Equipmake And HiETA Developing New Motor With 20kW/kg Power Density With Additive Manufacturing
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Green Car Congress.
This is the introductory paragraph.
UK-based electrification company, Equipmake, has teamed up with additive manufacturing organization HiETA to develop a next-generation motor as part of a project grant-funded by Innovate UK.
Additive manufacturing is 3D-printing by another name. This has come to the fore in the COVID-19, where schools, colleges and individuals have been using it to produce PPE.
Equipmake and HiETA are printing exotic alloys in intricate shapes to create the powerful motor.
Additive manufacturing is starting an amazing revolution. How many other common products can be redesigned to be more efficient and manufactured at lower cost.
Thirsty High-Rollers … Mining’s Heavy Haulers Prime Candidates For Hydrogen Conversion
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on ecogeneration.
You understand, what the author means about mining’s heavy haulers, when you open the article.
This paragraph describes their carbon emissions.
One large scale dump truck, depending on the haul road it is using, will use between 100 and 140 litres of diesel per 100km. These vehicles operate all day every day except for maintenance down time. That’s between 260kg and 360kg of CO2 per 100km per truck.
Large open pit mines have tens of these vehicles operating continuously, so the numbers build up very quickly.
The author then goes on to say why, that converting these vehicles to green hydrogen makes a lot of sense.
The dump trucks are already diesel/electric, which means that the diesel generator can be replaced with a hydrogen fuel cell and a battery.
Mining giant; Anglo-American will be introducing a prototype hydrogen-powered dump truck at a platinum mine in South Africa this year.
These paragraphs describe the transmission.
The vehicle, which is called a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) haul truck, will be powered by a hydrogen fuel cell module paired with Williams Advanced Engineering’s scalable high-power modular lithium-ion battery system. Williams provides batteries for FIA’s E-Formula motorsport.
This arrangement will replace the existing vehicle’s diesel engine, delivering in excess of 1MWh of energy storage. The battery system will be capable of recovering energy through regenerative braking as the haul truck travels downhill.
Note that the truck has more energy storage than is proposed for a four-car battery-electric train, like the Class 756 train, which has only 600 kWh.
The author finishes with this concluding paragraph.
With the major mining companies focusing on making significant strides in decarbonisation by 2030 expect there to be more announcements such as this focusing this “low hanging fruit” for the mining industry’s to materially reduce its carbon foot print.
Reading this, I can’t help feeling that replacement of a Class 66 locomotive with a zero-carbon hydrogen-battery-electric hybrid unit could be possible.
Battery-Powered Shunter Ready To Begin Testing
The title of this post is the same as that of an article in Issue 903 of Rail Magazine. The article describes how 08649, which is a Class 08 shunter is being converted to diesel-electric hybrid power.
- It appears, that the shunter wasn’t in the best of condition.
- A 6.8 litre John Deere diesel engine is to be fitted, which will be enhanced to Euro Stage 5.
- Tesla battery packs with a capacity of 300 kWh will be fitted.
- A bespoke control system is being developed.
The shunter is to be tested on the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway, when COVID-19 restrictions allow.
The reason for doing the work is not outlined in the article, although it does say this.
The work has been carried out by Meteor Power Ltd., which won a contract last year as part of the Department of Transport’s Innovation Carbon Reduction programme.
According to Wikipedia, 996 shunters were produced with another nearly two hundred similar shunters in other classes. Eighty two are deemed to have been preserved in Wikipedia, with sixty or so labelled as operational. Two operational examples are on the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway.
As some of the preserved examples are used by successful heritage railways and even commercial companies like Bombardier, perhaps Meteor have identified several possible commercial conversions.
Or it could be that Meteor want to show how their technology can reduce a company’s carbon emissions by re-putting a diesel engine with a hybrid transmission in a railway engine or a piece of heavy plant.
Will Innovative Engineering Solve The PPE Gown Problem?
In the early 1970s, I worked as a programmer for various consultancies, who were doing innovative engineering. In one, which could have been Cambridge Consultants, where I worked for perhaps three months. One guy told me about a project he was working on, that was the automatic assembly of clothing.
I know more than a bit about making clothes, as my mother taught me how to knit, crochet, sew and use a sewing machine. In the early years of our marriage, I used to make dresses for C and in one instance, I made her a long heavy-weight winter coat.
So I am surprised, that innovative engineering has not come together to make hospital gowns automatically!
Let’s hope that some engineers have seen the gap in the market, and as I write, are putting together a machine, where you put material in one end and get gowns out the other. Neatly folded of course!
Coronavirus: Mercedes F1 To Make Breathing Aid
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on the BBC.
This is the introductory paragraph.
A breathing aid that can help keep coronavirus patients out of intensive care has been created in under a week.
