May 2021 The Engineer

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165 YEARS OF TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

MAY 2021

cosmic clean up How a newly launched mission aims to demonstrate a solution to the growing problem of space debris

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22

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TheEngineerUK theengineeruk The Engineer UK

renewables: Groundbreaking uk energy innovation promises to bring pumped hydro to the masses

The road ahead: former aston martin boss Dr andy palmer talks e-mobility and gigafactories

late great engineers: the life and times of pioneering aviator and 20th Century icon Amy Johnson

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ESTABLISHED 1856

165

CONTENTS

YEARS OF TECHNOLOGY & INNOVATION

VOLUME 302 • ISSUE 7927 • MAY 2021

26 32 12

34

22 18

24

4 Editor’s Comment

10 news

6 NEWS

12 news analysis

The Engineer’s sixth annual Collaborate To Innovate awards is open for entries First of its kind Teesside facility will be able to recycle all plastics

7 NEWS

New line of industrial 3D printers promises volume manufacturing

8 news

UK developed nanotech device promises cheaper water toxicity tests

All-electric hydrofoiling passenger ferry set for launch in Stockholm

18 energy

31 sci-fi eye

22 interview

32 late great engineers

How a UK innovation in energy storage could make it easier and cheaper to roll out pumped hydro technology

The importance of taking a proactive approach to STEM equality

Former Aston Martin boss Dr Andy Palmer outlines his vision for e-mobility

14 viewpoint

24 space exploration

Hydrogen will play an important, but niche, role in the decarbonisation of UK rail writes Plextek’s Nicholas Hill

A state of the art laser developed by engineers at Thales is performing a vital role aboard Nasa’s Perseverence rover

16 mailbox

26 Cover story

Lighter than air transport, suspension innovations and the hydrogen economy

New mission to trial a practical solution to the growing problem of space debris

Resident science fiction author Gareth L. Powell imagines how automation might affect global trade and travel The life and times of pioneering aviator and inspiring 20th century diversity icon Amy Johnson

34 from the archive

May 1957 - new technology from Switzerland revolutionises process for finding defects on railway tracks

38 digest

This month’s prize crossword COVER Image: Tadayuki Aritaka

Mark Allen Group, St Jude’s Church, Dulwich Road, London, SE24 OPB www.markallengroup.com

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EDITOR’S NOVEMBER COMMENT 2019

JON EXCELL

READ MORE ONLINE Digital twins, hydrogen trains and the semiconductor shortage

www.theengineer.co.uk

Martian milestones

I

follow us at

@TheEngineerUK theengineeruk The Engineer UK The Engineer UK

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MISSION STATEMENT

The aim of The Engineer is to champion and promote engineering innovation and technology development across all of the UK’s key engineering sectors.

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

t’s fair to say that in the fast-moving world of technology reporting, words like “breakthrough” and “milestone” are bandied about far too often. Even The Engineer’s guilty from time to time! But the maiden flight of Ingenuity, NASA’s Martian helicopter, which last month carried out the first powered, controlled flight on another planet (or at least the first that we know of) is, without doubt, a significant engineering milestone. As reported by The Engineer, the first flight of the solar powered helicopter was a relatively sedate affair: it hovered 3 metres above the surface for around 30 seconds before gently touching down. At the time of writing, the historic aircraft - which, as a symbol of its significance is carrying a tiny scrap of material from the Wright brothers’ first - had successfully completed three progressively more challenging flights, confirming the feasibility of a concept that will surely transform planetary exploration in the years ahead. The engineering challenges behind Ingenuity are the subject of an earlier article in The Engineer which can be found on our website, but there is more on NASA’s latest visit to the red planet in this issue’s feature on the Perseverance rover’s scientific payload (page 24). Also in this issue, we take a look at a fascinating new mission designed to address the growing problem of space debris, a phenomenon which if left unchecked, could have profound consequences for our future efforts to follow up on the great strides made by projects like Ingenuity. As Andrew Wade so poetically puts it (page 26) it’s a situation that “could make space travel exponentially more dangerous, theoretically trapping us on Earth in a spherical, atomised cage of our own failed technology.” Finally - we’re delighted to announce that The Collaborate To Innovate awards The Engineer’s annual search for the UK’s most innovative, collaborative engineering projects is now open for entries. Now in its sixth year, C2I - which is sponsored by Babcock International Group - was launched to uncover and celebrate great examples of engineering collaboration – a dynamic critical to addressing many of the challenges and problems faced by society. The competition is open to innovative technology led projects which are underpinned by collaboration between two or more separate organisations and which have had, or are likely to have, a positive impact in their area of application. Entries are invited from projects addressing challenges across eight categories, including automotive; aerospace, defence and security; information, data and connectivity; healthcare and medical; energy and environment; and manufacturing technology. Visit awards.theengineer.co.uk for more information.

Jon Excell

EDITOR • JON.EXCELL@MARK ALLENGROUP.COM

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5 THINGS WE’VE LEARNT THIS ISSUE

Only nine per cent of the plastic that has ever been produced has been recycled

1

The Rolls-Royce UltraFan will be the largest aero engine ever built

2

Energy storage is predicted to grow a hundrefold over the next two decades

3

Over 100 million items of space debris are thought to be orbiting Earth

4

Before her historic solo flight to Australia, Amy Johnson’s longest trip was from London to Hull

5

CELEBRATING THE VERY BEST IN UK COLLABORATIONS AND INNOVATIONS IN ENGINEERING

Collaborate to Innovate Are you involved in a UK-led engineering project with genuine innovation at its core? Are you collaborating with partners from other organisations or research groups to achieve this? Enter the Collaborate to Innovate Awards today and gain the recognition you deserve!

NOW OPEN FOR ENTRIES! 2021 CATEGORIES • Automotive • Aerospace & Defence • Energy & Environment • Healthcare & Medical • Information, Data & Connectivity • Manufacturing Technology • Young Innovator • Wild Card • Future Thinking

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NEWS

MAY 2021

Read more online

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AEROSPACE

@TheEngineerUK theengineeruk The Engineer UK The Engineer UK

• Project Fresson welcomes partners to fuel cell flight programme • Skyrora set for orbital launches with €3m ESA co-funding

w w w.theengineer.CO.UK

DEFENCE & SECURITY • Directed energy innovation takes aim at defence and biomedicine • Flight control tech to be applied to Dreadnought submarines

Teesside HydroPRS plant set to recycle all plastics

ELECTRONICS & COMMUNICATIONS

Process to keep plastics from landfill by converting them into oils and chemicals

• AI modelling predicts battery health using raw data • US team develops high-power 3D microbatteries

MELISSA BRADSHAW reports

A

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT • Application submitted for UK’s largest electrolyser

MEDICAL & HEALTHCARE Ben Kerckx/Pixabay

first-of-its-kind facility currently under construction in Teesside will use Mura Technology’s HydroPRS process to recycle all types of plastic waste. The HydroPRS (Hydrothermal Plastic Recycling Solution) process, which utilises Cat-HTR technology, aims to provide a global solution to the growing issue of plastic pollution. Promising to tackle types of plastic that are currently considered ‘unrecyclable’- such as multi-layer and flexible films, pots and tubs used for packaging food - the process is designed to work alongside conventional recycling methods as well as efforts to reduce and reuse plastic, aiming to push toward a sustainable circular economy. “The solution is based on supercritical water, and that’s very different to what almost everyone else is doing in the industry: most of it is pyrolysis and gasification,” said Dr Steve Mahon, CEO of Mura Technology. “The technology is fourteen years old, it’s been developed over multiple scale-ups in Australia and it was developed initially for brown coal.”  Mahon explained that he first raised the idea of using the technology on plastics around seven years ago. The HydroPRS system uses supercritical steam to convert plastics back into the oils and chemicals they were originally made from, allowing them to be

used for new virgin-grade plastic products with no limit to the number of times the same material can be recycled.  Thanks to the use of the steam, which cuts longer-chain hydrocarbon bonds in plastics to produce valuable chemicals and oils in as little as 25 minutes, the process is described as ‘inherently scalable’ when compared to other methods.  “You’re heating evenly throughout, because water is your mechanism for transferring the heat rather than thermal energy on the outside of the reactor,” Mahon said. “We believe we can scale up to larger, industrial-scale facilities where other technologies can’t.” According to a 2017 study in Science Advances, only nine per cent of plastic has ever been recycled globally with the vast majority (79 per cent) currently ending up in landfill or in the environment. “Eight million tonnes

of plastics find their way into the oceans every year, so if you want to be solving that sort of problem you need to be dealing with a similar magnitude of scale,” Mahon commented. Construction of the commercial-scale plant in Teesside, which is planned to be operational 24/7 from late 2022, is just the beginning of Mura’s plans for a rapid global rollout with one million tonnes of capacity in development by 2025. Sites are planned in Germany, the US and Asia, and the company has announced several strategic partnerships including an agreement with KBR Inc. to license the technology to clients worldwide. The Teesside plant is being developed by ReNew ELP, the UK subsidiary of Mura Technology. Read more at www.theengineer.co.uk

6

• Human tendon inspires slippery suture to eradicate anomalies • Systemic sclerosis accurately screened on laptop

MANUFACTURING • Centrifugal multispinning improves output and Covid protection

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TECHNOLOGY NEWS

SAF promises production-scale 3D printing

NEWS IN BRIEF ULTRAFAN UNDERWAY

management system ensures the necessary powder is distributed across the whole print bed,

manufacturing.’ Similarly, the new platform has ‘made parts from a wide range of material

Rolls-Royce has started work on building UltraFan, an aero engine with a 140” fan diameter that is expected to ‘redefine sustainable air travel’. Work to build the world’s largest aero-engine is underway at the company’s DemoWorks facility in Derby. The demonstrator engine will be completed by the end of the year and the first test run will be conducted on 100 per cent Sustainable Aviation Fuel.

manufacturing powered by Selective Absorption Fusion (SAF)

maintaining a large, thermally stable wave of powder.

types ranging from engineering polymers to elastomers.’

JOBS BOOM

technology. Similar in principle to High-Speed Sintering pioneered

SAF selectively jets high energy-absorption HAF fluid onto areas of a layer of powder-form

“SAF has built on the original ideas behind High-Speed Sintering but taken it forward in a number

in Britain by Xaar, SAF uses a counter-rotating roller to coat powder layers onto a print bed and prints absorber fluid to image the part layers. The imaged layers are fused by passing an IR lamp over the entire span of the print bed. According to Stratasys, which has a 45 per cent share in Xaar, SAF technology performs these steps in the same direction across the print bed to provide a uniform thermal experience – and part consistency – for all printed parts regardless of their placement in

material in one full-width pass. Xaar 1003 GSU6U piezoelectric print heads jet single or multiple drops of the fluid to produce either fine detail or large areas. According to Professor Neil Hopkinson, director of technology at Xaar 3D and original inventor of the technology behind SAF, the print heads use bulk piezo inkjet printing working in chevron mode. Specific details about SAF’s powders and fluids have not been released at this time, but Prof Hopkinson said several fluids are

of ways to remove sources of variability in the process,” he said. “For example, SAF employs a process architecture that ensures all fused particles on the bed surface experience the same time/temperature profile as each other irrespective of where they are on the part bed surface. Also, our Big Wave powder handling system maintains a thermally stable mound of powder when distributing powder across the bed. These innovations are at the heart of our drive for

the build.

