Growing Interest in Hydrogen

Railways Show Growing Interest in Hydrogen

Interest is growing across Europe and even further afield in the use of hydrogen to fuel railway technology. In the UK, the Birmingham Centre for Railway Research and Education (BCRRE) has been leading the way in the development of hydrogen-fuelled railway trains. This has included detailed concept design work and modelling, the development of scale demonstrators including the Hydrogen Hero 1/5 scale locomotive, and more recently in partnership with Porterbrook, the HydroFLEX train which has now been approved for mainline applications and is running on Network Rail infrastructure.

HydroFLEX, the UK’s first hydrogen-powered train, began mainline testing in Warwickshire in September 2020

BCRRE is also working with key partners to develop rail specific refuelling solutions which will enable future hydrogen trains to be refuelled rapidly in a depot environment. Hydrogen-fuelled vehicles are complimentary to rail electrification, and vehicles such as the “HydroFLEX” train retain their AC electrification equipment meaning that they can operate both on the electrified network and the non-electrified network.

Currently, one of the leading builders of hydrogenfuelled trains is Alstom. Their Coradia iLint train is the only hydrogen fuelled train to have operated in passenger service covering over 180,000km in service in Germany and now operating in Austria. It has been successfully trialled in the Netherlands and around the German regions. 41 trains have been sold in two contracts that include 30 year maintenance support agreements with Alstom.

In the UK, Alstom has been working with Eversholt Rail and, together they have developed the “Breeze”. This is a hydrogen train designed for the UK rail network is designed to replace regional DMUs (diesel multiple units) across the UK and discussions are ongoing with numerous operators and stakeholders to secure fleet deployments. A spokesperson for Alstom said, “As the only company with an independently powered emission-free train fully approved for passenger service (our Class 230 BEMU) we knew we could build on that technology and our current approvals to deliver such a train.”

How Do Hydrogen Trains Work?

Hydrogen “fuelled” vehicles typically use fuel cells which combine hydrogen from onboard storage tanks with oxygen from the atmosphere to create electricity with by-products of water vapour and heat. It is a chemical process that does not involve combustion and there are no carbon or other harmful emissions.

Both the Coradia iLint and the Breeze are hydrogen hybrids that take primary power from the fuel cell that is supplemented by a battery when required. A hybrid drive optimises energy efficiency of the train, allowing for regenerative energy capture in the battery and mixing energy sources to power the train. These trains are designed to operate where no other energy source is available, they are not bi-mode, they are a like-for-like replacement for a DMU intended to offer equivalent or superior performance over ranges of at least 600 miles.

The Coradia Breeze

Returning to the HydroFLEX, (p60) this has a new propulsion system which is integrated into the existing traction power electronics system. The new propulsion system combines a fuel cell and a traction battery to provide power into the train. The traction battery effectively sets the DC voltage on the DC bus, and the fuel cell is controlled as a current source, injecting current into the DC bus in response to the various states of the traction system and battery. The fuel cell can therefore be run in its most optimized state and minimize the quantity of hydrogen which is used.

The Hydrogen is stored in high pressure lightweight tanks. The gas is stored at 350 Bar, and passes through a regulator before being delivered to

the fuel cell.

The HydroFLEX is fully approved for mainline operation and provides a quiet and clean passenger experience with the only tail pipe emission being water. If green hydrogen is used then the vehicle can be completely decarbonized.

Fitting the Hydrogen Unit into the UK Gauge

A key part of introducing hydrogen trains to the UK is the gauge – unlike Alstom’s German trains, where the tanks sit on the roof, this cannot be done in the UK. The HydroFLEX standard modular power pack design means both the fuel cell and tanks can be fitted underneath the train. The design is for a 4-car unit formed as follows: Battery Driving Motor Car – Trailer Car – Trailer Car – Battery Driving Motor Car

Vivarail’s independently powered emission-free train (the Class 230 BEMU) is fully approved for passenger service.

What is the Current State of Play?

The HydroFLEX has been demonstrated and is now in operation on the mainline. Funding from the Department for Transport’s First of a Kind scheme has been secured to advance the design to the next stage, in order to develop a production version of the unit, which can then be deployed in passenger service. By 2022, it is planned to be operating the next version of HydroFLEX on the mainline.

