Legislature(2017 - 2018)CAPITOL 17
04/04/2017 10:15 AM House ENERGY
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: Hybrid Airships | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON ENERGY
April 4, 2017
10:19 a.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Adam Wool, Chair
Representative Ivy Spohnholz, Vice Chair
Representative Dean Westlake
Representative DeLena Johnson
Representative Jennifer Johnston
MEMBERS ABSENT
Representative Matt Claman
Representative George Rauscher
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
PRESENTATION: HYBRID AIRSHIPS: Opening New Frontiers
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
CRAIG JOHNSTON, Director
Business Strategy and Development
Lockheed Martin
Palmdale, CA
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented a PowerPoint on hybrid airships.
NICK MASTRODICASA
Office of Project Management & Permitting
Department of Natural Resources
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified during the presentation on hybrid
airships.
ACTION NARRATIVE
10:19:10 AM
CHAIR ADAM WOOL called the House Special Committee on Energy
meeting to order at 10:19 a.m. Representatives Wool, Spohnholz,
Johnston, and Westlake were present at the call to order.
Representative Johnson arrived as the meeting was in progress.
^Presentation: Hybrid Airships
Presentation: Hybrid Airships: Opening New Frontiers
10:19:29 AM
CHAIR WOOL announced that the only order of business would be a
presentation on Hybrid Airships: Opening New Frontiers
10:19:59 AM
CRAIG JOHNSTON, Director, Business Strategy and Development,
Lockheed Martin, shared some of his background and that of his
employer, Lockheed Martin. He stated that the company was a
conglomeration of many aerospace companies, was about 100 years
old, and had about 100,000 employees in about 80 countries
worldwide. He said that the company was primarily in the
defense and military sectors, although they were increasing
movement into civil and commercial sectors. He reported that he
worked in the Skunk Works Division, which had been around for
about 75 years. He said this division was mainly involved in
aviation and was driven by urgent national needs, pointing to
the introduction of the first jet fighter in 1943, the XP-80.
He noted this long history of innovation and mentioned the
development of the early spy planes, including the U-2 and the
SR-71, as well as the stealth fighters. He highlighted some of
the projects relative to energy, which were comparatively new to
the company. He shared that this new business area was focused
on five areas: energy management which involved complex systems
engineering, energy storage and nuclear systems which focused on
safety and controls, tidal and bio energy, and advanced energy
means which included wind to power conversion. He spoke about
the wind to power conversion which was put on the outside of
buildings to generate energy in an aesthetic way. He reported
on advanced technology for energy infrastructure inspections,
with sensors to detect leakage in remote areas. He spoke about
advanced plasma research to lock the power of fusion energy with
compact fusion reactors.
10:25:03 AM
MR. JOHNSTON directed attention to the PowerPoint titled "Hybrid
Airships: Opening New Frontiers." He spoke about slide 1, and
the branding of Lockheed Martin and Hybrid Enterprises in the
commercial marketplace.
MR. JOHNSTON introduced slide 2, "Why Airships?" and shared two
antique representations. He said that ships provided a very
efficient way for carrying cargo because of the buoyancy, and
they only needed a small amount of energy, often free wind
energy, to move them. He stated that on the water the lift was
free and the propulsion to push it forward was at a very low
cost. He introduced the idea of using air, instead of water,
for buoyancy by means of heated air, helium, or hydrogen, which
was also a free lift. However, he pointed out that in the air
there was less control, so some of the older renditions were
challenged. He asked how to get the best of both modes, the
ship and the air. He moved on to slide 3, "Airship Types," and
listed the blimps, with no rigid structure and reliant on a
lighter than air gas; the semi-rigid with a propulsion system
which was dispersed; and the rigid airships which were massive
with aluminum structures underneath and became more economical
as they got larger. He shared the story of the Norge, a semi-
rigid airship launched in the 1920s with the intention of flying
over the North Pole, before making an eventful landing in the
Arctic, being disassembled and never being flown again. He
shared slide 4, "Concepts & Prototypes," which highlighted
pictures of various airships as depicted on www.airship-
association.org. He described the approach which capitalized on
the power of the helicopter with lighter than air technology and
the concept using mechanisms which controlled the buoyancy
needed for up and down by compression of the lighter than air
gas. He pointed out that this technology could be quite
expensive.