‘compatible with our print heads

consistency.”

Additive looks set to fulfill its potential in volume manufacturing Jason Ford reports

S

tratasys has revealed details about H Series, a new line of powder bed fusion-based 3D printers for volume

A so-called Big Wave powder

and ideal for use in industrial

Research-focussed jobs are being created at Dyson’s Wiltshire Campus as part of the company’s £2.75bn global investment plan. In total, 200 new hires will join 4,000 staff at Dyson’s UK Innovation Campus in Wilstshire. In Singapore Dyson is recruiting 250 engineers over the next five years as its software and electronics teams expand to support the development of connected and intelligent machines. 

Mocean Energy unveils Blue X wave energy converter Technology aims to provide renewable energy to subsea systems FLIGHT ON MARS Mocean Energy has unveiled Blue X, the company’s wave energy converter prototype which is set for sea trials following final checks at Rosyth. Built in Scotland, the 20m long, 38 tonne wave machine will be installed at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC)’s Scapa Flow test site before moving onto EMEC’s large scale Billia Croo test site this summer. The manufacture and testing programme is supported by £3.3m from Wave Energy Scotland (WES) through its Novel Wave Energy Converter programme. WES managing

with OGTC, Harbour Energy, EC-OG and Modus to demonstrate the potential of the Blue X prototype to power a subsea battery and a remote underwater vehicle (AUV) using onshore testing at EC-OG’s Aberdeen facility. Sea trials will take place in parallel with tests on the subsea equipment before the battery and AUV are shipped to Orkney to be paired with Blue X at sea. The objective is to show that wave power and underwater energy storage can cost-effectively lower the carbon footprint of powering subsea oil and gas production equipment and AUVs.

director Tim Hurst said Blue X represents credible wave technology likely to contribute to low carbon energy requirements. Rated at 10kW, Blue X will undergo ballasting and wet testing at Rosyth before being transported to Orkney. Cameron McNatt, Mocean Energy managing director, said the Orkney test programme will prove Blue X’s capabilities at sea, adding that its novel hull shapes will produce more power than traditional raft designs. In March 2021, Mocean Energy announced a £1.6m project

7

NASA’s Ingenuity Mars Helicopter has become the first aircraft to make a powered, controlled flight on another planet. The altimeter of the solar-powered helicopter indicated that Ingenuity climbed to its prescribed maximum altitude of 3m and maintained a stable hover for 30 seconds. It then touched down after logging a total of 39.1 seconds of flight.

Read more at www.theengineer.co.uk

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

TECHNOLOGY NEWS

Nanotech device enables onsite toxicity tests

ORBEX RECEIVES €7.45M FUNDING BOOST! FROM ESA

New solution promises to improve the cost, use and portability of water analysis JASON FORD reports

T

he cost of testing water for chemical pollution and

he said. “Macro molecules – such as proteins and lipids – do not pass

technology for monitoring heavy metals, which takes us a step

levels of toxicity could be reduced thanks to a new nanotechnology process

through nano-porous membranes. The nanocarriers are then isolated with a permanent magnet, plus

closer to enabling on-the-spot, field testing for water toxicity in real time on-site.”

developed by Oxford University research scientists.

a small volume of acid, allowing analysis of the element’s chemical

New funding from the Science and Technology Facilities Council

The technology, now in its next phase of development via university spin-out Nanolyse

speciation.” Dr Ahmed added that current technology and processes for

will help the company to develop miniaturised sensor devices from its current benchtop system.

Technologies, could transform the protection of human health and the environment against chemical pollution caused by toxic, heavy metals dissolved in water. Dr Imad Ahmed, founder and CEO of Nanolyse told The Engineer that Nanolyse’s technology uses a combination of nano-porous membranes and custom magnetic nanocarriers to separate and concentrate ions from water. “A water sample is injected into the system and selective,

measuring water toxicity levels requires transporting samples to a laboratory for analysis. Separating and analysing different ‘species’ of toxic chemicals then relies on costly, complex chromatography and mass spectrometry equipment. “This hampers effective and streamlined pollution control when what we need are bioavailability-based environmental regulations which restrict the types of toxic metal pollution most likely to be absorbed in the body,” he

“The next phase of the technology is combining it with a palm-sized, portable microfluidic detector which will separate ions from a few millilitres of liquid,” said Dr Ahmed. According to the Environment Agency, only 14 per cent of English rivers have a “good” ecological standard. Nickel, zinc, cadmium, lead, nitrate, phosphates, organo-metal tributyl tin and polyaromatic hydrocarbons are among the commonly found chemicals in

magnetic nanocarriers scavenge

said. “Therefore, Nanolyse has

UK rivers at levels exceeding

positively or negatively-charged ions from the solution in minutes,”

now developed and patented a bioavailability-based testing

environmental guidelines and harmful to health.

SIXTH ANNUAL COLLABORATE TO INNOVATE AWARDS OPEN FOR ENTRIES Jon Excell reports

Collaborate To Innovate (C2I) - The Engineer’s annual search for the UK’s most innovative, collaborative engineering projects - is open for entries. C2I - sponsored by Babcock International Group - was launched to uncover and celebrate engineering collaboration – a dynamic critical to addressing challenges and problems faced by society. The competition is open to projects underpinned by collaboration between two or more separate organisations and

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

which have had, or are likely to have, a positive impact in their area of application. Entries are invited from projects addressing challenges across categories including automotive; aerospace, defence and security; information, data and connectivity; healthcare and medical; energy and environment; and manufacturing technology. Entries will be judged by a panel including Dr Jon Hall, chief innovation and technology officer at Babcock

International; Alan Newby, director of aerospace technology and future programmes at Rolls-Royce; Samantha Francis - EPSRC Deputy DirectorResearch Base; John Halton, director for

8

Orbex has been awarded €7.45m through Boost!, the European Space Agency’s Commercial Space Transportation Services and Support (C-STS) programme, which supports commercially sustainable space transportation services in Europe. The Boost! contract follows an evaluation process to assess Orbex’s commercial strategy, financial stability and technical progress. This is the largest award made to date by the programme and Orbex will supplement the funding with €4.7m in matching private investment. The funds from the award will go towards the completion of spaceflight systems in preparation for the first launches of Prime, Orbex’s 19m ‘microlauncher’ rocket. €11.25m of the total funding will be assigned to work undertaken in the UK, in particular the lightweight avionics designed by Orbex, and the guidance, navigation and control (GNC) software subsystem being designed by Elecnor Deimos, an investor and partner of Orbex. JF Read more at www.theengineer.co.uk

business and industry at Engineering UK; Professor Andy Wright, director of strategic technology at BAE Systems; and Rosa Wilkinson, communications director at HVM Catapult. This year’s competition is supported by EPSRC and EngineeringUK, and sponsored by Babcock, HVM Catapult and PTC. For sponsorship enquiries contact Justyn.gidley@markallengroup. com The closing date for entries is midnight on 3rd September and the winners will be revealed in early 2022. For more information visit http://awards. theengineer.co.uk

“ At Babcock, our people don’t just work with technology, they make it work for them.” Jon Hall, Managing Director We are a leading provider of complex and critical engineering services across defence, emergency services and civil nuclear, both in the UK and internationally. Our investment in skills ensures that the brightest and the best can reach new heights in their careers. Our partnerships in industry and academia, coupled with our deep engineering expertise mean we are able to identify, adapt and integrate new technologies in the assets we manage for our customers, and ourselves. Engineering is embedded in our DNA. Technology underpins everything we do.

Marine | Nuclear | Land | Aviation

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TECHNOLOGY NOVEMBER 2019 NEWS

Marine-i and Feritech to develop geotechnical AUV MELISSA BRADSHAW reports

M

arine-i - a Cornish marine technology iniatiative - has

“We now want to design an autonomous solution for

agreed to support subsea engineering firm Feritech

geotechnical surveys,” said Ferris. “Such a vessel would need to be

Global in its plan to develop an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) for geotechnical surveying.

large in size to accommodate equipment for taking core samples of the seabed and for carrying out

Rob Ferris, managing director of Falmouth-based Feritech,

activities such as cone penetration testing and heat flow testing.” 

design of the vessel, together with an umbilical to connect it to the

the Isles of Scilly. “This is exactly the kind

explained that detailed subsea surveys are required in challenging sea conditions for assets such as

The research involves support from Exeter and Plymouth Universities, and the Offshore

‘mother ship’ for remote operation, and the design of the control systems to convert traditionally

of innovative, disruptive technology that Marine-i was set up to support,” said Johanning.

floating offshore wind turbines.  Using autonomous vessels to carry out geophysical survey work is gaining traction, but Marine-i programme director Professor Lars Johanning explained that to date, deep water AUVs have mainly been small inspection vehicles focused on geophysical data gathering. 

Renewable Energy Catapult. The first stages of the project will be to specify precise industry standards for the vessel, and the exact tool requirements that the vessel needs to carry — one key area of this will be to take core samples of the seabed for lab analysis. Following this will be the

human-operated geotechnical sampling systems into systems that can be remotely operated. Feritech said that the aim is to have a precommercialisation demonstrator built by the end of the year, ready for sea trials in early 2022. Marine-i aims to support the marine tech sector in Cornwall and

“Feritech’s concept could revolutionise the way in which geotechnical work is carried out. By helping reduce risk and costs for developers, it will help accelerate the growth of floating offshore wind in the Celtic Sea, generating a positive economic impact on the local supply chain.”

HYDROFOILING P-30 E-FERRY SET FOR STOCKHOLM LAUNCH ANDREW WADE reports Swedish startup Candela is building an all-electric 30-person hydrofoiling passenger boat to serve the Stockholm archipelago. The Candela P-30 is set to launch in 2022 and begin service in 2023 when it will travel at its 20-knot cruising speed for over three hours before recharging its 180kWh lithium ion battery. According to Candela, the P-30, with two 60kW electric pod drives, will consume about 3kWh per nautical mile. The 12m long P-30 represents a scaling of Candela’s Seven hydrofoil speedboat, in which submerged hydrofoils lift the vessel’s hull out of the water and are controlled by an onboard computer that adjusts the struts of the foil 100 times per second to keep the boat steady at cruising speed. “The secret to balancing this boat is that the wing

is basically a computer that we developed in-house. There are six different types of sensors. Ultrasonic

doesn’t really have flaps or ailerons like an aircraft wing,” said Candela’s Mikael Mahlberg (The Engineer, April 2021). “Instead, we twist the whole wing using

sensors in the bow measure wave height in front of the boat at 100Hz…to angle the foil optimally and counter the waves. But since the boat is unstable, you have to

independent struts that move back and forth, bending and twisting the wing, which is flexible in the middle.

balance it by using the foil at all times.” Candela hopes the P-30 will eventually replace 60

“The brain of the boat is the flight controller, which

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

diesel boats that serve Stockholm.