The underpinning technology for Breeze is derived from the Coradia iLint. As such two fully homologated, production ready pre-series trains been extensively tested both on private test tracks and in daily passenger service over the last 4 years. These trials and operations have allowed Alstom to accumulate extensive running data for all of the onboard systems, optimising hybrid efficiency and hydrogen fuel consumption to give the best possible balance between the fuel cells and batteries. They have also developed the train control systems and the overall system integration to ensure that the train communicates with its driver, and that its operational state is readily comprehensible to the driver with feeds into driver information systems and remote condition monitoring. Extensive operation has also validated the simulation tools now being deployed on product development for all of their hydrogen traction programmes around the world.

In the case of VivaRail, their design is simply a change of charging source from the fleet of battery/ diesel hybrids they have already built for Transport for Wales. They have an advanced concept and will simply need incremental approvals for the design of a hydrogen train. They have now had approved: • Diesel train • Battery train • Battery/diesel hybrid train

Their Fast Charge is also close to completing its Network Rail approvals so we have extensive experience of the system and successfully achieving the necessary approvals.

Hydrogen Supply and Fuelling

BCRRE is working with Vanguard STS, TP Group, and Fuel Cell Systems to develop bespoke dedicated refuelling solutions for railway applications. It is planned to use renewable electricity to electrolyze water and produce high purity hydrogen which can be used to fuel hydrogen trains. This product, known as the HydroHUB has been developed in a

modular manner and is already used as part of the refuelling system for HydroFLEX.

In the case of Alstom, a spokesman said, a hydrogen train fleet, even if modestly sized (ten trains) has a rate of hydrogen consumption measured in tonnes per day. That consumption is highly predictable over a long-term period. As such, it is attractive to what is an emerging market for hydrogen supply. For this reason, there are many potential supply partners keen to be involved in supplying rail fleets. The hydrogen itself can either be produced on site at the refuelling station or drawn from other sources. When generated from renewable sources, it is entirely carbon free and can even have negative carbon content in certain circumstances. Alstom has formed a number of supply partnerships as part of its Coradia iLint contracts. Many regional authorities have industrial hydrogen footprint or renewable energy operators which are also keen to become involved. The fuelling process itself is proven and uses already standardised equipment developed originally for commercial road vehicles.

As train manufacturers, hydrogen provision is not Vivarail’s area of expertise. They would define the amount of hydrogen needed for individual routes and hence, the sensible location of the fuelling points.

What is the Potential for hydrogen?

Network Rail’s Traction Decarbonisation Network Strategy (TDNS) clearly articulates the need for hydrogen to be a vital part of the GB railway system. Therefore, the development and deployment of these vehicles is inevitable. There will be an interesting interplay between the eventual extent of the electrification which is required and the performance and costs for the hydrogen vehicles. It is BCRRE’s expectation that rapid developments in the performance and capability of hydrogen vehicles could mean that the UK ends up with a lower eventual electrification coverage than is anticipated by the TDNS in 2050

In Alstom’s opinion, hydrogen has a huge potential for the UK rail network. Where electrification cannot go, hydrogen offers long range performance which can be commissioned today and in service by 2024. Where electrification will, or may, go in decades to come, those same hydrogen trains offer a short – medium term zero emission transition technology to decarbonise the railway ahead of electrification.

Any hydrogen infrastructure deployed (production facilities and fuelling stations) need not be purely rail specific, they can support multiple modes of users such as buses, taxis, road fleets, etc. And if, after transition operations cease, they are no longer required for rail they can be repurposed to other uses, and the trains redeployed elsewhere. There are around 2,400 DMU cars in operation today. If just half of these were to be replaced with hydrogen units, over 533,000 tonnes of CO2e per year would be eliminated from UK rail emissions.

Vivarail’s view is that plans to electrify the main sections of the network make complete sense and alternative technologies can be used as the ideal supplement to that programme.

