Is Sizewell The Ideal Site For A Fleet Of Small Modular Nuclear Reactors?
As someone who spent forty years in project management, the Small Modular Nuclear Reactor or SMR could be a project manager’s dream.
Suppose you were putting a fleet of SMRs alongside Sizewell B.
This Google Map shows the current Sizewell site.
Sizewell A power station, with Sizewell B to its North, is on the coast.
This second Google Map shows the power stations to an enlarged scale.
Note the white dome in the middle of Sizewell B.
Sizewell A
Sizewell A power station was shut down at the end of 2006 and is still being decommissioned, according to this extract from Wikipedia.
The power station was shut down on 31 December 2006. The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is responsible for placing contracts for the decommissioning of Sizewell A, at a budgeted cost of £1.2 billion. Defuelling and removal of most buildings is expected to take until 2034, followed by a care and maintenance phase from 2034 to 2092. Demolition of reactor buildings and final site clearance is planned for 2088 to 2098.
Only a few of those, reading this post, will be around to see the final end of Sizewell A.
Note that the size of the Sizewell A site is 245 acres.
It appears to me, that if any power station will be able to be built on the cleared site of Sizewell A, until the late 2080s or 2090s.
Sizewell B
Sizewell B power station opened in 1995 and was originally planned to close in 2035. The owner; EDF Energy, has applied for a twenty-year extension to 2055.
Sizewell C
Sizewell C power station is currently under discussion.
- It will be built by the French, with the help of Chinese money.
- It will have an output of 3260 MW or 3.26 GW.
- It will cost £18 billion.
- It will take twelve years to build.
This Google Map shows Sizewell B and the are to the North.
I would assume it will be built in this area.
A Fleet Of Small Modular Nuclear Reactors
These are my thoughts on building a fleet of SMRs at Sizewell instead of the proposed Sizewell C.
Land Use
In Rolls-Royce signs MoU With Exelon For Compact Nuclear Power Stations, I gave these details of the Rolls-Royce design of SMR.
- A Rolls-Royce SMR has an output of 440 MW.
- The target cost is £1.8 billion for the fifth unit built
- Each SMR will occupy 10 acres.
- Eight SMRs would need to be built to match the output of Hinckley Point C, which will occupy 430 acres.
It looks on a simple calculation, that even if the SMRs needed fifteen acres, the amount of land needed would be a lot less.
Connection To The National Grid
The transmission line to the National Grid is already in place.
This Google Map shows the sub-station, which is to the South-West of Sizewell A.
From Sizewell, there is a massive twin overhead line to Ipswich.
This Google Map shows the overhead line as it crosses Junction 53 of the A14 to the West of Ipswich.
The pylons are in the centre of the map, with the wires going across.
The line has been built for a massive amount of nuclear power at Sizewell.
The Sizewell Railhead
This Google Map shows the railhead at Sizewell.
It can also be picked out in the South West corner of the first map.
- The railhead is used to take out spent fuel for processing.
- In the past, it brought in construction materials.
- Wikipedia suggests if the Sizewell C is built, the might be a new railhead closer to the site.
- If a fleet of SMRs were to be built, as the modules are transportable by truck, surely they could be move in by rail to avoid the roads in the area.
- I am an advocate of reinstating the railway from Saxmundham to Aldeburgh, as this would be a way of doubling the frequency on the Southern section of the East Suffolk Line between Saxmundham and Ipswich stations.
I hope that whatever is built at Sizewell, that the rail lines in the area is developed to ease construction, get workers to the site and improve rail services on the East Suffolk Line.
Building A Fleet Of SMRs
One of the disadvantages of a large nuclear power station, is that you can’t get any power from the system until it is complete.
This of course applies to each of the individual units, but because they are smaller and created from a series of modules built in a factory, construction of each member of the fleet should be much quicker.
- Rolls-Royce are aiming for a construction time of 500 days, from the fifth unit off the production line.
- That would mean, that from Day 501, it could be producing power and earning money to pay for its siblings.
- If the eight units were built in series, that would take eleven years to build a fleet of eight.
But as anybody, who has built anything even as humble as a garden shed knows, you build anything in a series of tasks, starting with the foundations.
I suspect that if a fleet were being built, that construction and assembly would overlap, so the total construction time could be reduced.
That’s one of the reasons, I said that building a fleet could be a project manager’s dream.
I suspect that if the project management was top-class, then a build time for a fleet of eight reactors could be nine years or less.
Resources are often a big problem in large projects.
But in a phased program, with the eight units assembled in turn over a number of years, I think things could be a lot easier.
Financing A Fleet Of SMRs
I think that this could be a big advantage of a fleet of SMRs over a large conventional large nuclear power station.
Consider
- I said earlier, that as each unit was completed, it could be producing power and earning money to pay for its siblings.
- Hinckley Point C is budgeted to cost £18 billion.
- Eight Rolls-Royce SMRs could cost only £14.4 billion.
I very much feel that, as you would get a cash-flow from Day 500 and the fleet costs less, that the fleet of smaller stations is easier to finance.
Safety
SMRs will be built to the same safety standards as all the other UK reactors.
In this section on Wikipedia this is said about the Rolls-Royce SMR.
Rolls-Royce is preparing a close-coupled three-loop PWR design, sometimes called the UK SMR.
PWRs or pressurised water reactors are the most common nuclear reactors in the world and their regulation and safety is well-understood.
This is from the History section of their Wikipedia entry.