10

SNCF SIGNS UP FOR HYDROGEN France has become the latest nation to embrace hydrogen propulsion for rail with the acquisition of electrichydrogen trains from Alstom. In a contract valued at around €190m, French rail operator SNCF has ordered 12 Coradia Polyvalent trainsets with options for two more. The order, which secures over 2,000 jobs in France for Alstom and its suppliers, is in line with SNCF’s phase out of regional diesel express trains by 2035. According to Alstom, the dual mode electric-hydrogen Coradia Polyvalent train meets the requirements of the French rail network and can operate for up to 600km on sections of non-electrified railway. The four-car, 72m-long train has a total capacity of 218 passengers. JF Read more at www.theengineer.co.uk

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NOVEMBER News analysis 2019

W

hilst there is no shortage of conversations about

“This isn’t hypothesis, there are reams of examples where this has happened, and I realise that we can

diversity taking place across engineering,

train people in the industry, we can talk about confidence, we can

industry can make no secret of the gender imbalance still recognised across its sectors. In

work with educational bodies — but actually, only by then setting up the commercial arm that is

March 2021, The Engineer’s annual salary survey revealed some

XXEquals can we show that it’s good for business as well.”

sobering figures: female engineers accounted for just 6.3 per cent of

Hall hopes this will inspire other companies within industry

respondents, and were still earning lower average salaries than their male associates.

to assess the diversity of their workforces, but more needs to be done alongside these initiatives for

Many companies are stepping up efforts in diversity and

us to see real progress, including in schools and universities where

inclusion, working toward the ambition of achieving an equal workplace — but it’s clear that the

the percentage of women and girls studying STEM subjects is still low. Recent UCAS data provided

profession is not getting there fast enough, so what’s the hold up? There are many factors at play, but research shows a societal issue rooted in a lack of education and awareness around engineering as a career path for girls at a young age. Specifically, this occurs around the age of ten, according to a study from researcher Ulrika Sultan at Sweden’s Linköping University. This served as inspiration for Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE)’s ’Vera’ initiative — a workshop series named after

by HESA shows that 81 per cent of those studying engineering and technology degrees were male, while women made up just 16 per cent of engineering and technology graduates in 2018/19. When considering steps that could be taken, Hall gave the example of Bristol University which she explained had been looking at adjusting qualifying criteria for its engineering course and removing physics as a prerequisite due to the subject’s low level of female students.

Engineering for equality Proactive approaches to STEM equality aim to redress imbalances in education and the workplace WRITTEN BY Melissa Bradshaw

Sweden’s first female engineer

a little longer so that everyone

the industrial design industry.

Vera Sandberg. The workshops were established in 2019 across 13 Swedish universities, but Sultan’s

can choose by themselves — not [according to] societal pressures and prejudice.”

Three quarters of the experts on KD’s XXEquals team are women, working alongside men to deliver

at every stage including within teaching staff at universities, Hall added, as well as within the

findings inspired Volvo CE and partner Mälardalen University to conduct the sessions for girls of a

Merle Hall, CEO of Bristolbased product design company Kinneir Dufort, agrees that the

an ‘empathetic, intuitive approach’ to product design with the needs of women considered — something

recruitment process for companies taking on graduates in particular. “I’d really encourage people to

younger age. Anna Sannö, research strategy

way we communicate both in educational and industrial settings

that, Hall pointed out, is often neglected.

think about how they can make these posts more attractive, get

manager at Volvo CE and one of the initiative’s co-managers, said

is crucial to reversing what is clearly a deeply entrenched,

“There’s a huge amount of products that need to be

women in your team involved in the recruitment process … and

that despite progress, engineering as a profession is still ‘invisible’ for many girls. “I think it’s an

systemic issue. The agency — of which 50 per cent of the leadership team is

multifunctional across different genders, and because of the way that design teams are structured,

think about how you’re going to invest in people.” “Our overarching objective is to

important message just to make sure that they feel included from the beginning,” she said.

female — has launched XXEquals, an initiative aiming to fulfil a need for improved gender balance in

there often isn’t the impetus to ensure that testing properly occurs throughout the process,” Hall said.

make XXEquals obsolete, that we don’t need a female focused arm because ultimately every business

“You have to communicate to the girls in a way that actually

way that this is a career you can choose, and to open that door

ENGINEERING AS A PROFESSION IS STILL ‘INVISIBLE’ FOR MANY GIRLS. IT’S AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO MAKE THEM FEEL INCLUDED

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

12

promotes their interest in the subject … to encourage in a positive

Better representation is needed

is considering that … We’re just trying to create some actionable change rather than sitting around and talking about it. Hopefully we can encourage others to open up a conversation.”

Make smarter decisions Find out more at: smarter-decisions.co.uk

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VIEWPOINT

I

n years to come, if you live in East Anglia, you might find yourself travelling to the coast

Electric traction has huge advantages.  There is no need to transport the fuel used, saving

on a hydrogen powered train from say Norwich to Cromer,

space.  It is energy efficient.  For services where four or more trains

or Ipswich to Lowestoft.  It may feel quite futuristic, or you could enjoy being in the avant-garde

run per hour, it has a lower wholelife cost than either hydrogen or battery.  It is suitable for high-

of decarbonising our transport system. And you will certainly feel quite privileged, as it’s likely that the only other travellers who will be experiencing this mode of travel will be in rural Wales.  Why so?  Because hydrogen is likely to play an important, but rather niche, role in the decarbonisation of the UK’s rail network. Surface transport is currently the UK’s largest greenhouse gas emitting sector, with emissions broadly constant since 1990, while in the previously dominant sectors, industry and power, emissions have decreased dramatically.  Around 95% of these emissions come from cars, vans and HGVs, with rail contributing around 2%.  Given that rail is currently the only zero-carbon transport mode capable of moving both people and heavy goods, our first priority should be so called ’modal shift’ – getting people and freight off our roads and onto trains. Let’s say we have taken the

NICHOLAS HILL

Why hydrogen trains will be a rare sight in the UK

speed services and for freight. Electrification’s biggest drawback is installation cost, which ranges from £1m to £2.5m per track km.  The costs are at the high end where headroom is limited in existing bridges and tunnels and there is not enough clearance for the overhead lines and also where site access is difficult.  Not surprisingly, getting the per km cost of track electrification down is

and the UK.  A typical train would have hydrogen fuel tanks – a 350bar pressure vessel – a hydrogen fuel cell to generate electricity and a traction converter to power the motors.  It would likely have chemical batteries and DC-DC

is that hydrogen trains require the development of large-scale electrolysis – most industrial hydrogen is currently produced by splitting methane into hydrogen and carbon dioxide, which does nothing for decarbonisation.  And

a major enabler for decarbonisation and is a topic commanding a lot of attention. Balancing all the pros and cons, Network Rail concludes that a decarbonised railway is in effect an electrified railway, with small but important contributions from hydrogen and battery traction.  This is the long-term view of course, and hydrogen may well have an important interim role in removing Diesel trains from service quickly until such time as the electrification programme is

Hydrogen will play an important, but niche, role in the decarbonisation of the UK’s rail network writes Plextek CEO Nicholas Hill.

converters to provide energy for

finally, a hydrogen train using

complete.  In the end, hydrogen

necessary actions on modal shift; how do we reduce the carbon footprint of rail? The UK

peak demand during acceleration and as a store for regenerative braking.  The combustion product

electrolysed fuel requires three times as much electrical energy as an equivalent electric train

will find a home, providing low speed passenger services on quiet, rural lines with low traffic

rail network lags behind some other countries in electrification, which currently stands at 38% of

from the fuel cell would be water, so there are no carbon emissions from the train itself.

for a given number of journeys, thanks to the combined losses in electrolysis, fuel compression and

volumes, or where electrification is particularly expensive to implement.

track kms.  Non-electrified track currently requires Diesel traction,

With the exception of the need for special storage and refuelling

fuel cells.  And the impact of that is the need for three times as much

Which takes us back to the coastline of Norfolk and Suffolk,

which accounts for the bulk of rail’s ‘tailpipe’ carbon footprint. 

facilities, hydrogen trains look like a fairly straightforward

renewable plant. As a consequence, Network

which is one of the two areas in the UK where Network Rail envisages

As the renewables content of our electricity network gradually expands, the contribution from

replacement for Diesel, running on standard, non-electrified track.  So why did I suggest they would be a

Rail’s Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy recommends that the non-electrified parts

significant take up of hydrogen trains.  Personally, I look forward to the prospect of a relaxed journey

electric traction diminishes – reducing to zero once all electricity is renewably sourced.

rare sight in the UK? Firstly, hydrogen storage is bulky. Even at 350bar, the volume

of the network are converted as follows: to electric traction (85%), to hydrogen traction (8%) and to

through the beautiful countryside of this area, in a quiet, emissionfree train powered by a technology

So, how do we get rid of all those Diesel trains? One of the

of fuel needed is eight times that of Diesel.  This is a particular problem

battery traction (5%), calculated by track km.  If you consider that

that still has something of a ‘space age’ feel to it.

technologies under consideration is hydrogen, with multiple units

for long range or freight services.  Secondly, hydrogen is not likely to

the hydrogen and battery routes are also the least busy routes, the

already in service in Germany and trials underway in the Netherlands

be suitable for high-speed services, those over 90mph.  Another factor

proportion of hydrogen journeys is smaller still.

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

14

Nicholas Hill is CEO of design and innovation technology consultancy Plextek.

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TALKING Mailbox POINT

LOFTY AMBITIONS Our April issue’s feature on Hybrid Air Vehicles’ plans to decarbonise regional transport attracted a largely enthusiastic response from readers

Kudos to Mike and the entire HAV team for patiently persisting with development of this technology, despite set-backs, which are inevitable in such pursuits. Hybrid Airships are the future of regional air transportation, and we hope to see them flying around with passengers in our lifetime ! There are, and will always be, design challenges and questions and doubts, but I firmly believe that “the person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person attempting to do it”. Good luck to the HAV team ! Prof. Rajkumar S. Pant 

Well done to you Mike Durham, for having the tenacity to pursue this technology, and yes agree, why is the comparison to the Hindenburg used, it’s not even

unfortunate, and I think avoidable, incident at Cardington. I really do hope that they can recover from this as I believe there are several markets they can fulfil such as:

I would like to hear how they have addressed some of the obvious issues/challenges with this technology. How does it perform in wind,

like for like, using hydrogen is

Heavy Air Transport, Mountain

what is the limiting wind speeds

idea of using an H2 fuel cell to

always going to present a fire risk no matter how it’s ‘bagged’ never mind the leakage problems

rescue, Marine rescue, Tourism, and Forrest fire-fighting. These are just some of the things of the top

for flight ? How have they addressed tethering, has that moved on from

power it. H2FC power trains seem to be gaining traction (NPI!) in many areas of transport – rail

associated with this gas. I come from an oil and gas working background but recognise

of my head, there would be thousands more ideas coming from many different sectors but

trailing ropes ? How many passengers can it carry – impacts ticket prices for

particularly in the UK – but no-one appears to fully understand the raft of problems that are going to

it’s on its way out and alternative energy sources becoming urgently

they need to develop a range of sizes for the different needs and

Joe Public ? Look forward to seeing this

make it simply impractical for most if not all of them. These are

required. Wish you good luck and look

very powerful, quiet and highly maneuverable propulsion and

moving forward. Another Steve

fundamental problems that no amount of talent, time or money

forward to the first flight of your electric motored Airlander. Geoffrey Brown 

positioning fans to go with it. Michael Libman

I am very concerned about the

in HAV, I have followed them

will overcome, mainly based simply on the Laws of Physics. So many organisations – most with

I’ve always thought it a shame that lighter than air aircraft

What of the great visual impact of traveling slower and lower over beautiful landscape?