MR. JOHNSTON, in response to Representative Johnson, said that
the Norge was built for the U.S. Army through the contractor,
Northrup Grumman. He explained that a company in the United
Kingdom helped with the development of the airship.
MR. JOHNSTON returned to slide 5, a video, "What is Hybrid
Lift?" He moved on to slide 6, "What is Hybrid Lift?" He said
that one key element was buoyant lift, as provided by the helium
gas; although the lift was free, a downside was that it was
always on, and unable to be turned off. He said that the use of
aerodynamics combined with lift allowed for forward operation,
and not just flotation. He added that this also offered
protection against any environmental conditions. He relayed
that nominally about 20 percent of the lift was provided by the
aerodynamics, but if environmental conditions dictated, the
angle of attack could be increased to provide more lift.
CHAIR WOOL asked if snow and ice were a huge concern.
MR. JOHNSTON explained that this was dependent on whether the
airship was on the ground or in flight. He explained that, as a
ship, it was designed with predictive capabilities to decide
where was the safest place to be during an impending storm. He
offered an example for a snow storm, and stated that the safest
action, from an economic and safety standpoint, was to launch
the airship and leave port. He said that the snow presented a
bigger challenge on the ground than in-flight, as it was less
likely for an accumulation of snow during flight. He explained
that ice was a bit different, as for an airship the ice would
create weight, even though it did not disrupt airflow.
REPRESENTATIVE WESTLAKE asked if the airships had a stall speed.
MR. JOHNSTON explained that, although a stall could be achieved,
it was not in the normal sense for a fixed wing aircraft. He
said that if there were an increase to the lift requirements
that could not be met, ultimately, the airship would start to
come down. He pointed out that a safety feature to this system
was that "nothing happens very quickly." He compared this to a
slowly descending parachute.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON asked if the airship pilots were
studying the air currents, similar to fixed wing pilots.
MR. JOHNSTON, in response, addressed slide 7, "Our Hybrid
Airship," and said that the direct lift from the propulsion
system was also important. He reported that the LMH-1, which
would be the first airship they would build, had four propulsion
systems attached to the outside of the airship. As this was a
non-rigid structure, the inside pressure was used to provide a
stiff enough surface for attachment of the propulsion systems.
He explained that the propulsion system supported both forward
flight and the flight control system. He noted that the pilot
only needed to give verbal commands to the flight control system
for the airship to maneuver. He pointed out that the flight
control system would also account for air currents in planning
for the "most economic pathway" to its destination.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON asked if the on-board weather prediction
and route planning used satellite imaging.
MR. JOHNSTON replied that it did, noting that it had the ability
for very detailed, real time worldwide weather.
MR. JOHNSTON returned attention to slide 7, and spoke about the
aircushion landing system, which was based on hover craft
technology. He explained that it only took a small amount of
pressure over a very small area to levitate on a cushion of air
and move over almost any ground feature without touching.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON asked if the aero dynamic was still in
play during the hover action.
MR. JOHNSTON explained that once in contact with the ground the
aero dynamics were a very small component as there was a very
low speed. He said that the decision to unload brought the
airship into contact with the ground using suction, which
created the friction necessary to keep the airship from moving.
REPRESENTATIVE WESTLAKE asked about anchoring.
MR. JOHNSTON replied that a typical operation for a tanker would
be the use of on-board auxiliary tanks, which allowed for the
most economic flight. He said that the weight had to be managed
to ensure maintenance for a state of heaviness. He explained
that fuel could be off loaded, and water could be pumped on
board to balance the weight for ballast. He pointed out that
there could be a weekly fuel run to land bound villages.
