cute - eltis.org · Teamwork and Technology The CUTE Project is co-financed by the European Union c o n t e n t s preface: vision, technology and teamwork ... 1/2 OC + 2H+ + 2 electrons

CleanUrbanTransport forEurope

c u t e

D E TA I L E D S U M M A RY O F A C H I E V E M E N T S

A Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Project in Europe 2001 – 2006

Vision, Teamwork and Technology

The CUTE Project

is co-financedby the European

Union

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c o n t e n t s preface: vision, technology and teamwork

Preface 3

1. About the Project and About Hydrogen 8 1.1 AbouttheProject 8

1.2 AboutHydrogen 10

1.3 ListofSystemsandTechnologiesbeingtestedintheCUTEProject 12

2. Infrastructure: Technology, Operations, Quality and Safet 14 2.1 HydrogenSupplyPathwaysinCUTE,ECTOSandSTEP 14

2.1.1 RefuellingStationTechnology 16

2.1.2 On-siteWaterElectrolysis 21

2.1.3 On-siteSteamReforming 26

2.1.4 ExternalhydrogenSupply 30

2.2 HydrogenInfrastructureOperations:ResultsandLessonsLearnt 32

2.3 QualityandSafety:ResultsandLessonsLearnt 42

3. Bus Operations: Technology, Maintenance, Operations 48 3.1 FuelCellBusTechnology 48

3.2 FuelCellBusTechnology:MaintenanceRequirements 60

3.3 OperationofFuelCellBuses:ResultsandLessonsLearnt 63

4. Environmental and Economic Impact of the Fuel Cell Bus Trial 77 4.1 EnvironmentalImpactofFuelCellBusTrial:ResultsandLessonsLearnt 77

4.2 EconomicImpactofFuelCellBusTrial:ResultsandLessonsLearnt 81

5. Communications in the Fuel Cell Bus Trial 85 5.1 DisseminationActivities:InfluencingOpinion 85

5.2 TrainingandEducation:The‘Human’SideoftheCUTEProject 91

6. Summary and Future Steps 95 6.1 WhatdidwelearnfromCUTE:ASummary 95

6.2 FutureSteps 103

7. Project Partners and Contact Information 104

Contents The Contribution of CUTE to Clean Transport Energy: Vision, Technology and Teamwork

The Commission’s Green Paper “A European Strategy for Sustainable, Competitive and Secure Energy” fromMarch 2006 identifies hydrogen andfuelcellsamongtheportfoliooftech-nologiesthatcouldaddressourenergyproblems.TheGreenPaperadvocatesinvesting in hydrogen and fuel cellsdevelopmentanddeployment.Itcallsforlarge-scale,integratedactionswiththenecessarycriticalmass,mobilisingprivate business,Member States andtheCommissioninpublic-privatepart-nerships.Theexperience,projectsandoutput of the industry-led EuropeanHydrogen and Fuel Cell TechnologyPlatform should be taken as firstbuildingblocksforsuchactions.

The European Union embarked in2001 on themost ambitious demon-strationprojectworldwideonhydro-genandfuelcells:CUTE(CleanUrbanTransport for Europe). The optimalcombination of a forward-lookingvision, cutting edge technology andcommitted teamwork has led to thesuccessofCUTE.

Currentlyourroadtransportsystem’sfuelsaredieselandpetrol.Thesefuelsare produced mostly from importedoil,andwhenburnedinbuses,trucksor cars, they produce emissions ofgreenhousegases and air pollutants.Theever-increasingdemandfortrans-port brings as a consequence moredependence on external supplies of

Rene Van den Burg �00�

Fuel Cell Bus: Amsterdam Barcelona

TMB

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preface: vision, technology and teamwork preface: vision, technology and teamwork

oil,and leadstomoreemissionsthatprovoke climate change and healthproblems.

The vision pursued by CUTE is todevelop a totally clean transportsystem for cities, without reducingmodern society mobility standards.In particular, CUTE aims to achievethis vision by replacing diesel andpetrolwithhydrogenandcombustionengineswithfuelcells.Hydrogenandfuel cells can introduce a paradigmshiftawayfromthetransportsector’s‘addiction’tooil.Theyareattheheartofa zeroemissions transport systemthat would de-couple mobility fromclimate change and air quality con-cerns.

However,toachievethecommerciali-sation of hydrogen and fuel cells fortransport we will have to climb asteepuphill path solving technologi-cal, economic and public acceptancechallenges.

Thesechallengesinclude:• producing hydrogen economicallyand with minimal or no negativeenvironmentalimpact

• handlinghydrogensafely• storingsufficientenergytoachievetherequiredvehiclerange,and

• making fuel cells competitive intermsofcostandreliabilityincom-parison with the traditional com-bustionengine.

Againstthisbackgroundofveryexcit-ing technical potential and signifi-cant challenges the EuropeanUnion,through CUTE, has provided answerstosomefundamentalquestions:

Is it possible to build hydrogen fuel cell buses in series production, and get them on the road to deliver regular pub-lic transport services? Hydrogen fuelcellbuseswereproducedinanormalproduction plant: twenty-seven forCUTE;andanotherninefortheECTOSproject in Iceland, STEP in Western

Australia and the hydrogen fuel cellbus project in Beijing, China. Thesebuses have been certified to oper-ateinurbanpublictransportservicesin Amsterdam, Barcelona, Hamburg,London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Porto,StockholmandStuttgart,aswellasinReykjavik,PerthandBeijing.Thebuseshave operated quietly formore than one million kilometers over a two-yearperiodandtheyhavetransportedmore than four million European pas-sengers, producing only some steamastail-pipeemission.