Several hundred PWRs are used for marine propulsion in aircraft carriers, nuclear submarines and ice breakers. In the US, they were originally designed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for use as a nuclear submarine power plant with a fully operational submarine power plant located at the Idaho National Laboratory. Follow-on work was conducted by Westinghouse Bettis Atomic Power Laboratory.
Rolls-Royce have a long history of building PWRs, and Rolls-Royce PWRs have been installed in all the Royal Navy’s nuclear submarines except the first. The Royal Navy’s second nuclear submarine; HMS Valiant, which entered service in 1966, was the first to be powered by a Rolls-Royce PWR.
How much of the design and experience of the nuclear submarine powerplant is carried over into the design of the Rolls-Royce SMR?
I don’t know much about the safety of nuclear power plants, but I would expect that if there was a very serious accident in a small reactor, it would be less serious than a similar accident in a large one.
Also, as the reactors in a fleet would probably be independent of each other, it is unlikely that a fault in one reactor should affect its siblings.
Local Reaction
I lived in the area, when Sizewell B was built and I also went over Sizewell A, whilst it was working.
From personal experience, I believe that many in Suffolk would welcome a fleet of SMRs.
- Sizewell B brought a lot of employment to the area.
- House prices rose!
- Both Sizewell A and B have been well-run incident-free plants
Like me, some would doubt the wisdom of having a Chinese-funded Sizewell C.
Conclusion
Big nuclear has been out-performed by Rolls-Royce
Will INEOS And Rolls-Royce Get Together Over Hydrogen Production?
It has been a busy week for press releases.
8th November 2020 – Rolls-Royce signs MoU With Exelon For Compact Nuclear Power Stations
9th November 2020 – Rolls-Royce signs MoU with CEZ For Compact Nuclear Power Stations
9th November 2020 – INEOS Launches A New Clean Hydrogen Business To Accelerate The Drive To Net Zero Carbon Emissions
Does the timing of these three press releases indicate that there is possible co-operation between the INEOS and Rolls-Royce?
These are my thoughts.
Electricity Needs Of Integrated Chemical Plants
Integrated chemical plants, like those run by INEOS need a lot of electricity.
When I worked for ICI Plastics in the early 1970s, one of the big projects at Wilton works was the updating of the Wilton power station.
- Fifty years later it is still producing electricity.
- It is fired by a variety of fuels including coal, oil, gas and biomass.
- It even burned 110,000 tonnes of cow fat (tallow) from the carcasses of animals slaughtered during the BSE Crisis of 1996.
- It produces 227 MW of electricity.
- It also produces around 4,000,000 tonnes of steam per year for the plants on the complex.
- Wilton 10 is a 2007 addition to the station, that burns 300,000 tonnes of a combination of sustainable wood, sawmill waste and otherwise unusable wood offcuts a year.
- Wilton 11 is a 2016 addition to the station, that burns domestic waste, which arrives by train from Merseyside.
ICI was proud of its power station at Wilton and there were regular rumours about the strange, but legal fuels, that ended up in the boilers.
Integrated chemical plants like those on Teesside can be voracious consumers of electricity and steam.
I can envisage companies like INEOS boosting their electricity and steam capacity, by purchasing one of Rolls-Royce’s small modular reactors.
A Look At Teesside
If you look at the maps of the mouth of the Tees, you have the Hartlepool nuclear power station on the North side of the river.
- It was commissioned in 1983.
- It can generate 320 MW of electricity.
- It is expected to close in 2024.
This Google Map shows the mouth of the Tees.
Note.
- Hartlepool power station is in the North-West corner of the map.
- The Hartlepool site is probably about forty acres.
- Wilton power station is on the South side of the Tees in the Wilton International site.
I can see, when Hartlepool power station closes, that more power will be needed on Teesside to feed the various industries in the area.
Some will come from offshore wind, but could a fleet of perhaps four of Rolls-Royce’s small modular reactors be built on a decommissioned Hartlepool power station site to replace the output of the current station?
If built in a planned sequence to correspond to the expected need, there are savings to be made because each unit can be commissioned, when they are completed and used to generate cash flow.
I can even see INEOS building a large electrolyser in the area, that is powered either by wind or nuclear power, according to what power is available and the various costs.
An Integrated Small Modular Nuclear Reactor And Electrolyser
Some countries don’t have good resources to exploit for renewable power.
Will a small modular nuclear reactor, be pared with a large electrolyser to produce hydrogen for feedstock for chemical plants and fuel for transport?
How Much Hydrogen Would A Small Modular Nuclear Reactor Produce?
Consider.
- One of Rolls-Royce’s small modular nuclear reactors has a power output of 440 MW.
- It takes 23 MWh of electricity to create ten tonnes of hydrogen.
This would create 4,600 tonnes of hydrogen in a day.
That is a lot of zero-carbon chemical feedstock to make fertiliser, plastics, pharmaceuticals and other chemicals and fuel for heavy transport.
Conclusion
I will be very surprised if INEOS were not talking to Rolls-Royce about using small modular nuclear reactors to generate the enormous quantities of electrical power and steam, needed to produce chemicals and fulfil their ambition to be a world leader in the supply of hydrogen.
Rolls-Royce signs MoU With Exelon For Compact Nuclear Power Stations
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release on the Rolls-Royce web site.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Rolls-Royce and Exelon Generation have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to pursue the potential for Exelon Generation to operate compact nuclear power stations both in the UK and internationally. Exelon Generation will be using their operational experience to assist Rolls Royce in the development and deployment of the UKSMR.