closely. Despite the setbacks, I truly believe that they will become a common sight in our skies. Early

far greater resources than HAV – have already tried and failed. Scania (trucks) are the latest to

disappeared from the world shortly after the Hindenburg and was overjoyed to hear about the

And what of the ability to lower passengers onto isolated locations for first-hand experiences? To me,

passenger flights will probably be for the wealthy, but in time the greater public will be able to enjoy

conclude it just doesn’t add up, at least not when compared to a full

developments at HAV when the news first came out, only to be

that’s the draw! And yet it was missed in the article.

the slower but more relaxing form of air travel.

disappointed again with that

Randy Dutton 

John Farquhar-Atkins

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

As an early (modest) investor

16

electric drive train, which is where they clearly see the immediate future Martin Winlow 

HAVE YOUR SAY

share your opinions at www.theengineer.co.uk

Our recent story on Carbon Air’s activated carbon suspension attracted a number of comments

conventional designs? Evil Villain 

The potential use of hydrogen to decarbonise homes, transport and industry is a divisive issue for readers of The Engineer

Have they tried oxygen-enriched air or even pure oxygen? N2 and O2 have quite different adsorption

The hydrogen economy concept has been around for

characteristics onto activated carbon (in fact, it’s the basis of some

many years and has never made economic or technical sense, as

Some excellent innovation here. How about some more detail about the actual characteristics? Some data plots illustrating linearity over more

What is the biggest barrier to production? in a nutshell: the HR department:– hiring the wrong staff and missing out on the “ORIGINAL” thinking talent. End up getting a team singing , sooner or later, NOT, from the same hymn sheet. Saighdear

commercial air separation technologies)

it still does not: it can only be justified by eco-madness. The hydrogen economy is a good

Trevor 

example of the axiom “Those who the gods wish to destroy they first drive mad”. Alternative form for Boris: “Quos Deus vult perdere prius dementat”. Jack Broughton

Not sure pure oxygen and high porosity carbon is a good idea. Souds like a recipe for making lots of CO2 and heat very quickly. Steve Boyd 

Interesting technology but slightly depressing that the “ultimate ambition is to sell the company…” Why is that so often the case in the UK?

Instead of carrying pure hydrogen as a gas, another hydrogen carrier is ammonia which is easy to store as a liquid at 20 degrees C at more than 8.2 bar. Liquid ammonia

The technology now exists and is reasonably mature, that enables liquid hydrogen to be stored safely, the option to store hydrogen at greater pressures than 700 bar safely is also available.

Charlyfarly

has a higher energy density

Indeed The Engineer has covered a

“Every now and again The Engineer hears

than liquid hydrogen and can power a fuel cell. It is therefore a good candidate for

number of articles on companies that are doing just that. The energy density is available without

energy transport for rail David Dundas

needing vast volumes of storage as suggested in some of the comments. Green hydrogen is

about a technology that triggers a “why did no one think of this before?” moment.” Sorry, but this is not

being produced in ever greater quantities due to wind, solar and

one of them, as it only provides another

Hydrogen systems have a poor “round trip” efficiency. Thus it is important to consider the carbon

option to vary the spring ‘rate’ and damping, which

nuclear technology advancements so please before falling back on the

emissions all the way from the

old adage the hydrogen economy is too expensive, complicated and beyond our engineering skills look

becomes irrelevant, once you discard the conventional ‘wisdom’ of

source of the energy. It is very easy to build a system that looks green but in reality emits more carbon

at what is already being done in other countries. It’s about time we stood up to the plate and showed

designing suspension on the discredited ‘one-springfor-each-wheel’ principle.

than the original system In this case the comparison should be with a compressed natural gas

the rest of the world that Britain still has good engineers and

David Smart

burning engine. I hope Alstom will be able to give this information. Clive Davis

17

inventive thinkers and show the nae sayers not only it can be done but is being done. Nigel Atkinson

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

NOVEMBER Renewables 2019

HIGH DENSITY HYDRO

A UK-led innovation in energy storage could make it easier and cheaper to roll out grid - balancing pumped hydro schemes writes David Fowler

A

new system based on pumped hydro generation

for high heads of water to generate the necessary power it was

promises to vastly increase capacity to store and release energy generated from renewables,

limited to mountainous sites in Scotland and Wales. The need to store energy is becoming more acute with the

providing a more environmentally-friendly alternative to batteries.

growth of renewables, especially wind power, because of their intermittent nature, and the problem will be compounded by

The breakthrough in the system being developed by start-up RheEnergise is a bespoke fluid with a density 2.5 times that of water. The company says this opens

growth in the numbers of electric vehicles and heat pumps for domestic heating. BloombergNEF predicts a hundredfold growth in global energy storage between 2018 and 2040.

up a huge number of potentially suitable sites. Electricity supply has always faced the problem of dealing with a mismatch between supply and demand. In the past huge

Methods of storing energy for recovery later include batteries, capacitors, compressed air and many others. RheEnergise believes its High-Density Hydro system will be

coal-fired power stations were designed to run for long periods at a constant output and could not easily respond to peaks and

cheaper, relatively straightforward to construct, and with low environmental impact.

troughs in demand. One method devised to address this was pumped hydro storage, in which water is pumped into a dam at

The advantage of the new high-density fluid, known as R-19, is that the vertical elevation needed to generate a given level of

off-peak times, and then released to generate hydro-electricity and balance the grid when needed. But because of the need

power is reduced by a factor of 2.5. So is the volume of storage, reducing construction costs. Pipe sizes can also be reduced.

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

18

Read more

technology news www.theengineer.co.uk

The Dinorwig power station in Snowdonia, Wales is currently the UK’s largest pumped hydro facility. Image: stock.adobe.com

energy at Exeter University, is also chief innovation officer at RheEnergise. He says that the project was sparked off by the university researching a number of storage options. Pumped storage had the advantage of low embodied energy and didn’t require scarce minerals, but was limited by the availability of sites. Stephen Crosher, founder of RheEnergise, raised the question of whether there were high density fluids that could be used. The two had worked together when Cochrane led the development of the Quiet Revolution QR5 vertical axis wind turbine. With a grant from Innovate UK the university’s Renewable Energy Group, assisted by Camborne School of Mines, began exploring the feasibility of a number of possible fluids. The R-19 fluid was developed and its performance proved in nine months. Producing a fluid significantly denser than water at room temperature is a considerable challenge – the maximum density of a solution of common salt, for example, is around 1200kg/m3. The company has revealed only limited details of R-19, saying only that it is a finely divided mineral suspended in water, easy to manufacture and safe for the environment.

The system could be installed with a typical head of 2-300m or less, making hundreds of moderately-sized hillside sites potentially suitable. HD Hydro would operate as a closed system, with storage tanks at the top and bottom, which could be buried underground or in the hillside. The tanks would be connected by underground supply pipes or penstocks, feeding reversible pump/turbines to generate power. A typical plant would

Illustration comparing a HD Hydro site (in the foreground) with a traditional pumped hydro site in the mountains. Image: RheEnergise

provide 10MW to 50MW power and have two to 10 hours of storage capacity. It would occupy about 1ha, it is estimated.

Cochrane said: “The density of the fluid could be increased further, but this has consequences for viscosity.” With the current fluid the team has found a “sweet spot” where high density is combined with viscosity only fractionally greater than water. The fluid appears to cause only low levels of abrasion to the pump/turbines, though this is being studied further. Settlement of the mineral is also not expected to be a problem. “We’re confident it will stay in suspension for a good period of time, greater than the length of our cycles,” Cochrane said. He added that another advantage of the dense fluid was that “we

Prof Richard Cochrane, associate professor for renewable

19

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

Renewables

need to gain the necessary consents, the main environmental impact would occur during the construction phase. Cochrane said that if the storage tanks were buried, visual impact would be reduced, but there would be significant excavation and disposal of spoil, with the possibility of finding archaeological remains. After that the impact would be very low, he said. RheEnergise believes that HD Hydro will be highly costeffective. It expects the levellised cost of energy, the standard method for comparing the cost per MWh of electricity from different sources over the lifetime of the plant, to be 40% below that of a lithium-ion battery project. Whereas batteries have significant end-of-life disposal costs as well as the need to extract lithium at the outset, HD Hydro projects will have few end-of-life liabilities and zero emissions in operation, the company says. Cochrane added that there is likely to be space in the market for several different storage modes operating on a range of timeframes. There would be a role for batteries for short-term storage where there is a need for high power but low total energy, for example in grid management.

can get the same power out of a smaller turbine”. The company predicts an efficiency of 83% for the storage and regeneration cycle, and there are no parasitic loads, such as the need to cool batteries. “We’re confident of getting at least 83%, and working to try to improve on that,” said Cochrane. The reversible pump/turbines are another area of innovation. “We’ve done computational fluid dynamics and

Schematics contrasting conventional hydro with HD Hydro. Image: Rhe Energise

Batteries would be less suitable for longer-term storage or larger amounts of energy. “We think we can do both – we can certainly do fast response, but also have capacity for longerterm storage as well,” Cochrane said. Applications for HD Hydro could include therefore include grid balancing but it could also help a wind farm to maximise income, by storing energy when the pool price of electricity was low but the wind was strong, generating electricity later to sell when the price rises. A mapping study using GIS analysis has identified 9,500 potentially suitable sites in the UK alone, with around 700 estimated to have a 70% chance of development success. The sites of most interest are mostly rural, with good grid connections. Among possible sites discovered is a wind farm in an old quarry, where the existing landscape is well suited to the requirements of an HD Hydro installation. The company has raised £823,000 on crowdfunding site Crowdcube to take development to the next stage. It is exploring a number of possible locations for a large-scale

physical testing to optimise the geometry of the turbine for the heavier fluid,” Cochrane said. “We’re pleased with the performance but we think there’s still some improvement

demonstration of a fully operating system. “We very much want to move that forward, to have an operating system that is really demonstrating the final project. It won’t be perhaps

to be gained from further iterations.” TÜV SÜD NEL in East Kilbride supported the CFD analysis.

the scale that we want to get to ultimately, but it will still be a substantial scale project,” said Cochrane.

An unexpected partner in the project is Eminox, best known as supplier of emission control systems to the

The sites being considered offer scope to demonstrate different balances between power versus total energy;

automotive industry, which announced in February that it is developing the control system for the project. This will manage the flow of the fluid between tanks, the pump turbine

meanwhile work continues on pump and turbine optimisation and improving full-cycle efficiency. The company is also keen to look into prefabricating the system, for example with

and generator operations, and will interface with the local electricity grid to manage power supply. “Eminox are using their experience in integrating sensors, monitoring pumps,

penstocks and turbines supplied as a single unit. HD Hydro schemes would be relatively quick to build and it is expected the demonstrator could be operational quite

mixtures and so on. They were keen to apply these skills to a new area,” said Cochrane.

soon. “We very much hope to get something operating in 12-18 months,” said Cochrane. The initial demonstrator may have an

Separately, work is under way to develop a way of monitoring the fluid to make sure there is no settlement, not a

output of 500kW but the company hopes to be able to produce a 5MW system soon afterwards. “We’re hoping to be able to do

straightforward task, Cochrane says. Regarding construction of an HD Hydro project and the

that within a few years, maybe three years or so,” Cochrane said.

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

20

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THE ROAD AHEAD

Following a rollercoaster six years in the top job at Aston Martin, Andy Palmer’s focus has shifted once again to electric vehicles. Andrew Wade reports.

