MOSCOW (MRC) -- Siemens Mobility and Deutsche Bahn have started developing hydrogen-powered fuel cell trains and a filling station which will be trialed in 2024 with view to replace diesel engines on German local rail networks, said Hydrocarbonprocessing.
The prototype, to be built by Siemens, is based on electric railcar Mireo Plus which will be equipped with fuel cells to turn hydrogen and oxygen into electricity on board, and with a battery, both companies said. Siemens mobility chief executive Michael Peter told Reuters the train combined the possibility to be fed by three sources in a modular system - either by the battery, the fuel cell or even existing overhead lines, depending on where it would run.
German railway operator Deutsche Bahn has not electrified 40% of its 33,000 kilometer (km) long network, on which it runs 1,300 fossil-fuel emitting diesel locomotives. Rail transport must be decarbonized over the long-term under European Union and national climate targets.
"Our hydrogen trains are able to replace diesel-fueled trains in the long term," Peter said. The new prototype will be fueled within 15 minutes, have a range of 600 km and a top speed of 160 km/hour. It will be tested between Tuebingen, Horb and Pforzheim in Baden Wuerttemberg state.
The main target market are operators of regional networks that typically re-order lots of 10 to 50 trains, Peter said. "We see a market potential of 10,000-15,000 trains in Europe that will need to be replaced over the next 10-15 years, with 3,000 alone in Germany," he said.
Each train will cost between five and 10 million euros (USD5.9-USD11.9 million), creating a market potential of 50-150 billion euros overall. The Berlin government expects green hydrogen to become competitive with fossil fuels over the long term and to play a key role in decarbonizing industry, heating and transport.
As MRC informed earlier, the downstream oil and gas industry is under intense pressure to improve efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, comply with strict environmental regulations, and demonstrate that it can be part of a sustainable future. At the same time, plant operators face the ever-present challenge of lowering costs and maintaining profitable operations.
As MRC informed earlier, in late October, 2020, Siemens Smart Infrastructure and WUN H2 GmbH signed a contract to build one of the largest hydrogen production plants in Germany. It will be built in Wunsiedel in the north of Bavaria. With a power intake of six megawatts in the initial development phase, the plant will run solely on renewable energy and will be CO2-free. The electrolysis plant from Siemens Energy will have the capacity to produce over 900 tons of hydrogen per year in this first phase. When fully expanded, it will be able to supply up to 2,000 tons. Groundbreaking is scheduled for the end of this year and commissioning at the end of 2021.
We remind that in mid-October, 2020, Linde GmbH and Shell announced an exclusive collaboration agreement on ethane-oxidative dehydrogenation (E-ODH) technology for ethylene production. The catalytic process is an alternative route to ethane steam cracking, offering the potential of economic advantages, acetic acid co-production and significantly lower overall carbon footprint through electrification of power input.
Ethylene is the main feedstock for the production of polyethylene (PE).
According to MRC's ScanPlast report, Russia's estimated PE consumption totalled 1,594,510 tonnes in the first nine months of 2020, up by 1% year on year. Only high denstiy polyethylene (HDPE) shipments increased.
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