From reading the article it appears that engineers from University College London, clinicians at University College Hospital and production engineers and specialists at Mercedes Formula One have combined to re-engineer and hopefully improve something called a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) device, which is already used in hospitals and has been used in China and Italy to combat the virus.
The new design would appear to have advantages.
- It doesn’t need an expensive ventilator.
- It doesn’t need an intensive care bed.
- From the pictures and video on a BBC Breakfast report, it looks to be quick and easy to manufacturer.
- A production rate of a thousand a day is claimed by Mercedes.
- The BBC Breakfast report also says, that patients don’t need to be sedated.
- It also looks like the NHS is going to fast-rack the device into use.
Will this rethinking of standard treatment increase hospital capacity and save lives?
I can’t answer the question, but given those behind the device, it must have a better than even chance of being a success!
History And Future Of The Compressed Air Economy
A reader in Canada has sent me a link to this article on Low Tech Magazine, which has the same title as this post.
This is the introductory sub-title.
Historical compressed air systems hold the key to the design of a low-tech, low-cost, robust, sustainable and relatively energy efficient energy storage medium.
As regular readers of this blog, will have noticed, I regularly post about a company called Highview Power.
This is the introduction from the Wikipedia entry for Highview Power.
Highview Power is a long-duration energy storage pioneer, specialising in cryogenic energy storage. It is based in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has permission for a commercial-scale 50 Megawatt/250 Megawatt-hour plant in England, building upon its earlier 5 Megawatt and 350 Kilowatt pilot plants. It plans to develop a 50MW plant/400MWh (eight hours of storage) in Vermont.
It has over 30 patents developed in partnership with British universities and has won technology funding from the British Government.
In February 2020 Sumitomo Heavy Industries invested $46m in the company.
The article on Low Tech Magazine gives the history of compressed air energy storage (CAES) and is a good background to the subject.
LNER To Keep Class 91s Until 2023
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Rail Magazine.
This is the two introductory paragraphs.
Class 91s hauling Mk 4s will remain with London North Eastern Railway until 2023.
Ten rakes of coaches and ten ‘91s’ will be used, with two additional spare ‘91s’ and a handful of spare Mk 4s also retained.
It looks like LNER are keeping enough Class 91 locomotives and Mark 4 coaches to guarantee having ten trains in service.
Why 2023?
The answer to this question is probably contained in an article in Issue 901 of Rail Magazine, which is entitled ORR Approves New Hitachi Inter-Car Connector Design, which has these two statements.
- All inter-car connectors will have been updated by Summer 2022.
- Hitachi has deals for a further 61 trains for three operators and all will be in traffic by the end of 2022.
It looks like Hitachi could have production capability from 2023.
The original Rail Magazine article also says this.
The extension is until the end of 2023 while LNER sources brand new trains, which would take a minimum of around two years to build and deliver. The operator has previously told RAIL it needs around six new trains.
It appears the difference between retaining ten InterCity 225 trains and adding six new trains to the fleet, is to cover for the retrofit of the inter-car connectors.
The Performance Of A Class 91 Locomotive And Five Mark 4 Coaches
I have seen in mentioned that Virgin East Coast were intending to run shortened rakes of Mark 4 coaches.
In the Wikipedia entry for the Class 91 locomotive, there is a section called Speed Record, where this is said.
A Class 91, 91010 (now 91110), holds the British locomotive speed record at 161.7 mph (260.2 km/h), set on 17 September 1989,[ just south of Little Bytham on a test run down Stoke Bank with the DVT leading. Although Class 370s, Class 373s and Class 374s have run faster, all are EMUs which means that the Electra is officially the fastest locomotive in Britain. Another loco (91031, now 91131), hauling five Mk4s and a DVT on a test run, ran between London King’s Cross and Edinburgh Waverley in 3 hours, 29 minutes and 30 seconds on 26 September 1991. This is still the current record. The set covered the route in an average speed of 112.5 mph (181.1 km/h) and reached the full 140 mph (225 km/h) several times during the run.
When you consider, this was nearly forty years ago, there can’t be much wrong with British Rail’s train engineering.
What Average Speed Do You Need To Achieve London And Edinburgh In Four Hours?
The rail distance between London and Edinburgh is 393 miles, so four hours needs an average speed of 98 mph.
Consider.
- I have travelled in InterCity 125 and InterCity 225 trains, where I have measured the speed at around 125 mph for perhaps thirty or forty miles.
- In Norwich-In-Ninety Is A Lot More Than Passengers Think!, I travelled to Norwich and back, at around 100 mph most of the way.
- Continuous 125 mph running is just as much about the track as the train.
- I have watched a driver in an InterCity 125 at work and these guys and girls know the route and their charges, like the backs of their hands.