Rolls-Royce is leading a consortium that is designing a low-cost factory built nuclear power station, known as a small modular reactor (SMR). Its standardised, factory-made components and advanced manufacturing processes push costs down, while the rapid assembly of the modules and components inside a weatherproof canopy on the power station site itself avoid costly schedule disruptions.
This is the first paragraph of the Wikipedia entry of Exelon.
Exelon Corporation is an American Fortune 100 energy company headquartered in Chicago, Illinois and incorporated in Pennsylvania. It generates revenues of approximately $33.5 billion and employs approximately 33,400 people. Exelon is the largest electric parent company in the United States by revenue, the largest regulated electric utility in the United States with approximately 10 million customers, and also the largest operator of nuclear power plants in the United States and the largest non-governmental operator of nuclear power plants in the world.
These two paragraphs from the press release flesh out more details.
The consortium is working with its partners and UK Government to secure a commitment for a fleet of factory built nuclear power stations, each providing 440MW of electricity, to be operational within a decade, helping the UK meet its net zero obligations. A fleet deployment in the UK will lead to the creation of new factories that will make the components and modules which will help the economy recover from the Covid-19 pandemic and pave the way for significant export opportunities as well.
The consortium members feature the best of nuclear engineering, construction and infrastructure expertise in Assystem, Atkins, BAM Nuttall, Jacobs, Laing O’Rourke, National Nuclear Laboratory, Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre, Rolls-Royce and TWI. Exelon will add valuable operational experience to the team.
This is not what you call a small deal.
This is the last section of the press release.
By 2050 a full UK programme of a fleet of factory built nuclear power stations in the UK could create:
- Up to 40,000 jobs
- £52BN of value to the UK economy
- £250BN of exports
The current phase of the programme has been jointly funded by all consortium members and UK Research and Innovation.
But that is not all, as there is also a second press release, which is entitled Rolls-Royce Signs MoU With CEZ For Compact Nuclear Power Stations.
These are the first two paragraphs.
Rolls-Royce and CEZ have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore the potential for compact nuclear power stations, known as small modular reactors (SMR), to be built in the Czech Republic.
Rolls-Royce is leading the UK SMR Consortium that is designing this type of low-cost nuclear power station. Its standardised, factory-made components and advanced manufacturing processes push down costs; and the rapid assembly of the modules inside a weatherproof canopy at the power station site itself speeds up schedules.
These are my thoughts.
What Is A Small Modular Reactor or SMR?
This is the first paragraph of the Wikipedia entry for Small Nuclear Reactor.
Small modular reactors (SMRs) are a type of nuclear fission reactor which are smaller than conventional reactors. This allows them to be manufactured at a plant and brought to a site to be assembled. Modular reactors allow for less on-site construction, increased containment efficiency, and enhanced safety due to passive nuclear safety features. SMRs have been proposed as a way to bypass financial and safety barriers that have plagued conventional nuclear reactors.
This section on Wikipedia gives more details of the Rolls-Royce SMR.
Rolls-Royce is preparing a close-coupled three-loop PWR design, sometimes called the UK SMR.] The power output is planned to be 440 MWe, which is above the usual range considered to be a SMR. The design targets a 500 day construction time, on a 10 acres (4 ha) site. The target cost is £1.8 billion for the fifth unit built.
The consortium developing the design is seeking UK government finance to support further development. In 2017 the UK government provided funding of up to £56 million over three years to support SMR research and development. In 2019 the government committed a further £18 million to the development from its Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund.
The construction time, site size and cost make for one of the big advantages of SMRs.
Say you need to create a 3260 MW nuclear power station like Hinckley Point C.
- This would need a fleet of eight 440 MW SMRs.
- These would cost £14.4 billion
- Wikipedia lists Hinkley Point C as costing between £21.5 billion and £ 22.5 billion.
- I suspect there will be an adjustment for the connection to the National Grid, which is probably included in the Hinckley Point C figures.
- Eight SMRs will occupy 80 acres.
- Hinckley Point C will occupy 430 acres.
- Hinckley Point C was planned to be built in seven years.
- Eight SMRs built one after the other would take 11 years. But, they would probably be planned to be built in an optimal way, where reactors came on-line, when their power was needed.
The biggest advantage though, is that as each of the eight SMRs is commissioned, they can start supplying power to the grid and earning money. This means that financing is much easier and the first reactor helps to pay for its siblings.
Could An SMR Replace A Fossil Fuel Power Station?
Suppose you have a coal-fired power station of perhaps 800 MW.
The power station will have a connection to the grid, which will be able to handle 800 MW.
If the power station is closed, there is no reason, why it can’t be replaced by an appropriately-sized fleet of SMRs, provided the site is suitable.
Who Are TWI?
I would assume that TWI is The Welding Institute, who are described like this in their Wikipedia entry.
The Welding Institute (TWI) is a research and technology organisation, with a specialty in welding. With headquarters six miles south of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England, since 1946, and with facilities across the UK and around the world. TWI works across all industry sectors and in all aspects of manufacturing, fabrication and whole-life integrity management technologies.
It strikes me, this organisation could be a very important part of the consortium.
Environmentally-Friendly InterCity 125 Trains
InterCity 125 trains are not the most environmentally-friendly of beasts.
- They do not meet the modern emission regulations.
- They still emit a lot of carbon dioxide.
- They is also a deadline of 2040, when UK railways will be net-carbon-free.
There might also be individuals and groups, who feel that these elderly trains with so much history, should be replaced by modern zero-carbon trains.
