Abstract
Fuel cell technologies and hydrogen can represent a potential and powerful enabler for replacing traditional diesel vehicles, especially in railways. In this train of thought, the present paper aims to investigate a fuel cell hybrid powertrain for a regional route. The main powertrain components are numerically modeled and the railway operations are simulated. The results achieved, in terms of power demand, efficiency and hydrogen consumption, are discussed and they are useful for properly sizing the refueling system. As a matter of fact, the train will be fueled with compressed hydrogen, produced on-site at a hydrogen central depot, where a hydrogen refueling station is thought to be installed. The hydrogen generation unit is considered to be a PEM unit, operating at 353 K and 20 bar. The produced hydrogen is then compressed by mean of a volumetric compressor and then stored in hydrogen tank type II, at 350 bar. The dispensing scheduling is based on the daily hydrogen demand required by the fuel cell-based train route, according to the railway timetable. The system is indeed investigated from a technical point of view, proving the integration of such systems to represent a clean, sustainable, and flexible option.
Highlights
The current worldwide emission scenario shows an important contribution belonging to transport sector
The present paper presents a technical assessment of a fuel cell hybrid powertrain for a regional route
The Fuel cell (FC) power variations are in a limited interval, between 200 kW and 310 kW, since the fuel cell system provides the energy demands while the battery supply energy and power variations
Summary
The current worldwide emission scenario shows an important contribution belonging to transport sector. Expensive and complex components are needed, such as booster compressors, highpressure storage and complex cooling configurations, requiring a strict monitoring on the station [15] For these conditions, the hydrogen supply plays a crucial role, as marked by Kolbe [16]: if the energy adopted for the hydrogen production does not come from green sources, the environmental impact is still high and investments on hydrogen heavy-duty mobility might be not worthy. Water electrolysis could enable a clean hydrogen production, supporting the supply chain with an on-site operation, avoiding extracosts of external supply [17] In this train of thought, it is visible how heavy-duty applications require a more intensive research effort: for a worldwide spreading out, even all the benefits discussed above, fuel cell-based hybrid systems have to face a limited market penetration, due to the lack of hydrogen refueling stations and high costs of the fuel cell system. The system is investigated from a technical point of view, proving the integration of such systems to represent a clean, sustainable, and flexible option
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