10:47:47 AM
MR. JOHNSTON reviewed slide 8, "LMH-1 Interior Layout," and
reported that the cargo bay at the back end of the airship was
10 feet by 10 feet by 60 feet, which was slightly larger than an
overland tractor trailer, and was capable of 20 metric tons of
cargo, about 47,000 pounds. He directed attention to the
ballast and cargo fuel saddle tanks which allowed for extra fuel
or water for ballast. He explained that there was not a penalty
for cargo in the back and people in the front, so that
passengers would be at no cost. He shared that the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) required 2 pilots, although the
system was capable of full autonomy, and there were 8 business
class seats, although there could be accommodation for 19
passengers. He noted that beyond 19 passengers, the FAA
required additional safety features.
MR. JOHNSTON, in response to Representative Westlake, said the
airship was a hybrid, with a new type of FAA certification. He
noted that they were working with the FAA for new pilot rules
because of the degree of autonomy in modern systems.
CHAIR WOOL asked whether the requirement for two pilots was a
large cost component, and if the airship were pilotless, would
they still carry passengers.
MR. JOHNSTON replied that this would remain to be seen, as the
primary concern of the FAA was safety of the people on board and
on the ground. He questioned whether the public was ready to
fly with no pilot.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON asked if airspace changes were necessary.
MR. JOHNSTON said that, in general, this worked within the
existing system. He pointed out that, as this was an
unpressurized system, the maximum altitude was 10,000 feet even
though the normal operating altitude was between 1500 - 2500
feet above ground level. He stated that most hybrid airship
ports would stay away from airports and would be near airspace
controlled by "the operations of these relatively slow things."
10:53:36 AM
MR. JOHNSTON shared slide 9, "Operations," a video which
highlighted the business end of the hybrid airship.
MR. JOHNSTON, in response to Representative Johnston, said that
the airship was non-rigid, and that the lightweight fabric was
similar to Kevlar. He explained that the material was
impervious to hydrogen and was strong and lightweight to allow
it to be pressurized without a lot of pressure. He said that
the design took the load of the gondola and suspended it through
curtains hanging inside the airship, and that everything else
was on the outside of the airship. He said that the concept had
been around for quite a while. He directed attention to the P-
791, slide 10, which was the smallest airship able to
demonstrate all the requisite technologies, including the tri-
lobe hull design, the digital flight control, the fully
automated flight control system, and the air cushion landing
system. Even though it was 120 feet long, it was not designed
to carry cargo.
MR. JOHNSTON directed attention to the LMH-3, a massive airship
capable of carrying a million pounds of cargo. He explained
that the concept of a large container ship in the air, the size
of the Rose Bowl, was "just a bridge too far" as a place to
start. He explained that the smallest size airship that made
economic sense was the LMH-1, which could handle a truck. He
said that this would make sense in remote areas without
dedicated infrastructure, areas that would otherwise use a heavy
lift helicopter. He noted that this was a much lower cost
option, comparable to other forms of transportation in remote
areas. He pointed out that the next step to a 400-foot-long
airship with a larger payload was challenged with a need for a
new manufacturing infrastructure.
MR. JOHNSTON, in response to Representative Westlake, replied
that downdrafts were not a significant factor as much of the
lift was on continually.
MR. JOHNSTON shared the video on slide 11, "Demonstrator
Flight," and reported that with reduced payloads, the airship
could perform vertical operations similar to a hot-air balloon.
MR. JOHNSTON, in response to Chair Wool, said that the larger
thrusters and the aerodynamics, which allowed for a reduction in
drag to surface area, made for a faster airship.
11:02:45 AM
MR. JOHNSTON introduced slide 12, "Getting to Market," and
explained that the difficulty for fruition "entailed a fairly
sophisticated value stream." He said that innovation and
revolution happened when everyone recognized they had a piece of
the value stream that made good sense. He shared that oil and
gas, mining, logistics providers, transportation providers, and
financiers were all receptive to the idea of year-round access
without infrastructure and at low cost. However, they all
wanted to see the elements in place.