- Would the same groups accept electrification with all the wires?
- Would the train operating companies, accept battery power will long waits for charging?
- Would hydrogen be viable on the numerous branch lines in Devon and Cornwall, with some difficult access to depots by road. Especially, if the hydrogen had to be brought from say Bristol or Southampton!
But various engineering solutions are emerging.
Biodiesel
This is probably the simplest solution and I suspect most modern engines can run on biodiesel with simple modifications. InterCity 125s have modern engines from German firm and Rolls-Royce subsidiary; MTU, so they probably have a solution in their tool-box.
Computerisation
I have never built a computer control system for anything, but I did work with the first engineers in the world, who computerised a chemical plant.
They always emphasised, if you could nudge the plant into the best area of operation, you’d have a much more efficient plant, that produced more product from the same amount of feedstock.
At about the same time, aircraft engine manufacturers were developing FADEC or Full Authority Digital Engine Control, which effectively let the engine’s control system take over the engine and do what the pilot had requested. The pilot can take back control, but if FADEC fails, the engine is dead.
But judging by the numbers of jet aircraft, that have engine failures, this scenario can’t be very common, as otherwise the tabloids would be screaming as they did recently over the 737 MAX.
Now, I don’t know whether the MTU 16V4000 R41R engines fitted to the InterCity 125, have an intelligent FADEC to improve their performance or whether they are of an older design.
If you worry about FADEC, when you fly, then read or note these points.
- Read the FADEC’s Wikipedia entry.
- Your car is likely to be heavily computerised.
- If you took a modern train or bus to the airport, that certainly will have been heavily computerised.
You could be more likely to meet someone with COVID-19 on a flight, than suffer an air-crash, depending on where you travel.
Rolls-Royce’s Staggering Development
Staggering is not my word, but that of Paul Stein, who is Rolls-Royce’s Chief Technology Officer.
He used the word in a press release, which I discuss in Our Sustainability Journey.
To electrify aviation, Rolls-Royce has developed a 2.5 MW generator, based on a small gas-turbine engine, which Paul Stein describes like this.
Amongst the many great achievements from E-Fan X has been the generator – about the same size as a beer keg – but producing a staggering 2.5 MW. That’s enough power to supply 2,500 homes and fully represents the pioneering spirit on this project.
This generator is designed for flight and the data sheet for the gas-turbine engine is available on the Internet.
- It has a weight of under a couple of tonnes compared to the thirteen tonnes of the diesel engine and generator in a Class 68 locomotive.
- It is also more powerful than the diesel.
- It looks to be as frugal, if not more so!
- Rolls-Royce haven’t said if this gas-turbine can run on aviation biofuel, but as many of Rolls-Royce’s large engines can, I would be very surprised if it couldn’t!
Rolls-Royce’s German subsidiary is a large producer of rail and maritime diesel engines, so the company has the expertise to customise the generator for rail applications.
Conclusion
I think it is possible, that the Class 43 power-cars can be re-engined to make them carbon-neutral.
GWR Buys Vehicles Outright In HST Fleet Expansion
The title of this post is the same as that of this article on Railway Gazette.
This is the introductory paragraph.
Despite concerns over future passenger numbers, the Department for Transport has given permission for Great Western Railway to procure three more shortened HST diesel trainsets, branded as the Castle Class by the franchisee.
These pictures show some of the Castle Class trains.
They must be profitable and/or popular with passengers.
If I have a problem with these trains, it is with the Class 43 diesel power cars.
- Each train has two power cars.
- It would appear that there are about 150 of the Class 43 power cars in regular service.
- Each is powered by a modern MTU 16V4000 R41R diesel engine, that is rated at 1678 kW.
- The engines are generally less than a dozen years old.
- They will be emitting a lot of carbon dioxide.
As the trains are now only half as long as they used to be, I would suspect, that the engines won’t be working as hard, as they can.
Hopefully, this will mean less emissions.
The article says this about use of the fleet.
With its fleet now increasing to 14, GWR expects to use 12 each day on services across the west of England. Currently the fleet is deployed on the Cardiff – Bristol – Penzance corridor, but the company is still evaluating how the additional sets will be used.
It also says, that they are acquiring rolling stock from other sources. Some of which will be cannibalised for spares.
Are First Rail Holdings Cutting Carbon Emissions?
First Rail Holdings, who are GWR’s parent, have announced in recent months three innovative and lower-carbon fleets from Hitachi, for their subsidiary companies.
- The Class 807 trains for Avanti West Coast will not have any diesel engines.
- The Class 805 trains for Avanti West Coast will initially have diesel engines, but these may be changedin a few years for battery power packs.
- The Class 803 trains for East Coast Trains will not have any diesel engines.
Hitachi have also announced a collaboration with Hyperdrive Innovation to provide battery packs to replace diesel engines, that could be used on Class 800 and Class 802 trains.
First Rail Holdings have these Class 800/802 fleets.
- GWR – 36 x five-car Class 800 trains
- GWR – 21 x nine-car Class 800 trains
- GWR – 22 x five-car Class 802 trains
- GWR – 14 x nine-car Class 802 trains
- TransPennine Express – 19 x five-car Class 802 trains
- Hull Trains – 5 x five-car Class 802 trains
Note.
- That is a total of 117 trains.
- As five-car trains have three diesel engines and nine-car trains have five diesel engines, that is a total of 357 engines.
