, has announced that it has received Government funding to create a retrofit hydrogen fuel cell bus demonstrator for the UK’s first hydrogen transport hub in the north-east of England.
The market for refitting buses with hydrogen power is large, as this sentence from the press release shows.
There are 38,000 buses in service in the UK: 98% are diesel powered; and 50% are less than eight years old.
And that’s just the UK!
The last paragraph sums up Ricardo’s ambitions.
Ricardo will develop a scalable, modular solution, enabling it to be installed, with minimal adaption, to multiple single and double decker platforms. The modular concept may also be saleable as a ‘new fuel cell’ module to coach builders across the European Union enabling them to develop new fuel cell
buses by taking a rolling chassis and applying their coach build body alongside the fuel cell module solution.
Never underestimate Ricardo!
The Anonymous Widower 