hydrail 2017 - presentation by s kent - issue 1 · hydrail2017 conference presentation by the...

Hydrail 2017 Conference Presentation by the University of Birmingham & SNC Lavalin

Options for Autonomous Power for the UK (Railways)

Options for Autonomous Power for the UK (Railways)Giles Pettit, Technical Director, SNC LavalinStephen Kent, Research Fellow, University of Birmingham

The British Context

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The Four Cs – CarbonCarbon (taken to include pollutants):– need to cut CO2– backlash against diesel in UK– clean air zones for UK cities– stations such as New Street in

Birmingham under scrutiny Opportunity:– UK generation mix becoming

less carbon intensive, so ‘electrification’ good in theory

– use hydrogen to store 3-phase renewable or off-peak electricity

The Four Cs – CostCost drivers:– electrification too expensive &

recent schemes over-budget– need low-cost alternative to

diesel for regional & rural linesOpportunity:– Network Rail taking a serious

look alternatives to traditional electrification

– low cost of finance means = many new fleets, so plenty of ‘spare’ EMUs available soon for conversion to fuel cell power

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The Four Cs – CapacityRail network capacity:– need greater rail capacity– DMUs “holding up” EMUs

Electricity generation capacity:– coal stations shutting– distribution grid under pressure

Opportunity:– electric powertrains generally

provide superior acceleration– electrolysis, gas reformation &

static fuel cells for distributed generation & grid balancing

The Four Cs – CustomerCustomer:– UK still running dated DMUs that

are noisy, smelly & slow– PRM requirements by 2020

Opportunity:– redundant EMU fleets could be

converted to fuel cell powertrain– provides cheaper alternative to

electrification with less risk– from customer’s point of view

new trains would be quick, quiet, & clean, with no installation disruption & no visual impact

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Dissertation by Giles Pettit (supervised by Stephen Kent)

UK Fleet AnalysisCurrent fleet analysis:– 9000 electric rail vehicles

consuming 3TWh pa ≈ 1% of UK electricity consumption

– 3600 diesel vehiclesIncreasingly electrified:– plans to increase to 51%

electrified network*– to be 75% electric traffic

But will still need 3000 self-powered vehicles!

* certain of the electrification schemes planned to achieve this are currently under review

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Electrification Gap Analysis1. Region by region analysis of

electrification, including schemes planned as of 2016

2. Gaps identified nationally 3. East Midlands & Midland Mainline

area selected for detailed analysis4. Cost of ‘filling the gaps’ calculated

for four traction options5. Each route analysed in turn to

identify its lowest cost option6. Overall whole life cost predicted

for optimised mixed fleet & for single fleet type for the whole area

Power Options Considered1. Electrify all lines + full EMU fleet2. No further electrification + diesel

bi-mode fleet that uses diesel generator ‘off-the-wires’ (e.g. IEP)

3. No further electrification + battery hybrid fleet that stores energy to run ‘off-the-wires’ (e.g. Class 379 demonstrator / CAF tram fleet)

4. No further electrification + fuel cell bi-mode* fleet that uses fuel cell ‘off-the-wires’ (e.g. CoradiaiLint + pantograph)* fuel cell hybridised with a battery pack in order to optimise fuel cell duty cycle & minimise size of fuel cell required to provide peak acceleration

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Costs Included in StudyAdditional infrastructure:

– electrification of non-electrified lines (Option 1)– hydrogen generation plant & equipment (Option 4)

Additional rolling stock capital costs:– higher capital cost of rolling stock (Options 2,3,4)

Additional rolling stock maintenance & running costs:– maintenance of diesel generators (Option 2)– regular replacement of battery packs (Option 3)– fuel cell maintenance & stack replacement (Option 4)– higher track access due to extra mass (Options 2,3,4)

Key Factors & AssumptionsPlanned electrification:

– the scenario assumes Midland Mainline is electrified as far as Sheffield by 2023 (now questionable!)

Demand:– assumes a 50% increase in demand over 50 years

resulting in increase in fleet from 322 to 565 vehiclesCosts:

– base cost = EMUs on existing electrified lines– all fleets replaced after 30 years – diesel and electricity costs at 2016 prices– discounted costs over a 60 year period

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Total Cost of ‘Filling the Gap’

*

* predicted total additional CAPEX & OPEX costs for lines that are non-electrified as of 2023

Dissertation by Giles Pettit available atwww.birmingham.ac.uk/research/activity/

railway/reports-and-publications.aspx © 2017

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http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/research/activity/



The Hydrogen Pioneer V6Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) “Railway Challenge”:– teams of students & graduates from

UK universities & rail companies– compete to build narrow gauge loco

to challenging specification– for the sixth time UoB will enter our

Hydrogen Pioneer fuel cell loco– photo shows demo at University of

Birmingham Community Day 2017– video clip shows Hydrogen Pioneer

hauling failed 1.5 tonne petrol loco while filming Channel 4 documentary

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hydrail 2017 - presentation by s kent - issue 1 · hydrail2017 conference presentation by the...

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