- In Could Battery-Electric Hitachi Trains Work Hull Trains’s Services?, I showed that Hull Trains could run their services with a Fast Charging system in Hull station.
- In Could Battery-Electric Hitachi Trains Work TransPennine Express’s Services?, I concluded that Class 802 trains equipped with batteries could handle all their routes without diesel and some strategically-placed charging stations.
In the Wikipedia entry for the Class 800 train, there is a section called Powertrain, where this is said.
According to Modern Railways magazine, the limited space available for the GUs has made them prone to overheating. It claims that, on one day in summer 2018, “half the diagrammed units were out of action as engines shut down through overheating.
So would replacing some diesel engines with battery packs, also reduce this problem, in addition to cutting carbon emissions?
It does appear to me, that First Rail Holdings could be cutting carbon emissions in their large fleet of Hitachi Class 800 and Class 802 trains.
The Class 43 power cars could become a marketing nightmare for the company?
Could Class 43 Power Cars Be Decarbonised?
Consider.
- Class 43 power cars are forty-five years old.
- They have been rebuilt with new MTU engines in the last dozen years or so.
- I suspect MTU and GWR know everything there is to know about the traction system of a Class 43 power car.
- There is bags of space in the rear section of the power car.
- MTU are part of Rolls-Royce, who because of the downturn in aviation aren’t performing very well!
But perhaps more importantly, the power cars are iconic, so anybody, who decarbonises these fabulous beasts, gets the right sort of high-class publicity.
I would also feel, if you could decarbonise these power cars, the hundreds of diesel locomotives around the world powered by similar diesel engines could be a useful market.
What methods could be used?
Biodiesel
Running the trains on biodiesel would be a simple solution.
- It could be used short-term or long-term.
- MTU has probably run the engines on biodiesel to see how they perform.
- Biodiesel could also be used in GWR’s smaller diesel multiple units, like Class 150, 158, 165 and 166 trains.
Some environmentalists think biodiesel is cheating as it isn’t zero-carbon.
But it’s my view, that for a lot of applications it is a good interim solution, especially, as companies like Altalto, will be making biodiesel and aviation biofuel from household and industrial waste, which would otherwise be incinerated or go to landfill.
The Addition Of Batteries
This page on the Hitachi Rail Ltd web site shows this image of the V-Train 2.
This is the introduction to the research program, which was based on a High Speed Train, fotmed of two Class 43 power cars and four Mark 3 carriages.
The V-Train 2 was a demonstration train designed in order to demonstrate our skills and expertise while bidding for the Intercity Express Programme project.
The page is claiming, that a 20 % fuel saving could be possible.
This paragraph talks about performance.
The V-Train 2 looked to power the train away from the platform using batteries – which would in turn be topped up by regenerative braking when a train slowed down to stop at a station. Acceleration would be quicker and diesel saved for the cruising part of the journey.
A similar arrangement to that Hitachi produced in 2005 could be ideal.
- Technology has moved on significantly in the intervening years.
- The performance would be adequate for a train that just trundles around the West Country at 90 mph.
- The space in the rear of the power car could hold a lot of batteries.
- The power car would be quiet and emission-free in stations.
- There would be nothing to stop the diesel engine running on biodiesel.
This might be the sort of project, that Hitachi’s partner in the Regional Battery Train; Hyperdrive Innovation. would probably be capable of undertaking.
MTU Hybrid PowerPack
I wouldn’t be surprised to find, that MTU have a drop-in solution for the current 6V4000 R41R diesel engine, that includes a significant amount of batteries.
This must be a serious possibility.
Rolls-Royce’s 2.5 MW Generator
In Our Sustainability Journey, I talk about rail applications of Rolls-Royce’s 2.5 MW generator, that has been developed to provide power for electric flight.
In the post, I discuss fitting the generator into a Class 43 power car and running it on aviation biofuel.
I conclude the section with this.
It should also be noted, that more-efficient and less-polluting MTU engines were fitted in Class 43s from 2005, so as MTU is now part of Rolls-Royce, I suspect that Rolls-Royce have access to all the drawings and engineers notes, if not the engineers themselves
But it would be more about publicity for future sales around the world, with headlines like.
Iconic UK Diesel Passenger Trains To Receive Green Roll-Royce Jet Power!
COVID-19 has given Rolls-Royce’s aviation business a real hammering, so perhaps they can open up a new revenue stream by replacing the engines of diesel locomotives,
I find this an intriguing possibility. Especially, if it were to be fitted with a battery pack.
Answering My Original Question
In answering my original question, I feel that there could be several ways to reduce the carbon footprint of a Class 43 power car.
It should also be noted that other operators are users of Class 43 power cars.
- ScotRail – 56
- CrossCountry – 12
- East Midlands Railway – 39
- Network Rail – 3
Note.
- ScotRail’s use of the power cars, is very similar to that of GWR.
- CrossCountry’s routes would need a lot of reorganisation to be run by say Hitachi’s Regional Battery Train.
- East Midlands Railway are replacing their Inter-City 125s with new Class 810 trains.
The picture shows the power car of Network Rail’s New Measurement Train.
These may well be the most difficult to decarbonise, as I suspect they need to run at 125 mph on some routes, which do not have electrification and there are no 125 mph self-powered locomotives. After the Stonehaven crash, there may be more tests to do and a second train may be needed by Network Rail.
Why Are GWR Increasing Their Castle Class Fleet?
These are possible reasons.
GWR Want To Increase Services
This is the obvious explanation, as more services will need more trains.