MR. JOHNSTON reported on slide 13, "Offshore Operations
Support," stating that the airship had the inherent ability to
operate at greater ranges with greater payloads, and with safer
transit. He acknowledged that challenges arose when flying
close to the actual operations of the offshore oil rigs. He
said that the ideal would be for a heliport on the surface of
the water, although there was not a perfect solution.
MR. JOHNSTON directed attention to slide 14, "Oil & Gas
Support," and shared that the airship worked well in the
exploration phase as its low speed was excellent for
surveillance and aerial surveying. It also had the ability to
carry sensitive equipment because of the inherent low vibration
environment of a large soft structure with low power generating
noise. He lauded its use for emergency services. He reported
that the airship could move smaller oil rigs much more
affordably, and that pipeline construction support was
available. He said that the airship was excellent for spill
response as well as transport and resupply.
MR. JOHNSTON, in response to Representative Johnston, said that
the airship communications could be a Wi-Fi node with its radio
frequency or it could be similar to a cell tower.
MR. JOHNSTON pointed to slide 15, "Hybrid Operations Case
Study," and said that economics and an affordable solution were
the driver. Compared to helicopters, he declared that airships
had twice the range, with four times the payload, at 70 percent
less operating cost.
MR. JOHNSTON addressed slide 16, "The 'Roadless' Mine." and
reported that a memorandum of agreement for $850 million over
ten years had been signed with a mining company in Northeastern
Canada to move all of their concentrate by airship, twenty tons
at a time. He said that they were also reviewing the
possibility of carrying large wind turbine blades for a wind
farm.
MR. JOHNSTON shared slide 17, "Arctic Operations," which
reviewed data comparing airship transportation with use of
existing roads and showed a 25 percent reduction in costs.
MR. JOHNSTON presented slide 18, "Hybrid Case Study," a
significant test case operation in Papua New Guinea. He said
that the transportation infrastructure costs could mitigate and
enable other things. He declared that the airship budget
projected a 98 percent reduction in the infrastructure cost.
Moving on to slide 19, "Hybrid Case Study," he reported that the
small hybrid airship reduced the costs by 72 percent.
MR. JOHNSTON discussed slide 20, "Operational Safety," and noted
that everything with a hybrid airship could move slowly, with
the ability to almost stop and "loiter without having to
commit." He pointed out that the three engines in the system
allowed for the loss of an engine at a remote site while
maintaining the ability to fly.
MR. JOHNSTON stated that safety and sustainability were the two
big pieces, slide 21, "Hybrid Airship Sustainability." He
compared helicopter and fixed wing airplane fuel usage with the
airship, noting that the airship used one third to one tenth of
the fuel. He compared the aircraft takeoff noise factor, which
affected both remote areas for wildlife and urban areas and
stated that the airship could be muffled to be almost silent.
He reported that the airship noise was about 60 dB, similar to a
restaurant, whereas an aircraft was about eight times that loud
with three times the emissions of an airship.
11:20:18 AM
MR. JOHNSTON concluded with slide 22, "Summary," and stated that
the airship was ideally suited for remote operations, as it was
designed for unimproved surfaces. He added that the airship was
very environmentally friendly, that it was driven by
affordability, and that it would enable projects previously
thought to be inaccessible. He reported that they were
projected to close several deals and be in Alaska by 2019.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON asked if outside temperature had any
effect on the airship.
MR. JOHNSTON explained that density goes up when the temperature
goes down, and that the design was for the standard aviation
specifications, minus 40 degrees, Fahrenheit or Celsius, as that
was the crossover point, and up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. He
shared that there was design work on hangars for the remote
operations, although most airplanes were designed to be outside.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON asked if the engines detached easily.