Hydrogen is interesting as it is obviously an industry in its infancy in the UK and work needs to be done outside of the rail sector – particularly in infrastructure and the supply of green hydrogen. Hydrogen trains are of course entirely feasible and the technology has been proven so we believe it is simply a matter of time before hydrogen trains run on the UK network. As explained above hydrogen trains are essentially battery trains so they have all the advantages of performance, zero emissions and significant range – when combined with Fast Charge stations that can be nigh on limitless. There are many lines across the UK where hydrogen trains could operate successfully and Vivarail is ready to play its part in delivering those trains.

What is Happening on the Operating Railways?

In December 2020, the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) has completed a three-month-long passenger trial of Alstom’s Coradia iLint hydrogen fuel cell train on regional lines.

This comes after Austria became the second country in Europe, after Germany, to approve Coradia iLint as a sustainable alternative to diesel multiple units. The vehicle has secured official approval from the country’s highest railway authority, the Austrian Federal Ministry for Climate Protection, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology (BMK). The testing of the vehicle began in September since when, the vehicle has operated on four routes in southern Lower Austria, Vienna and eastern Styria.

Deutsche Bahn (DB) and Siemens Mobility are testing the use of hydrogen for rail for the first time. The joint H2goesRail project aims to test a completely new system consisting of a newly developed train and a newly designed filling station.

The new trains and infrastructure are intended to

replace diesel powered trains operating on regional routes in Germany, significantly reducing CO2 emissions. A one-year trial operation of the train is planned between Tübingen, Horb and Pforzheim, planned to take place in 2024. The hydrogen will be produced on site in Tübingen using traction electricity generated from renewable sources.

DB intends to re-fit its maintenance site in the city of Ulm for servicing the hydrogen powered train.

Siemens Mobility will build a prototype based on the Mireo Plus regional train, but equipped with a newly developed hydrogen drive. The designated Mireo Plus H will be as powerful as its electric counterpart, and have an operating range of up to 600km.

The new hydrogen drive will save around 330 tons of CO2 a year. DB currently operates around 1,300 diesel-powered trains in regional service, and roughly 40% of DB’s 33,000km rail network is not electrified. As such, the use of hydrogen-powered trains, in addition to further electrifying the system, presents a great opportunity for DB to become climate-neutral.

DB Board Member for Digitalisation and Technology, Professor Sabina Jeschke, said: “This project proves that Deutsche Bahn is not just a mobility company, but a technology group as well. We need to bring our fossil fuel consumption down to zero. Only then can DB be climate-neutral by 2050.”

Michael Peter, CEO of Siemens Mobility, said: “Siemens Mobility and Deutsche Bahn will jointly develop the next generation of a hydrogen traction system – a complete system consisting of a hydrogen-powered train and infrastructure, including a new and innovative fueling station that can refuel the train in just 15 minutes. The train will have 1.7MW of traction power providing up to 1.1m/s² acceleration and a top speed of 160km/h. This innovative technology will make hydrogenpowered train operations faster, more efficient and more environmentally friendly.”

The state government of Baden-Württemberg has already given the project its support, while funding is expected to come from the Federal Ministry for Transport and Digital Infrastructure (BMVI).

Alstom has won a €160 million contract to supply six hydrogen fuel cell trains, with an option for eight more, to Ferrovie Nord Milano (FNM), the main transport and mobility group in the Italian region of Lombardy. The first train delivery is expected within 36 months of the date of the order. The new trains will be based on Alstom’s Coradia Stream regional train platform, which has been designed for the European market and already being produced for Italy by Alstom’s main Italian sites. The hydrogen powered Coradia Stream for FNM, will be equipped with the same fuel-cell propulsion technology that was introduced to the world by the Coradia iLint. The hydrogen version will match the operational performance of diesel trains, including their range. The Coradia Stream trains for FNM are manufactured by Alstom in Italy. Project development, most of the manufacturing and certification are performed at Alstom’s site in Savigliano. The on-board signalling systems are delivered by the Bologna site.

Alstom has now secured a $149.6m (€125m) order from Italian transport company Ferrovienord to supply regional trains for the Lombardy region. The order is marked as the second contract within a framework agreement signed with Ferrovienord’s parent company Ferrovie Nord Milano (FNM) in November 2019. Delivery of these trains will begin from June 2023.