GWR Want To Update The Fleet
There may be something that they need to do to all the fleet, so having a few extra trains would enable them to update the trains without cutting services.
GWR Want To Partially Or Fully Decarbonise The Power Cars
As with updating the fleet, extra power cars would help, as they could be modified first and then given a thorough testing before entering passenger service.
GWR Have Been Made An Offer They Can’t Refuse
Suppose Rolls-Royce, MTU or another locomotive power plant manufacturer has a novel idea, they want to test.
Over the years, train operating companies have often tested modified trains and locomotives for manufacturers.
So has a manufacturer, asked GWR to test something in main line service?
Are Other Train Operators Thinking Of Using Introducing More Short-Formed InterCity 125 Trains?
This question has to be asked, as I feel there could be routes, that would be suitable for a net-zero carbon version of a train, like a GWR Castle or a ScotRail Inter7City.
Northern Trains
Northern Trains is now run by the Department for Transport and has surely the most suitable route in the UK for a shorted-formed InterCity 125 train – Leeds and Carlisle via the Settle and Carlisle Line.
Northern Trains may have other routes.
Transport for Wales Rail Services
Transport for Wales Rail Services already run services between Cardiff Central and Holyhead using diesel locomotive hauled services and long distance services between South Wales and Manchester using diesel multiple units.
Would an iconic lower-carbon train be a better way of providing some services and attract more visitors to the Principality?
Conclusion
GWR must have a plan, but there are few clues to what it is.
The fact that the trains have been purchased rather than leased could be significant and suggests to me that because there is no leasing company involved to consult, GWR are going to do major experimental modifications to the trains.
They may be being paid, by someone like an established or new locomotive engine manufacturer.
It could also be part of a large government innovation and decarbonisation project.
My hunch says that as First Rail Holdings appear to be going for a lower-carbon fleet, that it is about decarbonising the Class 43 power cars.
The plan would be something like this.
- Update the three new trains to the new specification.
- Give them a good testing, before certifying them for service.
- Check them out in passenger service.
- Update all the trains.
The three extra trains would give flexibility and mean that there would always be enough trains for a full service.
Which Methods Could Be Used To Reduce The Carbon Footprint Of The Class 43 Power Cars?
These must be the front runners.
- A Hitachi/Hyperdrive Innovation specialist battery pack.
- An MTU Hybrid PowerPack.
- A Rolls-Royce MTU solution based on the Rolls-Royce 2.5 MW generator with batteries.
All would appear to be viable solutions.
Rolls-Royce To Expand Battery Production Capacity To Meet Demand For Microgrids
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Mucrogrid Knowledge.
It does appear, that they are taking the fight to their problems.
Westbury Station – 30th July 2020
I went to Westbury station today and took these pictures.
I found Westbury station to be a station in extremely good condition.
It also had a buffet, where I was able to purchase a delicious ice cream.
Passenger Services Through Westbury Station
I was at the station for about an hour and several trains passed through.
Great Western Railway services through the station include.
- One train per two hour (tp2h) – London Paddington and Exeter St. Davids – Stops
- One tp2h – London Paddington and Penzance – Passes through
- One tp2h – London Paddington and Plymouth – Passes through
- One train per hour (tph) – Cardiff Central and Portsmouth Harbour – Stops
- One tp2h – Great Malvern and Westbury
- One tp2h – Gloucester and Weymouth – Stops
- One tp2h – Swindon and Westbury
Train classes included Class 800 trains and Class 166 trains.
South Western Railway services through the station include.
- Five trains per day – Salisbury and Bristol Temple Meads – Stops
Train classes include Class 159 trains.
Battery Trains Through Westbury
Hitachi’s Class 800 train with a battery electric capability or Regional Battery Train, is described in this infographic from the company.
The proposed 90 km or 56 mile range could even be sufficient take a train between Westbury and Bristol Temple Meads stations on a return trip.
Many of the trains through Westbury go to the same stations.
Distances are as follows.
- Bristol Temple Meads – 28 miles
- Newbury – 42 miles
- Salisbury – 24 miles
- Swindon – 32.5 miles
- Taunton – 47 miles
It looks like all of these places should be in range of an electric train with a battery capability, providing there is a charging facility at the other end.
An Electrification Island At Westbury Station
I have been advocating an island of electrification around Westbury station for some time and feel about a dozen miles of electrification through the station would be sufficient for Class 800 trains with a battery capability to bridge the gap.
- At Newbury, trains would access the current electrification into London Paddington.
- Between Exeter and Taunton, the rail route runs alongside the M5, so why not electrify this stretch, as the wires will not be so noticeable?
Looking at Westbury, to my untrained eye, it would appear that a short section of electrification around the station, would not be the most challenging of projects.
I believe that discontinuous electrification between Newbury and Exeter would be possible and could gradually be extended across Devon and Cornwall.
It should also be noted that one of Hitachi’s Regional Battery Trains has a range of 56 miles, so that these places from Westbury could be an return trip on batteries, with a well-driven train with excellent energy management.
- Bath Spa – 17 miles
- Bradford-on-Avon – 7 miles
- Bristol Temple Meads – 28 miles
- Chippenham – 16 miles
- Frome – 6 miles
- Salisbury – 24 miles
- Trowbridge – 4 miles
- Warminster – 9 miles
Obviously, the number of stops and the terrain will play a part.
Freight Might Drive Full Electrification Through Westbury Station
As the pictures show, there are heavy freight trains going through the area, which bring long and weighty loads of stone from the Mendips to London.