I think it is possible to arrange train pathing, so that trains could run between London and Edinburgh in excess of 100 mph.
I believe, that this would enable London and Edinburgh in under four hours.
Will LNER Run Faster Services With Short Sets?
Virgin East Coast’s original plan, was to run short sets between London and Edinburgh.
Would these short sets have been faster, than full size sets?
- The power-to-weight ratio is higher, so acceleration would be better.
- A five-car train would probably need half the power of a ten-car train to cruise at a given speed.
- It might be possible to save weight to increase performance.
- There would be no intermediate stops.
- They know that the Kings Cross and Edinburgh record is three-and-a-half hours, which was set by a five-car train.
- In-cab digital signalling and other improvements could be fitted.
It should also be noted, that a short set would probably do significantly less damage to the track than a full-size set at 140 mph.
Possible Short InterCity 225 Routes
LNER have only six fully-electrified routes, where they could run short InterCity 225 sets.
- Kings Cross and Leeds
- Kings Cross and Doncaster
- Kings Cross and York
- Kings Cross and Newcastle
- Kings Cross and Edinburgh
- Kings Cross and Stirling
Note.
- All routes are fully-electrified, which is a pre-requisite, as InterCity 225 sets have no self-power capability.
- Kings Cross and Leeds will probably be run by pairs of Class 800 trains, as LNER looks like it will split trains at Leeds and serve two destinations.
- Do Doncaster, York and Newcastle generate enough traffic for a fast service?
- The Edinburgh route will have direct competition from East Coast Trains, who will be running five-car Class 803 trains.
- The Stirling route at over five hours is probably too long.
It looks to me, that the preferred route for InterCity 225 sets,; short or full-size will be Kings Cross and Edinburgh.
How Many Trains Would Be Needed To Run An Edinburgh Service?
A flagship service between London and Edinburgh might have the following timetable.
- One tph perhaps leaving at a fixed time in every hour.
- A timing of under four hours.
- Minimal numbers of intermediate stops.
- The service would not be extended past Edinburgh, as the trains need electrified lines.
Suppose, the trains could do a round trip in eight hours, this would mean that eight trains would be needed to provide a service.
Ten trains would allow one train in maintenance and one ready to be brought into service at a moment’s notice.
Does this explain, why ten InterCity 225 sets are being retained.
Would In-Cab Signalling Be Needed?
I suspect that under current rules, in-cab digital signalling might be needed! But as I observed in Partners On Board For In-Cab Signalling Project On East Coast Main Line, this is on its way!
But, as the average speed needed to do London and Edinburgh in four hours is only 98 mph, I wonder what time could be achieved by one of the top drivers, using the following.
- All their route knowledge and driving skill.
- A five-car train.
- Maximum acceleration.
- A well-thought out pathing structure.
- A clear track
- No hold-ups
- A non-stop run.
If the train were to run at 125 mph all the way without stopping, the journey time would be around three hours and ten minutes.
Wikipedia says this about in-cab digital signalling on the East Coast Main Line.
The line between London King’s Cross and Bawtry, on the approach to Doncaster, will be signalled with Level 2 ERTMS. The target date for operational ERTMS services is December 2018 with completion in 2020.
- I estimate that that this will mean that 145 miles of the route will have full in-cab digital signalling.
- Currently, the fastest London and Doncaster times are around 90 minutes, with many taking 97-98 minutes for the 155 miles.
This means the fast train takes 84 minutes between King’s Cross and Bawtry, at an average speed of 103 mph.
Suppose this fast train could go at 125 mph for all but twenty of the distance between King’s Cross and Bawtry, how much time would this save?
- 125 miles at 125 mph would take 60 minutes.
- 125 miles at 103 mph would take 72 minutes.
This means that just by running at 125 mph continuously for all but twenty miles could save up to twelve minutes.
If 140 mph running could be maintained on this section, another six minutes would be saved.
As they say, every little helps!
Lessons From Norwich-in-Ninety
In Norwich-In-Ninety Is A Lot More Than Passengers Think!, I travelled to Norwich and back, at around 100 mph most of the way.
Liverpool Street and Norwich is 114 miles and a ninety minute journey is an average of just 76 mph, which is 24 mph below the maximum cruise of a Class 90 locomotive and a rake of eight Mark 3 coaches. Compare this with an average speed of 98 mph needed for London and Edinburgh in four hours and the 125 mph maximum certified cruise of an InterCity 225 train, without in-cab digital signalling.
It should also be noted that Greater Anglia, run an additional stopping train after the Norwich-in-Ninety expresses, that call at several important stations and not just Ipswich.
Will LNER use a similar strategy? It was working well and successfully for Greater Anglia, until services were decimated by COVID-19!
Will LNER Increase Frequency Between London And Edinburgh To Three Trains Per Hour?