Under the first order, Alstom was responsible for the 31 regional trains, which are scheduled to be delivered from next year onwards. The agreement also had an option to purchase 30 additional trains (up to a maximum of 61) within eight years, along with preventive and corrective maintenance services. The scope of the latest contract involves the supply of 20 regional trains, named ‘Donizetti’ that belongs to the Coradia Stream range of Alstom’s trains. These trains for Lombardy are being manufactured by Alstom in Italy.

Alstom’s single-deck electric trains feature four traction motors and have a maximum speed of 160km/h.

Scotland is progressing with its project that will see a conversion of a retired electric train to Hydrogen power.

The project is lead by Scottish Enterprise in partnership with Transport Scotland and the University of St Andrews’ Hydrogen Accelerator.

(on the right Michael Matheson MSP – Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity photographed with Dr. Ben Todd, CEO of Arcola Energy and a 314 Class electric train at the Scotrail Yoker Depot in Yoker, Glasgow on 14th December 2020.)

A retired ScotRail Class 314 electric set was transported by road from its depot in Glasgow to the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway. There it is being converted to hydrogen-power, an alternative to diesel for non-electrified routes.

The conversion to hydrogen power will be carried out by an industry consortium led by hydrogen technology specialists Arcola Energy over the next 11 months with the target of showcasing the train to a global audience attending the COP26 conference in Glasgow in November 2021.

Transport Secretary Michael Matheson, said, “Our Rail Decarbonisation Action Plan sets out to make our passenger railways emissions-free by 2035, but to maximize our climate change ambitions, there is also a requirement to look at what we do with the retired stock. If we can bring those back into use in a carbon-neutral way, there are huge climate gains to be made.”

The Hydrogen Train Project is expected to attract renewed interest in the visitor attraction, operated by the Scottish Railway Preservation Society (SRPS), as well as providing a direct cash injection via rental of the facilities there.

Another Interesting Development – Hydrogen Rail Milling

Linsinger is keen to be part of the energy revolution and would like to actively contribute to future generations. The production of hydrogen is relatively simple. Water is broken down into its components hydrogen (H2) and oxygen (O2). In the process, the electrical energy is converted into chemical energy and stored in the hydrogen. Electricity is generated from the hydrogen; the only by-product is water. The key element of the energy revolution is “green” hydrogen which is produced in a carbon free and sustainable manner.

How Safe Are Hydrogen Trains?

The handling of hydrogen is subject to strict safety guidelines. Defined tests are mandatory for machines and machine parts (e.g. pressure, tightness, burst and fire safety tests). Linsinger hydrogen rail milling trains meet the European safety standards. Hydrogen is a very safe fuel and less flammable in the atmosphere than common fuel (petrol, diesel). The gas is stored in exceptionally solid tanks. Even in the extremely unlikely case of a gas leak, there will be no accumulation of gas. Hydrogen is fourteen times lighter than oxygen and therefore escapes faster and harmlessly into the atmosphere. TÜV Süd Rail GmbH carried out the risk analysis in cooperation with Linsinger. The hydrogen storage tanks (= composite material tanks) are installed inside the machine and therefore optimally positioned in terms of safety. These composite material containers consist of a plastic core which is wrapped with carbon fibres. The design allows hydrogen to be stored under high operational pressure for years of use.

The Linsinger unit offers: • Finishing work in only one pass; • Customised material removal of 0.1 – 1.2 mm in one pass; • Eco-friendly process, no pollution of shavings or swarf; • No flying sparks – no fire hazard No emissions – even applicable in the most sensitive areas; • Low noise operation • Dry processing – no cooling or extinguishing water needed • Removal of track switches NOT necessary • Possible to use throughout the year • Highest precision • Non-abrasive work Mill chippings recyclable as raw material • Fast refuelling, 30 minutes per tank

Trials have shown the unit to be ideal for: • Metros, light rails, trams No emissions • Low heat development due to fuel cell drive • Highly effective suction system for chips (>99,5%) • Processing of the rail head by circumferential milling with combined circumferential grinding • Low noise emissions during the work process • Variable gauge 1,000 - 1,668 mm • Redundant drive • Suitable for switches and turnouts