- There are regularly two or three stone trains in an average hour of the day.
- Like in the picture, I suspect they are usually hauled by a noisy, smelly, polluting and carbon-dioxide emitting Class 66 Locomotive. Not all of these, are as clean and well-maintained, as the one in the picture.
- Some trains start at Merehead Quarry, which is about fifteen miles from Westbury station.
I believe that we must decarbonise freight trains.
But freight and electric haulage is not a simple subject.
- I once had extensive talks with a Senior Crane Driver at the Port of Felixstowe during an Ipswich Town Away match. Ports don’t like overhead wires, as containers do get dropped and fall off rail wagons.
- Suppose a historic line without electrification, like the Settle and Carlisle has a serious land-slip, which it did a couple of years ago. How do you haul in the materials for repair?
- Because freight can be of a random and unpredictable nature, to electrify freight, you probably need to electrify the whole rail network.
For these and other reasons, we need independently-powered freight locomotives and I feel that a new freight locomotive will develop, that will be needed by the rail industry all over the world.
There are several solutions.
Biodiesel
Biodiesel is the simplest solution and would mean that the current diesel locomotives could be used.
In Grant Shapps Announcement On Friday, I talked about Government support for an industrial process, that has been developed by Oxford University and their spin-off company; Velocys, from the the Fischer-Tropsch Process, which can produce, the following fuels from household and industrial waste.
- Aviation biofuel.
- Biodiesel.
A plant to process 500,000 tonnes per year of Lincolnshire finest waste is now being built at Immingham to create 50,000,000 litres of fuel, by Altalto, which is a partnership between Velocys, British Airways and Shell.
If nothing else, waste-to-fuel is the interim solution to the decarbonisation of tricky sectors like heavy rail freight, rail construction, large diesel-powered machines, ships or long-distance aviation.
This fuel could be ideal to haul the heavy stone trains from the Mendips.
Hydrogen
I did think, it would be hydrogen powered, but I’m not so sure now, as hydrogen trains and locomotives seem to have a slow development cycle.
Although, there is one factor, that might influence the use of hydrogen as a fuel, which I wrote about in Thirsty High-Rollers … Mining’s Heavy Haulers Prime Candidates For Hydrogen Conversion.
Mining and quarrying don’t have a good green image, but converting mines and quarries to hydrogen power, would surely have operational and good public relational advantages.
It would also ensure a plentiful and convenient supply of hydrogen, for any hydrogen-powered locomotives.
Hydrogen-powered locomotives, with their electric transmissions, would probably be able to use electrification for traction power, so they would put pressure on the Government to electrify between Westbury and Newbury stations, so that there was a fully-electrified route between the Mendips and London.
Rolls-Royce’s Staggering Development
Staggering is not my word, but that of Paul Stein, who is Rolls-Royce’s Chief Technology Officer.
He used the word in a press release, which I discuss in Our Sustainability Journey.
To electrify aviation, Rolls-Royce has developed a 2.5 MW generator, based on a small gas-turbine engine, which Paul Stein describes like this.
Amongst the many great achievements from E-Fan X has been the generator – about the same size as a beer keg – but producing a staggering 2.5 MW. That’s enough power to supply 2,500 homes and fully represents the pioneering spirit on this project.
This generator is designed for flight and the data sheet for the gas-turbine engine is available on the Internet.
- It has a weight of under a couple of tonnes compared to the thirteen tonnes of the diesel engine and generator in a Class 68 locomotive.
- It is also more powerful than the diesel.
- It looks to be as frugal, if not more so!
- Rolls-Royce haven’t said if this gas-turbine can run on aviation biofuel, but as many of Rolls-Royce’s large engines can, I would be very surprised if it couldn’t!
Rolls-Royce’s German subsidiary is a large producer of rail and maritime diesel engines, so the company has the expertise to customise the generator for rail applications.
I can see this generator ending up in a high-powered heavy independently-powered electric locomotive for hauling stone and inter-modal container trains.
As with hydrogen-powered locomotives, this new breed of gas-turbine locomotive with its electric transmission, will be able to use electrification, where it exists.
So would locomotive developments drive the electrification through Westbury and especially between Westbury and Newbury?
I would rate is likely, that in the future, increasingly rail locomotives will have sophisticated electric transmissions, between their prime motive power of diesel, hydrogen, gas-turbine or whatever and their traction system. All of these locomotives will have pantographs and/or third-rail shoes to access electrification, where it exists.
These locomotives will surely add to pressure to electrify between Westbury and Newbury.
Biodiesel is surely the interim freight solution, if one is needed.
Future Zero-Carbon Passenger Services
Passenger services through Westbury can be divided into three groups.
Great Western Railway’s Services Between London Paddington And Devon And Cornwall
From Beeching Reversal projects put forward over the last few months, it looks like these services will increase and stop at several new and refurbished stations.
I can see discontinuous electrification being used to create a series of electrification islands to allow Class 800 trains, with a battery capability reach the Far South West of Cornwall.
Electrification islands could be at places like
- Around Westbury station.
- Between Taunton and Exeter St. Davids stations alongside the M5.
- Between Plymouth station and the Royal Albert bridge.
- Around Bodmin Parkway station
- Around Truro station
- At Newquay station
- At Penzance station
Obviously, the number and type of the various installations will depend on the methods used and the engineering required.
I do believe that with Hitachi trains, that meet their specification, that trains will be able to travel between Paddington and Penzance without touching a drop of diesel.
