Hydrogen-Powered Carbon Clean and Capture Trial for Rail
DB ESG secures funding from InnovateUK for a hydrogen-powered carbon clean and capture project to reduce rail vehicle emissions.
The investigation aims to prolong the life of internal combustion engines, providing whole-life cost benefits while improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions.
DB ESG, a provider of rolling stock engineering solutions, is trialling the effects of hydrogen and carbon clean and capture on the exhaust emissions from a diesel train engine.
They’re collaborating with cleantech leader Advanced Hydrogen Technologies (AHT) for this exciting project, with AHT supplying the modular six-cell system hydrogen generator that will be trialled on a Class 66 locomotive.
DB ESG Will Handle the Testing of the AHT Equipment on the Assigned Locomotive
The AHT solution generates and injects controlled amounts of hydrogen and oxygen into the engine to burn off residual carbon deposits while also reducing toxic emissions.
The funding for the trial has been provided by the Department for Business and Trade through the competition ‘Contracts for Innovation: International Rail Innovation Challenges’ delivered by InnovateUK.
“We hope this investigation will bring both economic and environmental benefits,” said James Hornsby, Projects Director of DB ESG. “With more than 5,000 diesel engines currently active in the UK alone, decarbonising the rail sector is imperative to meet carbon emission targets.”
Transferring Positive Transport Track Record Into Rail
Ben Kattenhorn, CEO of AHT, added, “This pioneering system reduces carbon footprint and fuel costs and is already proven on the road. We are looking forward to further establishing this technology in the rail sector. As James references, helping businesses and the rail industry meet their Net Zero targets has never been more timely.”
Initial testing measures fuel economy and exhaust emissions when the locomotive engine runs at different speeds when connected to a load bank.
Further tests review the effect that supplying hydrogen to the engine’s air intake and adding a carbon capture device to the exhaust outlet has on emissions and the sustainability benefits for the rail sector.