It would seem that the current two tph service running nine- or ten-car trains, runs with a high level of occupancy, so to replace some of these trains with faster and shorter trains might cause capacity problems.
But to add, a third faster train in the hour might be possible. Especially, if the Norwich-in-Ninety strategy were to be used. The timetable in both directions could be something like.
- XX:00 – Four hour express
- XX:06 – Four-hour plus train to current timing
- XX:30 – Four-hour plus train to current timing
LNER’s Marketing Department would like it.
Could Hitachi Trains Achieve London and Edinburgh In Four Hours?
The all-electric Class 801 trains most certainly have a performance to match an InterCity 225 in terms of acceleration and maximum operating speed without in-cab digital signalling. After all, the Japanese train was designed as a direct replacement for British Rail’s last high performance train!
So I believe that with a well-designed timetable, electric Hitachi trains will be able to run between London and Edinburgh in under four hours, with a small number of stops.
Note that LNER will have a fleet of thirty nine-car and twelve five-car all-electric Class 801 trains.
But East Coast Trains will have a fleet of five five-car all-electric Class 803 trains, which could get near to a four-hour timing, despite their four stops at Stevenage, Durham, Newcastle and Morpeth.
- I have timed a Class 800 train leaving Kings Cross and they get up to 125 mph fairly fast, by about Potters Bar, which is reached in eleven minutes.
- Stops at Stevenage, Durham and Morpeth will probably each add two minutes to the timing, with Newcastle adding five minutes.
- 125 mph all the way from Kings Cross to Edinburgh would be a timing of three hours and ten minutes.
Add up the stationary times at the stops (2+2+2+5) and that gives a journey time of three hours and twenty-one minutes, which leaves thirty-nine minutes for the five decelerations and accelerations between stationary and 125 mph.
This page on the Eversholt Rail web site, has a data sheet for a Class 802 train, which is a Class 800 train with larger engines.
The data sheet shows that a five-car train can accelerate to 125 mph and then decelerate to a stop in six minutes in electric mode. So five accelerations/deceleration cycles to 125 mph would take thirty minutes. This gives a journey time between London and Edinburgh of three hours and fifty-one minutes.
Note that Class 801 trains, which don’t lug diesel engines about will have better acceleration, due to the lower weight, so should have better acceleration and deceleration.
Does this time seem reasonable? First Group with their extensive experience of running Class 800 trains on the Great Western Main Line will know the capabilities of the trains, down to the last mph.
I doubt, they’d have bought the trains for East Coast Trains, if they couldn’t do London and Edinburgh in four hours.
I believe that both InterCity 225 and Class 801/803 trains can do London and Edinburgh in four hours and any train company that doesn’t offer this timing, will come second!
A Possible Hitachi-Based Timetable For LNER
I would be very surprised if a service pattern like this wouldn’t be possible.
- XX:00 – Four hour express – Class 801 train
- XX:06 – Four-hour plus train to current timing – Class 801 train or InterCity 225
- XX:30 – Four-hour plus train to current timing – Class 801 train or InterCity 225
Note.
- As there is only one extra train per hour, ten extra trains would be the addition to the fleet, needed to run this service pattern.
- Class 801 trains could be five-car or nine-car sets as passenger numbers require.
- InterCity 225 trains could be as long as are needed.
InterCity 225 trains would only be doing the job, they’ve done for many years.
Targeting The Airline Market
In Trains Ordered For 2021 Launch Of ‘High-Quality, Low Fare’ London – Edinburgh Service, which described the launch of First East Coast Trains, I said this about their target market.
First East Coast Trains is targeting the two-thirds of passengers, who fly between London and Edinburgh. The company are also targeting business passengers, as the first train arrives in Edinburgh at 10:00. Trains will take around four hours.
Note that currently, LNER’s first train arrives at 11:12. In the future, I would envisage that LNER intend to go for four hour journeys.
It would seem to me, that both train companies will be attempting to take passengers from the airlines.
Conclusion
It looks to me that ten InterCity 225 trains could add a third train in each hour between London and Edinburgh for LNER, that would do the journey in under four hours.
The third train could either be an InterCity 225 or a Class 801 train.
A Site For Battery Train Sceptics
I meet and get messages from a lot of people, who are sceptical, that battery-powered trains will ever be a viable alternative to diesel-powered ones.
I have just read this post on Vivarail’s web site, which is entitled Battery Train Update.
It is very open and informative and is very much a must read for anybody interested in the future of railways worldwide or the application of battery-powered trains.
The introductory sentence of the update is very heartening.
Our first production train is in its final build stage and is due to go out on the network – fully approved for passenger service – by the summer.
Provided of course, the COVID-19 situation will allow everybody to travel.
The Anonymous Widower 