Great Western Railway’s Cardiff Central And Portsmouth Harbour Service
The service can be split into the following legs.
- Cardiff Central and Filton Junction – 33 miles – Electrified
- Filton Junction and Bristol Temple Meads – 5 miles – Not Electrified
- Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury – 28 miles – Not Electrified
- Westbury and Salisbury – 24 miles – Not Electrified
- Salisbury and Southampton Central – 15 miles – Not Electrified
- Southampton Central and Portsmouth Harbour – 26 miles – Electrified
It would appear that a train with the performance and range on batteries of Hitachi’s Regional Battery Train should be able to handle the route, provided the following conditions are met.
- It can leave the Great Western Main Line at Filton Junction with a full battery.
- It can leave the electrification at Westbury station with a full battery.
- It can leave Southampton Central station with a full battery.
- Third-rail shoes are fitted for working between Southampton Central and Portsmouth Harbour stations.
Recharging batteries at Bristol Temple Meads and Salisbury stations, although probably welcome, are not necessary.
I can envisage Hitachi Class 800 and Class 385 trains being able to fulfil this role, along with Bombardier Electrostars and Aventras and Siemens Desiros.
As Great Western Railway have forty-five Class 387 trains, conversion of some of these to battery electric operation must be a possibility.
Great Western Railway’s Gloucester and Weymouth Service
The service can be split into the following legs.
- Gloucester and Bristol Temple Meads – 39 miles – Not Electrified
- Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury – 28 miles – Not Electrifield
- Westbury and Dorchester Junction – 52 miles – Not Electrified
- Dorchester Junction and Weymouth – 4 miles – Electrified
It would appear that a train with the performance and range on batteries of Hitachi’s Regional Battery Train should be able to handle the route, provided the following conditions are met.
- It can leave Gloucester station with a full battery.
- It can leave Bristol Temple Meads with a full battery.
- It can leave Westbury with a full battery.
- It can leave the South Western Main Line at Dorchester Junction with a full battery.
It would be a tight trip for a battery electric train and I suspect, that there would be some extra electrification between Westbury and Dorchester Junction or perhaps charging facilities at Frome or Yeovil Pen Mill stations.
The alternative would be to fit larger batteries on the train.
As to the train to be used, a Class 387 train with a battery capability would surely be ideal.
Great Western Railway’s Swindon and Westbury Service
The service can be split into the following legs.
- Swindon and Chippenham – 16 miles – Electrified
- Chippenham and Westbury- 16 miles – Not Electrified
It would appear that a train with the performance and range on batteries of Hitachi’s Regional Battery Train should be able to handle the route, provided the following conditions are met.
- It can leave Chippenham station with a full battery.
This would have sufficient charge to do the thirty-two mile round trip from Chippenham to Westbury and back.
As to the train to be used, a Class 387 train with a battery capability would surely be ideal.
South Western Railway’s Bristol Temple Meads and Salisbury Service
The service can be split into the following legs.
- Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury – 28 miles – Not Electrified
- Westbury and Salisbury- 24 miles – Not Electrified
t would appear that a train with the performance and range on batteries of Hitachi’s Regional Battery Train should be able to handle the route, provided the following conditions are met.
- It can leave Bristol Temple Meads station with a full battery.
- It can leave Westbury with a full battery.
- It can leave Salisbury with a full battery.
But, I do wonder, if with a slightly larger battery, a well-driven train could work the route with only charging the battery at Westbury station?
Conclusion
Could Westbury station develop into a zero-carbon rail transport hub for Wiltshire?
- It has an hourly train service between London Paddington and Exeter St. Davids.
- It has an hourly service between Bristol Temple Meads and Weymouth.
- There are hourly services to stations like Bath Spa, Bradford-on-Avon, Bristol Temple Meads, Chippenham, Dorchester, Frome, Swindon, Taunton, Trowbridge and Yeovil
It could be electrified to charge battery electric trains as they pass through.
Distributed Propulsion ‘Maybe The Only Means’ For Small Electric Flight Progress
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on the Institute of Mechanical Engineers web site.
If you want to fly again, then this article offers pointers to how you might do it.
The E-Fan X Airliner
It gives this latest information on the E-Fa X airliner being tested by Rolls-Royce and Airbus.
Amid the strain of the Covid-19 pandemic, Rolls-Royce and Airbus cancelled flight tests of their E-Fan X airliner, a promising project that could have provided vital data on issues such as thrust management and electric systems at altitude.
Does that mean cancelled or scrapped?
2.5 MW From A Beer Keg-Sized Generator
This paragraph could be important.
“Among the many great achievements from E-Fan X has been the generator – about the same size as a beer keg – but producing a staggering 2.5MW,” said Vittadini’s Rolls-Royce counterpart Paul Stein. “That’s enough power to supply 2,500 homes and fully represents the pioneering spirit on this project.”
This picture shows a Class 66 locomotive.
The locomotive has a 2,460 kW diesel engine and an electric transmission.
I just wonder, if Rolls Royce’s high-powered small generator could replace the large, noisy and smelly diesel engines in these locomotives.
- It will be a lot lighter in weight.
- Could some of the saved weight be used for a battery?
- It could run on aviation biofuel, rather than diesel.
- I wrote about aviation biofuel in Grant Shapps Announcement On Friday.
If the technology worked there are 455 of the noisy locomotives.
Snowballing Improvements
The article has a section with this title and it talks about how electric power may lead to other advantages.
Conclusion
Electric aircraft are more promising, than many think!