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

22

INTERVIEW Andy Palmer

D

r Andy Palmer is a busy man. Since departing as CEO of Aston Martin in May 2020, the engineer and automotive

Originally an advisor, his more prominent role has coincided with the company undertaking its Series B round of fundraising.

through. Shortly after we spoke, plans for the UK’s first gigafactory at Blyth Power Station received a boost after the Northumberland site’s

executive has turned once again to electric vehicles, taking up a torch he

“When I was doing my research, you can see where the growth is, and it’s in that so-called

sale to Britishvolt was confirmed. Production is set to begin in 2023, with around 300,000 EV

himself helped ignite when leading Nissan’s development of the Leaf. Multiple new roles in the EV sector are keeping Palmer on his

last mile,” said Palmer. “That includes of course the vans and buses that get satisfied through Switch, but there was also this e-bike and

batteries produced annually by 2027. The necessity for UK gigafactories can be traced all the way back to Palmer’s time at

toes, but he was still kind enough to make time for a follow-up interview after the recording of

e-scooter (segment).” Between Hilo and Switch, Palmer’s

Nissan where he successfully launched the Leaf during a 23-year stint at the Japanese carmaker.

our initial conversation went awry. “Coming out of Aston I was obviously looking

commitment to e-mobility in the UK can hardly be questioned, but he worries for the future of

First seen in 2010, the Leaf was the world’s alltime best-selling EV until early 2020, when it

for what to do next,” Palmer explained to The Engineer, for the second time in a week. “I harkened back to my experience at Nissan and

the sector – and UK automotive as whole – if domestic gigafactories don’t get off the ground, and soon.

was overtaken by Tesla’s Model 3. “One of our competitors said it would be better to take the billions you’re spending on

the creation of the Leaf. I started that project 15 years ago and it was all around zero emissions,

“It’s vital. In fact, not having it is existential to UK (automotive) manufacturing,” he said.

that and just dump it in the Pacific,” said Palmer. “For the first two or three years, you could add

and I wanted to fast forward to what would be relevant today. So everything I’m doing today, one way or another, is basically orientated

“Batteries are bulky, heavy and expensive. So you don’t want to move them very far….you’ve got to keep the supply chain short.”

up everybody else (producing EVs), and Leaf had better sales than them all together. “I look at where the market is now and think

around net zero carbon.” One of the primary ventures demanding his attention is Switch Mobility, an electric bus and commercial vehicle company formed from an amalgamation of Yorkshire-based Optare, where Palmer was previously chairman, and Ashok Leyland EV, where he has served in a nonexecutive role since 2015. “Basically it’s a new company evolving from two entities, bearing the benefit of ten years of their operations, but creating a global unicorn (privately held startup valued in excess of $1bn), and that’s kind of exciting,” said Palmer, who is now chairman at Switch. In October 2020, Palmer was also appointed non-executive vice-chairman of InoBat Auto,

what Nissan could have been if it had had the courage to continue on the path…but because it hasn’t continued to invest and own that space… in my humble opinion it has lost that leadership position, and not to the betterment of the company.” Leaving Nissan for the top job at Aston Martin surprised some, the scale of the task at the struggling British marque bearing many hallmarks of a poisoned chalice. After taking over in late 2014, Palmer helped return Aston to profit, launching four new core models during his tenure as well as overseeing the development of the Valkyrie hypercar. But a stormy IPO in 2019, compounded by tough trading conditions With EV legislation forcing the hands of

and the COVID impact, ultimately led to Palmer

a Slovakian battery manufacturer using AI to create customised EV batteries. The company has plans for a €1bn gigafactory in Eastern

carmakers on their future platforms, traditional manufacturing inertia is not at play to the same degree as in the past, according to Palmer.

being ousted in May 2020. “I don’t regret at all my period at Aston,” he said. “I’d point to a company I inherited that

Europe that it says will produce 240,000 bespoke batteries by 2025. “I wanted a battery company within my

Wholesale electrification will give OEMs the opportunity to relocate car plants, and they will be highly incentivised to co-locate vehicle

was three months from going bankrupt, which had a valuation of £420m. Today it’s £2bn. I was able to renew its sportscar portfolio, get the

portfolio,” said Palmer. “I chose InoBat because it has access to the IP of a company called

production alongside battery manufacture. “The difference here is that all platforms

DBX (SUV crossover) to market, and basically get the Valkyrie developed. And I learned a lot.

Wildcat, a Californian company, whereas most of the European battery entities are licensing

have to move to electric, and that means that all platforms are new, which is why the industry

As I move into the third period of my career, the twilight of my career, which is around net

technology from the Koreans or the Chinese. “We’ve done all the fundraising for creating the R&D facility…we’re starting on the funding

is taking such a profit hit,” said Palmer. “A new platform gives you the opportunity to look at your manufacturing footprint…and you’re going

zero, those lessons around aerodynamics and reduction of drag, lightweighting, the use of aluminium and carbon, those really helped me.

of the pilot line and then eventually the gigafactories. When I was at Nissan, I was responsible for building three gigafactories, so

to want that footprint close to your gigafactories “It’s a little bit of the tail wagging the dog, if you like, but it is what it is. And that’s why

“Are there some things I would have done differently? Yes. Things around the IPO, but you have to understand the whole history and why

the next one - which is likely to be in central Eastern Europe - will be my fourth, and

it’s really important that we get a gigafactory footprint in the UK to help define those future

it happened. And I’m really happy that what I’ve left behind is a company with a strong portfolio.

hopefully there’s a fifth and a sixth.” Covering yet more of the EV market, Palmer

platform decisions.” Palmer has been beating this drum loudly for

“The six years of my life at Aston don’t define the 41 years of my career, and basically what I’m

has also taken on a non-executive director role at Hilo, a UK-based electric scooter company.

some time now in his capacity as a government advisor, and it appears the message is getting

trying to do is use that whole 41 years to help in this net zero era.”

23

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

NOVEMBER space science 2019

Touchdown on Mars A state-of-the-art Thales laser is performing a vital function onboard NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover. Melissa Bradshaw reports

[credit] NASA/JPL-Caltech

O

n 18 February 2021, the world watched with fascination as

scientists with evidence that the area was once filled with water, home to an ancient river delta believed to have long ago

SuperCam is being used to provide imaging, chemical composition analysis

NASA’s Perseverance Rover landed successfully on the

been a habitable environment. By analysing samples of rock and soil in the exploration site that are more than three billion

and mineralogy from a distance of up to 6 metres away. This is being achieved

surface of Mars following its launch in July 2020 from Cape Canaveral. Captured by the rover’s

years old, scientists are now delving deeper into whether life really did exist at some point on the Red Planet — and what that may have looked like.

through use of a high-power laser, designed and developed by a team of experts from aerospace and defence

onboard cameras (of which there are 23 in total) making its descent to the 28 mile wide Jezero Crater, located just

Instrumental to the Mars 2020 mission, and to the 2.1m tall 1,025kg Perseverance rover, is the SuperCam. One of seven instruments onboard, the system has been described as

tech giant Thales, led by the group’s managing director of laser solutions, Franck Leibreich.

north of the Martian equator in the Isidis Planitia region, Perseverance is

the ‘eyes of the rover’. Featuring a combination of advanced technologies, its development has involved close collaboration

The laser for the SuperCam instrument was developed through a

now on a mission to explore the site for the next two years seeking signs of

between Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) in the US and the IRAP astrophysics and planetology research institute

partnership between Thales’ team in Paris and CNES, the National Centre for

previous microbial life. Earlier studies have provided

in France, alongside contributions from the universities of Hawaii and Valladolid, Spain.

Space Studies based in Toulouse, France. It forms part of the device’s ‘Mast Unit’,

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

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technology news www.theengineer.co.uk

located at the top of the rover’s mast. Thales’ partnership with CNES is a long-standing one — the laser developed

to provide structural and chemical information of a substancegives a better idea of the presence of links between different atoms, Leibreich added, allowing for presence of molecules

components of the lasers were selected carefully to provide the range of temperatures that were needed.

for SuperCam has joined another Thales laser on Mars, which has been

which are representative of traces of life to be detected. The green laser beam excites the chemical bonds in samples,

It is the first time that Raman spectroscopy has been demonstrated

up and running since the launch of the Curiosity rover in August 2012. This laser formed part of the ChemCam

and produces a different signal according to their various linked components. The technique can also be used to induce fluorescence in mineral and organic compounds.

on Mars, and as of Tuesday 23 March, Leibreich confirmed that the process had been tested and was running smoothly as

instrument, which has already fired more than 855,000 shots onboard

“We couldn’t afford extra weight, so we had to reduce the size of the red laser by 30 per cent,” Leibreich said, highlighting

part of the instrument with around 620 shots of the lasers already achieved.

Curiosity over the last nine years, helping to provide crucial information

some of the challenges in upgrading the laser from that of the ChemCam. Optics and electronics were used to keep the

The goal now is for the rover to select rock and sediment samples from Mars

about the signs of previous life on Mars. Thales began work on the SuperCam project with CNES in 2013 to develop

green and red lasers easily interchangeable on the same axis, and thermal shock testing was conducted to ensure that the laser could survive both the rocket launch and landing. All

and store them in its sample caching system, before later depositing them in a location where they can be retrieved

for Thales SuperCam a more advanced and powerful laser which would aim to take the exploration to the next level. “We were working very closely with them since the beginning, and we had everything designed and tested as it was required by the specification of CNES and the rover itself,” Leibreich said. “The main difference between the ChemCam and the SuperCam was that ChemCam was designed to use only one wavelength — a red wavelength, used for LIBS (Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy).” Leibreich explained that the LIBS process works by launching the infrared laser beam at a distance to create a plasma on the rocks. Using a telescope photons emitted from the rocks during this process can be analysed for the presence of spectral signatures of different components like carbon and nitrogen. “This [aimed] to understand if it was at one point habitable,” Leibreich said, explaining the importance of the LIBS process in discovering that ancient Mars could once have supported microbial life. “What CNES asked us to do was to go one step further and in the same volume, and the same weight, we were tasked to include two lasers in one. Two wavelengths, one red micro beam, and a visible green one which would be used to do Raman spectroscopy.” Raman spectroscopy -scattered light

An illustration of SuperCam’s laser [credit] NASA

The Properties of Perseverance In addition to the SuperCam, there are six other key instruments onboard the Perseverance rover, each with their own important role to play. These are: MastCam-Z: an advanced camera system with panoramic and stereoscopic imaging and zoom capabilities Planetary Instrument for X-Ray Lithochemistry (PIXL): an X-Ray fluorescence spectrometer and high-res imager to map fine-scale elemental composition of Martian surface materials Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals (SHERLOC): a spectrometer that uses a UV laser to map mineralogy and organic compounds, includes a high-res colour camera for microscopic imaging The Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilisation Experiment (MOXIE): a technology demonstration to provide oxygen from Martian atmospheric CO2 Mars Environmental Dynamics Analyser (MEDA): a set of sensors that will provide measurements of temperature, wind speed and direction, pressure, relative humidity and dust size and shape The Radar Imager for Mars’ Subsurface Experiment (RIMFAX): a groundpenetrating radar to provide centimetre-scale resolution of the subsurface’s geologic structure Source: NASA

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SuperCam’s Mast Unit, where Thales’ laser is installed [credit] NASA/JPL-Caltech by a Mars Sample Return mission and eventually brought backto Earth. By using SuperCam and its lasers, more precise selections are able to be made based on which rocks will be most interesting and suitable for further analysis. SuperCam also includes a microphone, which is able to record the sounds of the laser hitting its targets as well as of the wind. Sound clips from the instrument have been made available to listen to via YouTube alongside sound captured from another microphone onboard affixed to the side of the rover, which was able to capture the sounds of the rover landing for the first time. In addition to allowing for a better understanding of the geology and climate of Mars, the mission will allow us to know more about planet Earth and aims to eventually arm astronauts with the knowledge and technologies required for human exploration of the Red Planet.

