Techno-Economic Analysis of Hydrogen Storage Technologies for Railway Engineering: A Review

Zhan Xu, Ning Zhao, Stuart Hillmansen, Clive Roberts and Yan Yan
Additional contact information
Zhan Xu: Birmingham Centre for Rail Research and Education, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B152TT, UK
Ning Zhao: Birmingham Centre for Rail Research and Education, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B152TT, UK
Stuart Hillmansen: Birmingham Centre for Rail Research and Education, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B152TT, UK
Clive Roberts: Birmingham Centre for Rail Research and Education, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B152TT, UK
Yan Yan: School of Mechanical and Engineering, Southeast University, Nanjing 210000, China

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 17, 1-22

Abstract: According to the specific requirements of railway engineering, a techno-economic comparison for onboard hydrogen storage technologies is conducted to discuss their feasibility and potentials for hydrogen-powered hybrid trains. Physical storage methods, including compressed hydrogen (CH 2 ), liquid hydrogen (LH 2 ), and cryo-compressed hydrogen (CcH 2 ), and material-based (chemical) storage methods, such as ammonia, liquid organic hydrogen carriages (LOHCs), and metal hydrides, are carefully discussed in terms of their operational conditions, energy capacity, and economic costs. CH 2 technology is the most mature now but its storage density cannot reach the final target, which is the same problem for intermetallic compounds. In contrast, LH 2 , CcH 2 , and complex hydrides are attractive for their high storage density. Nevertheless, the harsh working conditions of complex hydrides hinder their vehicular application. Ammonia has advantages in energy capacity, utilisation efficiency and cost, especially being directly utilised by fuel cells. LOHCs are now considered as a potential candidate for hydrogen transport. Simplifying the dehydrogenation process is the important prerequisite for its vehicular employment. Recently, increasing novel hydrogen-powered trains based on different hydrogen storage routes are being tested and optimised across the world. It can be forecasted that hydrogen energy will be a significant booster to railway decarbonisation.

Keywords: hydrogen; storage technology; techno-economic analysis; railway engineering (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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