MR. JOHNSTON replied that the propulsion systems were designed
for replacement en masse. He said that there was a
reciprocating piston engine and an angle gear box that ran the
propeller, with the release of only a few attachments to allow
for the entire thruster system to be taken off and replaced.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSTON asked if diesel fuel was affected by low
temperatures.
MR. JOHNSTON stated that, as the airship was always on, the
environmental systems were always working. He added that there
was anti-icing on the critical parts. He pointed out that the
environment was more desert like in many remote areas, with not
a lot of moisture.
REPRESENTATIVE WESTLAKE asked about the expected service life
due to ultraviolet light in an environment with long days.
MR. JOHNSTON stated that there was a 15-year service life
guarantee on the envelope, which was then replaced.
CHAIR WOOL asked if there was a risk of losing helium pressure,
either through normal operation or attack.
MR. JOHNSTON explained that airships were almost invulnerable to
small arms fire because there was very low pressure over large
areas. He suggested that there could be a slow loss of helium
lift and an increased need of fuel for lift. He pointed out
that air would flow in faster than helium would flow out. He
stated that the most important thing was to protect the pilot.
He shared that an autonomous vehicle, "spider," was used to
crawl around the envelope, find small holes and fix them, and
that the military was very interested in this technology.
CHAIR WOOL asked about water transfer in low temperatures.
MR. JOHNSTON explained that they had conceived of heated water
trucks and water systems for these cold, remote areas, and that
the airship would have the capability to keep the water heated.
MR. JOHNSTON, in response to Chair Wool, said that 20 tons of
fuel was quite a bit, which he estimated as about 5,000 gallons.
CHAIR WOOL questioned whether this was the most economical mode.
REPRESENTATIVE WESTLAKE said that there were remote villages
that did not have a large enough storage capacity, and that this
proposed delivery system was much more economical.
CHAIR WOOL mused that this could be in Alaska in the near
future.
MR. JOHNSTON stated that the airship would be certified for fuel
cargo and would also be allowed to carry passengers.
MR. JOHNSTON, in response, said that people would ride for free
and be designated as non-revenue passengers. He expressed the
desire that the FAA would review the safety record and determine
the potential for operation as an airline with passengers.
11:33:44 AM
NICK MASTRODICASA, Office of Project Management & Permitting,
Department of Natural Resources, said that he would only be
repeating testimony by Mr. Johnston. [indisc]
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON asked about transporting the airship.
MR. JOHNSTON said that the envelope was part of the structure,
so that the airship, once inflated, was never purposefully
deflated until the envelope replacement. The system was capable
of going all the way around the world, and it was capable of
ferrying under its own power.
CHAIR WOOL asked if there was any competition at this same stage
of development.
MR. JOHNSTON opined that Lockheed Martin was in the lead. The
most visible competition was in the United Kingdom, which had a
surveillance airship not intended to be a cargo airship. He
characterized that technology as being equivalent to the
Lockheed Martin technology of 10 years prior. He said that
reliability was foremost. He stated that there was a challenge
for the adoption of new technology as it did not always mean an
operator would want to change the way it did business.
REPRESENTATIVE JOHNSON asked if the military was involved in the
development of large-scale transport.
MR. JOHNSTON explained that Lockheed Martin was a defense
contractor and had started with the Department of Defense. He
relayed that the 20-ton size airship did not carry a
significantly tactical payload, although the 100-ton size would
carry be much more suitable. He spoke about the "fort to
foxhole" concept, whereby all the necessary transshipments and
port bottlenecks could be bypassed. He highlighted that the
airships could also manage civil, humanitarian, and medical
operations, especially when ports and airports were not
functional.
11:43:27 AM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Special Committee on Energy meeting was adjourned at 11: 43 a.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Energy Comm 4.4.17 Airship Presentation.pdf |
HENE 4/4/2017 10:15:00 AM |
|
| Energy Comm. 4.4.17 - Bio Craig Johnston.pdf |
HENE 4/4/2017 10:15:00 AM |