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

Cover feature space technology

WASTE OF SPACE Dealing with the growing problem of space debris is vital for the continuation of the satellite industry and crewed spaceflight. Andrew Wade reports.

S

atellite technology has come a long way since the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1 in 1957, its simple, hypnotic radio signal belying the monumental changes it would herald. In

the intervening years, Earth’s inhabitants have come to rely on satellites for everything from TV broadcasting and GPS to weather forecasting and monitoring climate change. Naturally, this dependence has led to proliferation, and the skies above have become ever more densely packed with chunks of metal orbiting the planet at enormous speeds. Sometimes, they collide. One of the biggest orbital impacts to date took place in 2009 when the defunct Russian satellite Kosmos-2251 collided with Iridium 33. The relative speed of impact was estimated at 11.7 km/s or about 42,120 km/h, two large objects violently transformed into thousands of small ones in an instant. For the space industry, it’s the stuff of nightmares. “Some people say we’ve already triggered what’s called the Kessler syndrome, where a NASA scientist predicted that, as debris collided, this would increase more and more…and the collisions become more frequent,” said John Auburn, the UK managing director and chief commercial officer of satellite removal company Astroscale. This feedback loop, where space debris sets off an irreversible cascade of orbital collisions, is a very real possibility and may – as Auburn alludes to - already be in its primordial stages. Not only could it lead to low Earth orbit (LEO) becoming a wasteland of hurtling junk where satellites can no longer operate, it could also make space travel exponentially more dangerous, theoretically trapping us on Earth in a spherical, atomised cage of our own failed technology. With stakes this high, it’s no surprise that the space community has been searching for solutions, albeit largely in the realm of the hypothetical until now. Nets, lasers, and harpoons have all been put forward as ideas to capture or destroy space debris, though actual testing in orbit has been limited in both scope and success. Astroscale is one of several private companies looking to change that. Headquartered in Japan but with offices in the UK and elsewhere around the world, Astroscale launched its ELSA-d (End-of-Life Services by Astroscale demonstration) mission from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan in March 2021. Over the coming months the spacecraft will seek to showcase the key phases of an Active Debris Removal mission, performing complex rendezvous operations to demonstrate the capture of a target satellite using magnetic docking plates. “What we have is a servicer and a client that are actually docked together

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

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May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

Cover feature space technology

when we launch,” explained Dr Jason Forshaw, head of Future Business (Europe) at Astroscale. “The servicer is the satellite doing the rendezvous, the complicated manoeuvres. It’s

objects. For smaller pieces, it’s equipped with Whipple Shields to disperse the huge quantities of energy carried by even tiny fragments at such high speeds. But anything above 1cm could

approximately 3.5m wide with the deployed solar panels and about 175kg. The client (17kg) is the one being captured, and

potentially penetrate these shields, and this constant threat is something the station’s crew are all too aware of. Reducing

this of course is simulating space debris.” The first manoeuvre ELSA-d will perform will be a nontumbling docking demonstration, where client and server

that threat is essential for the future of crewed spaceflight. “The scientists believe if we bring down five large objects a year, that will stabilise the situation,” said Auburn. “The threat

will separate, then rendezvous and dock in a straight line in what should be a relatively straightforward procedure.

is the smaller objects, but it’s the large objects that create that small debris.”

The next phase will see both satellites separate once again, with the servicer then performing a fly around check-out

To this end, Astroscale is working with JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) with a view to launching a

demonstration to analyse the client and formulate the best approach to docking. As the target will be tumbling, this is a much more complex operation, one with which ELSA-d is

mission next year that will investigate the potential to remove an existing upper stage from a previously launched rocket. “It will do inspection, it will work out how the rocket body

equipped with cameras, laser rangers and radars to perform. A third – even more complex - demo, known as client

is tumbling. Is it secure? Has it broken up?” Auburn said. “This is not prepared with any docking plate, obviously, and we’ll be

discovery, involves the servicer intentionally losing the client, then flying a ‘walking safety ellipse’ in order to rediscover and then recapture it. Assuming everything goes to plan, the

bidding this year to go and actually bring that down. “That will require some kind of robotic arm that you lock on, and we are developing that in Japan with other companies.

servicer and client will then de-orbit, burning up in Earth’s atmosphere and accounting for the first couple of drops in the ocean of space debris above us. Mission control will be run from the new In-Orbit Servicing Control Centre (IOCC, pictured below right) at the Satellite Applications Catapult in Oxfordshire’s Harwell Campus. “It will be the first mission to be controlled from this centre, and this IOCC is going to be the world’s first mission control centre dedicated to in-orbit servicing missions,”

Artist’s imprssion of the ELSA-d servicer (left) docking with the client

said Forshaw. Astroscale’s hope is that its docking plate technology, or an alternative globally accepted standard, can be adopted by the entire space industry and rolled out across all new satellites and spacecraft. While this is an important step and can help futureproof the estimated 10,000 satellites expected to launch over the course of the next decade, it does little to address the problem of existing space debris. “For Astroscale’s mission we need to do two things,” said Chris Walker, principal spacecraft operations engineer at Astroscale UK. “Keep the amount of debris that we’re adding to space to a minimum, and secondly, if we can, we want to bring down some of the big pieces of debris that are already up there.” Since Sputnik’s launch, NASA and others have used a variety of methods to detect and track manmade objects in space, from satellites and spacecraft to larger pieces of debris. According to the United States Space Surveillance Network, there are approximately 20,000 such objects currently being tracked, as well as around 34,000 pieces of debris larger than 10cm that are not actively monitored, and an estimated 128 million pieces under 1cm. On average, the ISS has to make about one manoeuvre a year to reduce the odds of an orbital impact with tracked

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

28

And that could be a capability we could bring to the UK.” Astroscale is also working on ELSA-M (the M stands for multi-client), the successor to the recently launched demonstrator, which will be capable of de-orbiting three or four large pieces of debris per mission. If successful, just a few ELSA-M missions per year could help keep the debris problem from escalating, and over time gradually make space a safer place for both astronauts and satellites. For the space industry, it’s existential, in every sense of the word.

Q&A NOVEMBER BUSINESS Feature -NEWS 2019 training

Q&A:

Digital upskilling Experts from Enginuity and AMRC discuss the ways in which training providers are responding to manufacturing’s shifting skills landscape andrew wade reports

O

How has the COVID pandemic helped or hindered training at/ with your organisation? RD: The pandemic has both helped and hindered skills

ver the past 12 months, almost every aspect of industry has been disrupted in one way or another, as COVID has reshaped practices and forced

organisations to think outside of the box. From supply chain workarounds to an explosion in remote working, the landscape has shifted rapidly and, no doubt in some cases, permanently. Amidst the chaos, training is one area that has been dramatically affected, albeit perhaps somewhat under the radar. Digital upskilling was already a major challenge for the engineering sector and the extra strain brought by the pandemic has brought more uncertainty, but also new opportunities. The Engineer caught up with two leading organisations in UK engineering to find out how they’ve adapted over the past year.

The experts: Lucy Thompson, Chief Operating Officer for Enginuity Ryan Diver, Head of the Integrated Manufacturing Group (IMG) and Factory 2050, University of Sheffield Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC)

Digital skills seem more important than ever across all strands of engineering. What are the major challenges of digital upskilling as Industry 4.0 evolves? LT: There are a couple of big challenges in engineering,

development within the University of Sheffield AMRC. In the early stages of lockdown, staff were still transitioning to the ‘new normal’, and during this time they had time to devote to

Lucy Thompson Enginuity

Ryan Diver IMG, Factory 2050, AMRC The COVID pandemic has led to increased remote working and training

online training courses. However, as the ‘new normal’ turned into the ‘normal’, the appeal of online courses diminished and staff looked forward to peer group learning returning. It is felt by many that learning in a physical environment allows greater flexibility for non-linear learning. LT: Enginuity, using our unique blend of insight and data, developed a career converter to help engineers to fill critical vaccine manufacture roles – a model we are now looking to further develop. EAL, our specialist awarding organisation, has responded to centres’ needs by quickly reconfiguring how services such as End Point Assessment are delivered, changing delivery models to fit government and regulatory rules, and providing all the advice and support that their network of centres has needed to ensure disruption for learners has been minimised as far as possible. This means that as an upcoming EAL report on the ‘Covid year’ will show, EAL centres are feeling optimistic about the future.

but neither is insurmountable. Firstly, the apprenticeship and T Level system is at present geared up to meet current identified training needs, but technology moves so quickly that a programme could be obsolete by the time an individual has completed it. Secondly, the household names in engineering have already put in place their own Industry 4.0 training programmes but most engineers work for smaller companies, which are harder to reach. SMEs are key, Enginuity and other sector leaders have come together in a new National Manufacturing Skills Task Force, providing the strategic leadership needed to face these challenges head on. RD: The diversity of digital platforms and technologies appears to be rising at an exponential rate and while this increased diversity opens up a huge number of opportunities it also brings its own challenges. What digital skills should I be learning? And this is where a mindset change has to take place, rather than approaching digital upskilling as a technological challenge.

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May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

NOVEMBER 2019

Are there any new technologies or platforms that you are using/ hoping to use to upskill your teams or members? LT: We realised as Covid-19 spread that there would be a significant number of engineers who wanted or needed to upskill or reskill, as the pandemic would accelerate technological changes that were already taking place in engineering. That’s why we worked hard to develop and

Digital skills are an integral part of many engineering disciplines, including materials testing (Credit: University of Leeds)

bring forward the launch of our Engage platform for online learning in emerging technologies. We made Engage free to access and we sourced content from stakeholders across

found this very successful. Moving forward we expect the use of VR and Augmented Reality (AR) for learning in what we expect to be a new hybrid home/office normal.

What is the best piece of advice you can give to someone who is looking to create a digital upskilling programme within their organisation? LT: We know from our recent Disconnected report that three in five businesses expect their reliance on digital skills to grow in the next five years, so there really isn’t a better time than right

engineering, including a number of the largest employers. There are modules of varying lengths on 3D printing, artificial

now to start creating a digital upskilling programme. We would also say to companies of all sizes, in all parts of engineering,

intelligence and the Internet of Things, amongst others, and material to suit every level of expertise. We have also

that whatever the current digital skill levels of your workforce and however digital your current ways of working, Enginuity is

relaunched our award-winning Skills Miner game which unearths the hidden talent of our next generation of engineers, which has already reached thousands of young people – look

here to help you to find the right digital training for your needs. Technology is moving quickly, and we have the expertise and the insight to find the right path forward for your organisation.

out for our ‘Stackathon’ Competition this September!

