Deutsche Bahn Cargo is developing an economical transport solution for large quantities of hydrogen.
In the future, DB Cargo will transport urgently needed hydrogen by freight train: Europe’s largest freight railway can already deliver 20 percent of the required hydrogen by rail – thanks to the proven and safe logistics in tank wagons. The concept represents a climate-friendly quick solution – because the expansion of the pipeline network is only expected in the next few decades.
High demand according to the national hydrogen strategy
Germany wants to be climate neutral by 2045. The energy source of the future and a beacon of hope for the German economy is hydrogen. The Federal Government estimates the need for hydrogen at around 110 terawatt hours per year up to the year 2030. She calculated this as part of the National Hydrogen Strategy. For comparison: The total electricity consumption in Germany was around 580 terawatt hours per year.
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Dr. Sigrid Nikutta, Head of DB Cargo AG and Board Member for Freight Transport at DB Group, said:
Hydrogen will play an important role in the future energy mix.
“There are currently many new initiatives on how green hydrogen can come to Germany by sea.”
“We have developed a solution for this that brings the hydrogen easily and efficiently from the ports to the consumers in the hinterland, especially to our industrial customers. This is how we create a secure and efficient supply chain for the German economy.”
dr Nikutta continues: “The German rail network is an environmental network with a route length of more than 35,000 kilometers. DB Cargo alone serves more than 2,100 interfaces, customer connections, terminals and inland ports. Green hydrogen needs green logistics – and that’s what we offer.”
DB Cargo is ready to deliver the equivalent of around 20 terawatt hours by rail. This corresponds to around 20 percent of the estimated hydrogen requirement in 2030. Transporting hydrogen by rail is a competitive alternative to the pipeline, especially as this does not yet exist. Rail has a decisive advantage over the road: it is the much more environmentally friendly mode of transport. Because: One train replaces up to 52 trucks and saves 80 to 100 percent CO 2 compared to road transport.
Hydrogen belongs on the rails
Green hydrogen is produced – by electrolysis – with the help of renewable energy. However, it cannot always be produced where it is needed. That’s why logistics solutions are needed. Hydrogen is mainly produced in regions with a lot of wind, sun and water and then exported to all regions of the world.
Hydrogen that is imported to Germany is usually not gaseous but bound in chemicals. This means that it can be transported easily and efficiently by seagoing vessel. In cooperation with energy suppliers, DB Cargo has developed a concept for transport to recipients far away from seaports. The hydrogen is left in the liquid bond.
This means that the usual tank wagons can be used in rail freight transport. They are already widely used in the chemical industry. Only where hydrogen is to be used as an energy source is the cargo “cracked” back into its components, the hydrogen separated and used as an energy source.
Special container for transporting pure hydrogen
DB Cargo is also involved in the development of innovative hydrogen containers and is testing the logistics of pure hydrogen. This solution makes sense when it comes to the small-scale distribution of pure hydrogen to decentralized customers and users – for example hydrogen filling stations.
Gaseous hydrogen can be transported under high pressure in special Multi Element Gas Containers (MEGC). DB Cargo also organizes the delivery of the hydrogen trains from DB Regio, which are currently being tested on various lines in practical operation.
The transport of cryogenic liquefied hydrogen is just as complex as the transport of gaseous hydrogen. Due to the extremely low temperature (approx. -253 degrees Celsius), special containers are also required here.
DB Cargo is involved in a wide range of hydrogen logistics solutions. The largest European rail freight company is also a partner in the “Reallabor Burghausen ChemDelta Bavaria” – a non-profit company in the Bavarian chemical triangle. The technology of the future, hydrogen, is being tested here in the tough everyday industrial environment.
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DB Cargo is developing an economical transport solution for large quantities of hydrogen, June 23, 2023