RD: It has been observed that many digital programmes ,not

RD: For upskilling, with COVID we have had to adapt our training and collaborative working. Industry 4.0 combines

just upskilling, fail due to a lack of management buy-in. Therefore, it is critical to have board sponsorship. However,

conventional IT systems with Operational Technology (OT) devices that make purely online working very difficult. The adoption of Digital Twins that give a cyber physical

it doesn’t stop there, as digital upskilling needs to extend from the shop floor to the top floor. All levels within an organisation will be impacted by digital technologies and

representation, combined with Virtual Reality (VR) platforms, have allowed faster learning in the remote virtual

therefore an appropriate skills programme for each level needs to be implemented to enable the true potential of digital

environment. When combined with online learning we have

transformation to be revealed.

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

30

BUSINESS Sci-fi e NEWS ye

S

canning through last month’s issue, several

markets and an underclass of hustlers, scoundrels and

articles caught my eye. The first was about

smugglers taking advantage of the facility’s interstitial legal

second concerned the lighterthan-air blimps being developed by Hybrid Air Vehicles in the UK. As a science fiction writer, I immediately concatenated the two notions and began to imagine AI-controlled airships carrying passengers and cargo around the globe, plying their routes without need for human guidance. I was still pondering this idea when I came to an article about the Scandinavian container ship Yara Birkeland, which is the world’s

status. Would modern freeports attract such people? A thriving port would certainly need the

gareth L. POWELL

Logistical nightmares

How will automation affect global trade and travel? Science fiction author Gareth L. Powell takes a speculative look at recent developments

support systems provided by the hotel, food and leisure industries. Wherever wealth is generated, a secondary economy arises to provide for the workers and itinerant travellers. My science fiction brain pictures these places in a hundred years. While much of the country exists in agrarian poverty, these freeports are enclaves of prosperity, served by automated cargo systems that connect them to similar ports all over the world:

first battery-powered autonomous vessel. Automated logistics will load chemicals onto the ship before the vessel steers itself to a container port where yet more automated systems will unload it. Of course, this chimed with my notion of self-piloting airships, and I began to imagine an entire infrastructure in which machines harvest raw materials at one end, which are then shipped to automated factories, and the resulting products delivered without human intervention at

them to Paddington, from where they could catch an automated train to Heathrow, where they might board a passenger airship bound for New York… The final article that caught my eye concerned the developments of freeports in the UK, where the Chancellor recently announced the creation of eight such entities. He defined a freeport as ‘An area inside the UK geographically, but legally outside of the UK customs territory.’ This

become nodes in these imagined automated passenger and freight networks. Advocates imagine them becoming centres of innovation, with the economic ripples spreading out into the surrounding communities and attract people to live and work near the freeport zones—while critics worry they could become cut-off from the regions in which they sit, thriving whilst the rest of the country withers economically. I immediately imagined the

a global meta-nation of trade and travel freed from the states within whose borders they nominally sit. It sounds exciting, but with control of the ‘roads’ of this new empire, the freeports would be able to dictate terms to their hosts. If the government became too interfering, the ports could threaten to cut off their supplies of certain items, maybe even redirect them to other markets. In this way, the ports themselves could become the seats of political control, endorsing certain

any stage. You want more flat-pack sofas? The robots go out into the forest, cut down the trees and

means goods and raw materials can be imported, assembled and exported without paying domestic

famous freeports of the genre: Mos Eisley, Babylon 5, Deep Space Nine… They are portrayed as

parties or candidates in order to strengthen their own positions. That’s a hell of a setting for a

transfer the logs to a processing

duties or tax.

romantic, slightly disreputable

modern retelling of Casablanca.

places, with thriving black

But I wasn’t done yet. I found myself picturing a dystopia future scenario set a few years later,

ship, which delivers ready-cut pieces to a packaging plant that bundles them up and arranges

Freeports would naturally

for self-driving trucks, ships and airships to deliver them to stores around the world.

in which the human race had succumbed to a new, deadlier pandemic and our automated

Beyond that, the article on hydrogen-powered trains suggested

supply chains still rattled along oblivious of our demise, creating

such arrangements could also be provided for passengers. Trains,

and shipping goods no one would ever use; where empty buses and

after all, don’t have a lot of choice about their routes. All they need to do is follow the rails and not hit

trains still ran their scheduled services—at least until their batteries expired or their solar

anything. So, we could easily factor in a network of automated public transport, with major cities as

panels degraded. A melancholy vision of the slow breakdown of unthinking systems in an empty

hubs, in which a Londoner could order a self-driving taxi to take

world.

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May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

deshoff/stock.adobe.com

the inaugural flight of Boeing’s Loyal Wingman autonomous aircraft, and the

L ate, great engineers

AMY JOHNSON:

PIONEERING PILOT One of the most inspirational women of the 20th century, aviator Amy Johnson was the first female pilot to fly solo from the UK to Australia, as well as the first to gain a ground engineer’s ‘C’ licence. Her mysterious disappearance ensures she will never be forgotten. Writ ten BY Nick Smith

B

irthplace of air traffic control and of the ‘mayday’ signal, Croydon Airport – Britain’s only international aerodrome of the interwar years – was the point of departure for what was to become one of the most famous flights of the 20th century. On 5th May 1930, 26-year-old Amy Johnson embarked on her record-breaking solo flight to Australia. Her plane was a secondhand Gypsy Moth called Jason that she’d bought for £600 (or around £40k in today’s money.) With a top speed of

London. She was immediately captivated by the primitive biplanes she watched taking off and landing. Soon she started to spend all her time at the aerodrome.” It was a bus ride that was both to transform Johnson’s life and ultimately provide women with a role model. Such was her infatuation with flying and determination to succeed in the world of aviation that Johnson was able to overcome barriers of social class – women pilots tended to be from the gentry: Lady Heath, the Duchess of Bedford and Lady Bailey – to gain her aviator’s certificate (No.8662) and

105 mph (approx 170kph), a 100 horse-

her pilot’s ‘A’ licence (No.1979), both at

power engine and a foldaway wing construction, Jason was hardly cuttingedge technology. But, said Johnson, “the

the London Aeroplane Club under the tutelage of Captain Valentine Baker. According to an article in Aeroplane

Amy Johnson 1903-1941

engine was wonderful,” a phrase that was to pass into the English language to describe anything that had hidden

are still a matter of controversy, reinforce her mystique and

Monthly, in that same year Johnson also became the first British woman to gain a ground engineer’s ‘C’ licence.

qualities, and still (in paraphrased form) much beloved of used-car salesmen.

guarantee her immortality. Amy Johnson was born in 1903 into a sturdy mercantile

With connections to the aeroplane manufacturing industry (her friend Fred

Had she been a man, she claimed, she would have explored the polar icecaps

Yorkshire family. Her mother was the granddaughter of a Mayor of Hull, her father a successful fish merchant. Such everyday

Slingsby owned Slingsby Aviation that made gliders), she was able to join the

or climbed Mount Everest: “but as it was, my spirit found outlet in the air.” She also found international fame which

origins led her along a typical path for middle class women of the day: after starting her education at Boulevard Municipal Secondary School she went to the University of Sheffield where

Yorkshire Gliding Club. With the help of others such as Lord Wakefield, and with her father’s financial support, she

she converted into a career as a fashion model, journalist and entrepreneur. The outbreak of the Second World War

she read economics. To put distance between her and a failed love affair, Johnson relocated to London to start a new life that was initially no more exciting or glamorous than working in

was able to buy the now legendary de Havilland DH.60 Gipsy Moth G-AAAH that she would name Jason after one of

saw her return to aviation in the service of her country in the Air Transport

the typing pool at a legal firm. Nothing in her background or upbringing so far gave any indication of the ground-breaking

her father’s trademarks. Johnson was nothing if not

Auxiliary. It was in this capacity while on a routine ‘ferry flight’ that she met

career that lay ahead. According to Johnson’s biographer Midge Gillies, author of Amy Johnson: Queen of the Air, that would

ambitious. Prior to her flight to Australia the furthest she’d ever flown was from

her tragic end in circumstances that have not been adequately explained,

all change when, “at a loose end one Sunday afternoon she boarded a bus that took her to Stag Lane Aerodrome in North

London to Hull. To say that her route planning was rudimentary would be

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

32

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of our Late, Great Engineers at www.theengineer.co.uk

Supported by

something of an understatement, as she simply laid a ruler across a map of the world and followed a direct line. This lack of pretension is in keeping with the technology available to her. With no radio ground link, she was unable to communicate in the way modern pilots do, while the lack of reliable meteorological data meant that she was unable to predict or avoid monsoons in Rangoon. Cartography was basic to say the least, and at times non-existent. Gillies says that one of the disadvantages of Johnson’s approach

seated in an open cockpit for eighthour stretches. There was no room for improvisation: “it was essential that she kept to her route because fuel was waiting for her at each stop.” Despite the obvious seriousness of Johnson’s proposed endeavour, the Daily Mail predictably focused on the pilot’s gender, while concocting a headline trumpeting (completely erroneously) that the aviatrix had departed with a “cupboard full of frocks.” But before long the sheer scale of Johnson’s enterprise was starting to attract more balanced attention from the media who had

Photos: Alamy

was that her route demanded flying over uncharted land as well as some of the world’s most inhospitable terrain while

It is a pity to lose the romantic side of flying and simply to accept it as a common means of transport Amy Johnson (1903-1941)

Moth G-AAZV) in which she and co-pilot Jack Humphreys became the first to fly from London to Moscow in a day, from where they continued to Tokyo, setting the record time for a flight from Britain to Japan. In 1932 she married Scottish pilot Jim Mollison who had made his airborne proposal of marriage

out of fuel, Johnson bailed out over the Thames Estuary near Herne Bay where she was spotted by a convoy of wartime vessels descending by parachute. In poor visibility Lt Cmdr. Walter Fletcher,

changed their tune to the extent that

a mere eight hours after meeting Johnson. In 1932 she set a

captain of HMS Haslemere manoeuvred

Johnson, by the time she had reached India in a record six days, was now the “British Girl Lindbergh”, “Wonderful

solo record for the flight from London to Cape Town in South Africa, beating her new husband’s record. The following year, the couple crossed the Atlantic, flying from Wales to New

his ship to rescue the pilot. The crew thew out ropes to no avail, with Fletcher himself diving into the water to save

Miss Johnson” and “The Lone Girl Flyer”. When she arrived in Australia on 24th May she was famous, greeted

York where they were forced to crash land due to running low on fuel. With another world record under her belt, Johnson became the darling of the American elite, was given a ticker

her. In the confusion witnesses believed that they saw a second body in the water. Neither was recovered while

by tumultuous crowds and treated like a superstar. Women had their hair

tape parade in the Big Apple and was entertained by President Theodore Roosevelt. Another flight to South Africa set another

permed with an “Amy Johnson wave,” while songwriters fell over themselves

record. She was awarded the gold medal of the Royal Aero Club and the RAC’s Segrave Trophy. Exhausted by the non-stop

Fletcher, who may have proved to be a valuable eyewitness, soon died of exposure. A recent theory that Johnson

to cash in on the phenomenon, with “Amy, Wonderful Amy” sung by Jack Hylton perhaps the best known. Not to

flights, Johnson turned her attention to business, fashion and journalism. Ever successful, she modelled for Elsa Schiaparelli, the world’s most famous between-the-wars fashion designer,

be outdone, Britain’s reigning monarch George V, in his 1930 Birthday Honours, bestowed upon Johnson the CBE in

and created her own travelling bag. Johnson came down to earth with a bump when Britain entered the Second World War. She joined the Air Transport

recognition of her flight to the far side of the world.

Auxiliary, a civilian organisation that supported the RAF by ferrying new, repaired and damaged military aircraft between

For the following decade Johnson’s life was a whirlwind of aviation

factories, airfields, delivery points and repair units. On 5th January 1941 she departed from Blackpool in an Airspeed Oxford that was scheduled for delivery at RAF Kidlington,

achievement. Jason was superseded by Jason II (a de Havilland DH.80 Puss

had been shot down by friendly fire is now discredited, although the exact details of her untimely death at the age of 37 will probably never be known.

The IET is celebrating incredible people who have made an impact in engineering and technology. Vote for your pioneer or groundbreaker today at theiet.org/celebratingimpact

near Oxford. In adverse weather conditions, off course and

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May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

ARCHIVE FEATURE

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, an the vehicle ire through w re su . en rs ge to ig connected ls e o tr u to ar o f o es a li y b n ra pens o 20,000 tor assem l has an ar a series of rophes on “The detec etwork Rai r. linkages to ome catast al ec b ic t o e Enginee an n h h T o ec sd hicle,” said bles and m anomalie ve ca e th ry in t t Train e geomet ack. instrumen records th easuremen miles of tr recording t d tinuously the New M n an is co rs t o it em en movemen n f o th Among 5 that m is instrum e speed o 12 h th y , “T it er rc ap te p s is f o using it ey. On th nverted In k on a roll to 125mph of the troll (NMT), a co of the trac speeds up the speed tial at to en s d n er te io h and low iff la it d ig d ack con r variable llowing: h which is re f fo ea o e n li th g rd of – records tr ed in s – includ rometer s (this reco are record d sensors and accele f both rail aper there o es p p es o or in sc rs 14 onboar p as ro p ows u o sers, gy R) camer oth rails, ve ers and la endently sh ition (PLP oints on b ep gn p d o in n ec il o R transform ra n re Patter ount to r curvatu re of each Plain Line d irregula e curvatu d, which am th an n k t or co is ac se and seven tr a tw t ; ages n straigh the track re 70,000 im ignment o or cant of n al io at . that captu ev es 0 mil ilway d.” k); superel a every 44 alysis by ra rding spee curved trac 10TB of dat sent for an ers ns and reco is io ag a at an at ri d – such as m s va R al P ct PL ew; gauge ert region kside obje sk al ac Abnormal en tr d th d for se n ho ca icle pas T. can be use in Derby w As the veh els which by the NM n p n u tu ed engineers d ssed a k re ic an es p bridges, perator p technically firmed issu recorder o mile posts, the ‘most e th as l to any con s ai R se ed o rk art. MT, dubb tion purp by Netwo n on the ch orld’ the N identifica Described e eir positio as e in the w th p w e , ty at ry s the track th ic it g d ve f n li o train e yellow utton to in travels alo b iv le ct are n ic il ti h advanced ra is ve lt d ch g e its rdin ts on ea ower fau Banana du “As the reco d low poin aller and sl an e sm h th ig er f the Flying h o th t e altoge ents of th placemen ded by an measurem vertical dis to e n th o long prece f ti o , la le rk t variab il netwo e car in re 57. axles of th a dependen n the UK ra e o ” d th s, f finder in 19 in ey o k ll e s o n d it f iliary tr ropelle heel of o the first o e two aux ent’s self-p detector w Said to be y the rmed by th a Equipm sh is fo ti e ri at n B M e shown b f la o p ar ed n ce es d-bas a referen tern Regio ii of curv d as ra E e ra e Switzerlan h ve th o “T y . b easured er noted ults and put to work versines m our report physical fa e l th al . f feeler trolley was s’ o rd e g er co th p in d re s record between or four slee to detect an continuou e distance hin three th it hicle, is Railways ‘w ve m to e 10 k th could then 10m. This in the trac ch end of f s o ea es am ti rd at ri o te s la ch ce ey an irregu ger troll sembly in , mainten the outrig t having to etector as done that wheels of on withou d by the d ti re en Once it had su att ea g m irin rsine is . laces requ and the ve car.” sary before attend to p led recording was neces el p as , ro p ts il cant was e d ec tr of the an ef n d s ce r le e fo ax th o add that ra ch to tw n n sear o o t m d u ie en ted im er w le was carr compensa lley a max The report The vehic ment of a ve the tro ce ga la at p rce, which is th k d l e use, trac d by the ntrifuga fo rol engin re In ce . et r p n su o fo p ea ti te 5h m ec 6 le sa ir by a by the in each d ection tab to compen ut 30mph up 15mph icle, a corr lum, ‘and o f h u o d ab s ve f d en e o p ee d th t. f sp spee eed o rried the char detected at pon the sp l flanges ca corded on ties were depends u and whee e value re es th b irregulari h ro it p w r f u o se o ts for u ording to movemen is provided blies. Acc combined axles of tor assem e ec th et n d f ee o w ts ted bet on three se was moun e assembly n o , er rt o rep

N

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

34

d between g produce n ei b e gl y the an ons by the easured b ge variati u ga d Skew is m an .’ vehicle the trolley les of the sembly on as al tr the two ax s n the ce d survey wheels of ice detaile two feeler een in serv b as h when a ey d ll tro of lines, an er b “Since the m u n ey t on a ed to surv carried ou it is plann se u have been to in ught t once a hicle is bro ion at leas second ve astern Reg E e th lines will n n o g lines ortant mai p m “I . all runnin ed record ally.” Engineer ar eventu year,” The times a ye re o m r o two be checked

35

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

NOVEMBER Comment2019

W

e’ve launched a new campaign to

a brighter and greener future. If you’re in any way connected to a

encourage discussion about how to achieve

school, then please do ask them to register.

the ambition of increasing the diversity and number of young

Common to both testimonies was the collaboration required to pull off these feats. We really

people entering engineering. Maybe you’ve seen it?

need to work together to increase our collective impact, so young

The Big Engineering Conversation has been taking place across social media and on our website and I’m delighted to see the engineering community responding, commenting and contributing their perspectives. If you haven’t had a chance to get involved with the #BigEngConversation, then let me share some highlights. We kicked off with the question, ‘What have we learnt from delivering engagement activities in a pandemic?’. First, one of my colleagues, Moira Shaftoe, our Business Partnership Manager for the North East, shared her thoughts about the creation of the Virtual Work Experience working group. This group of 12 EngineeringUK Corporate Members, was established to find innovative ways to ensure high quality work

Dr Hilary Leevers

Co-creation and collaboration key to making an impact What big conversations need to happen to help us inspire the next generation of engineers? Asks Dr Hilary Leever, CEO of Engineering UK

people understand the thousands of engineering roles available in the future. From public transport, to tackling climate change and helping the UK achieve its Net Zero aspirations, to working alongside scientists and health care specialists to combat global pandemics, engineering and technology spans a range of exciting careers. According to our research, nearly 50% of 11 to 19 year-olds said they knew little or ‘almost nothing’ about what engineers do, so we need many organisations working effectively together to reach the scale of change needed. We initiated the #BigEngConversation but we don’t want to talk to ourselves! We want your input, expertise and engagement. We started by focusing on how the pandemic has affected engagement

experience opportunities during

activities, why diversity is such

the pandemic. Building on the key learning from that group, we have partnered with The

a key issue for engineering and how collaboration can help us in achieving some common goals.

Careers & Enterprise Company in the development of a step-bystep guide to support employers

But we’re really keen to hear from you about what other big conversations need to happen to

interested in providing a young person with an experience of their

help us inspire the next generation of engineers. We’ve had some great

workplace. The site, Experiences of the workplace - A guide for

suggested topics, from the training of teachers and careers advisors

employers, houses high-quality resources to take you through the entire process of planning,

learnings report in which they

and understanding of different pathways into engineering, to how to engage neurodiverse young

preparation and delivery. We know how much young people value work experience in STEM, and

McShane, Head of the Big Bang Programme, about the pivot to Big Bang Digital after the cancellation

reflected on what went well and share some of the challenges and learnings. This year’s Big Bang

people. The team have created a toolkit to help employers,

research from Wellcome found that about twice as many seek it

of the 2020 face-to-face Fair. The inaugural Digital event followed

Digital, a 3-day extravaganza due to be held on Wednesday 23

individual engineers, Professional Engineering Institutions, delivery

than find it, so we need to offer much more. If you’re interested in

consultations with teachers and young people to understand

to Friday 25 June 2021, will give young people an opportunity to

organisations and anyone else connected to the engineering

doing so, I hope you find this guide useful. 

how to make it most useful for them. The team produced a key

see how the STEM subjects they are studying right now can lead to

sector to get involved. Over to you…

May 2021 / www.theengineer.co.uk

We also heard from Phillip

36

Creating the UK’s connected vehicle infrastructure London County Hall 4-5 October 2021 The publishers of Traffic Technology International are delighted to announce that The UK CAV Infrastructure Symposium will take place in London’s County Hall from 4-5 October 2021. With key figures from car manufacturers talking about their product plans and their CAV infrastructure (Connected and Automated Vehicle) requirements to senior figures from pilot-project operators and research associations, The UK CAV Infrastructure Symposium will help you make informed decisions on what CAV technologies and systems to invest it.

Interested in speaking? You are invited to present a paper at The UK CAV Infrastructure Symposium. Please submit a 100-150-word abstract to Emma Hilditch, email: [email protected].

Co-located with The UK Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Symposium, a conference that is dedicated to helping ensure Britain is ready to accommodate the current and ever-growing influx of electric-only vehicles. Delegates will be able to participate in both conferences at no extra cost.

Buy your delegate pass online at www.ukcavinfrastructure.com-book-now

NOVEMBER DIGEST 2019

CROSSWORD

OUR BRANDS

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Across

Down

1 Settled into a relaxed position (4,2,4) 6 Fill by packing tightly (4) 10 Be shiny, as if wet (5)

1 Hinged switch (6) 2 Large bodies of water (6) 3 The state of being spotlessly clean (14)

11 Performing artist (9) 12 Print that is made from a design carved in relief (7) 13 Exhaust system in the U.S. (7)

4 Conductor used to make contact in a circuit (9) 5 Water at boiling temperature diffused in the atmosphere (5) 7 Dragging loosely along a surface (8)

14 Light emitted during absorption of another radiation (12)

8 Mattress made of plastic that is filled with liquid (5,3)

18 The press, including journalists and photographers (6,6) 21 Invigorate (5,2) 23 Monosaccharide sugar containing five atoms of

9 Phenomenon at the boundary of a liquid (7,7) 15 Substance supposed to emanate from the body of a medium (9)

carbon (7) 24 Former name of Ethiopia (9) 25 Fix securely or deeply (5)

16 Transfers to a peripheral device (8) 17 Plots a map of (8) 19 Unsteady rocking motion (6)

26 Salt of carbonic acid used in industry (4) 27 ake arbitrarily or by force (10)

20 Low metal guard in a hearth (6) 22 Performance using gestures without words (5)

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When completed rearrange the highlighted squares to spell out a process where flaky fragments detach from a hard mass. The first correct answer received will win a £20 Amazon voucher Email your answer to [email protected] Last issue’s HIGHLIGHTED SOLUTION: ASPHALT.

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