Is it possible to build hydrogen supply infrastructure to fuel buses, mostly based on renewable energy sources? Ninefuellingstationswereconstruct-ed in the nine cities. Each fuellingstationhasrefuelledthelocalfleetofthreebuseswithhydrogenat350bars,delivering between 100 and 200kgof hydrogen everyday. Hydrogenwasproduced both centrally and on-site(through natural gas reforming, or

waterelectrolysis).Morethan56%ofthehydrogenproducedon-site camefromrenewablesources.

Would the hydrogen fuel cell buses and the hydrogen supply infrastruc-ture achieve availability rates compa-rable with alternative technologies? Over the two-year trial the total sys-temavailability(bus+infrastructure)reached a rate of around 80%. Thisavailability, while being lower thanthat of a comparable diesel or CNGbusfleet,showsthatthetechnologyisworkable.Andevenmoreimportantly,throughthetrialwehavelearnthowtoimproveavailability.

Would drivers, technicians and the gen-eral public accept these new technolo-gies? Many drivers tested the busesand theywerehighlysatisfied.Manytechnicians developed the necessaryskills tomaintain the buses and thefuelling stations without any majorproblem. Millions of European citi-

Vattenfall/Hochbahn �00�

EMT

STCP, �00�

Transport for London (TfL)

Fuel Cell Bus: Hamburg London Luxembourg Refuelling Station – Madrid Porto H2Bus

PLANET �00�

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preface: vision, technology and teamwork preface: vision, technology and teamwork

zenshaveexperiencedthisnewformof clean mobility and they like it.Somepassengerswereevenpreparedtowaitforthenextbusiftheyknewitwasoneof thesilentandnon-pol-lutinghydrogenbuses.

Is it safe to use hydrogen as a fuel? Nota single hydrogen related accidenthasoccurredover the two-yeardem-onstrationperiod.Hazards related tohydrogen are simply different fromthoserelated toother fuelsand theycanbemanaged.

CUTEhasmoved the stateof theartinhydrogenandfuelcelltechnologiesfor transport a significant step for-ward. Ithasput theEuropean indus-try, cities, and researchers amongstthe global leaders in production andoperationofhydrogenfuelcellsbuses,aswellasinhydrogenproductionanddistribution.

However,CUTEhasonlybeenpossiblethankstoanunprecedentedEuropeanallianceinvolvingtheautomobileandenergy industry, a group of pioneer-ing cities, a group of university andresearch centres, and the EuropeanCommission.Thislargebutwell-struc-tured partnership has gathered thenecessaryskills,resourcesandindivid-ualsthatmadepossibletheexecutionoftheproject.Outstandingteamworkhasbeenkeytoitssuccess.

CUTE has become the flagship proj-ect of the European Hydrogen andFuelCellTechnologyPlatformandhasbeen recognised at a global level bythe International Partnership for theHydrogenEconomy.

The CUTE results presented in thissummary of achievements are self-explanatory. CUTE has providedunparalleled visibility for hydrogenandhelpedestablish itscredibilityasanalternativetopetrolanddiesel.Atthe same time CUTE has raised newquestionsandchallenges.AfterCUTEthequestionsareno longerhowandif, butWHENwill this technology beready;andWHATneedstobedonetorender performance and costs morecompetitive?

The European Union has now em-barkedonaseriesof furtherdemon-stration projects grouped under theinitiative “Hydrogen for Transport”.Around 200 hydrogen-powered vehi-cles will be demonstrated over thenextthreeyears.Theaimistoimprovevehicle efficiency and infrastructurereliability, to facilitate the under-

standingofourcitizensandourdeci-sionmakersregardinghydrogen,andtoprepareevenlargerdemonstrationprojects necessary to bridge the gapbetween the future stateof technol-ogyandthemarket.

The conclusion of CUTE surelymarksa milestone in the history of cleantransport energy technology andopens the way to a new era of sus-tainabletransportsystems.

Mikael Rohr �00�

Fuel Cell Bus: Stockholm Stuttgart Perth Reykjavik Beijing

Daimler Chrysler �00�

SSB �00�

STEP Project: ww

w.dpi.w

a.gov.au

INE

EC �00�

MatthiasRuete,DirectorGeneralforEnergyandTransport,EuropeanCommission

� �

about the project and about hydrogen 1.

About the Project

about the project and about hydrogen1.

1.1

Therearedifferenttypesoffuelcells–theprotonexchangemembrane(PEM)fuelcellsusedintheCUTEtrialoper-atedinthefollowingway:• hydrogenisfedtotheanodewhereacatalystseparatesthenegatively-charged electrons in the hydrogenfromthepositively-chargedprotons

• protons move through the mem-branetothecathode

• the electrons from the anode sideof the cells cannot pass throughthe membrane to the positively-chargedcathode.Theytravelviaanelectrical circuit to reach theotherside of the cell. This process pro-ducestheelectricalcurrent

• Atthecathode,oxygenfromtheaircombines with electrons and pro-tonstoproducewaterandheat.

To generate enough power to drivea bus, 1.920 fuel cells are connectedto each other and built up into two“stacks”.

About Fuel Cell BusesThefuelcellbusesareequippedwithninetankswhichtogetherhold44kgof gaseous, compressed hydrogen.Thesefeedintotwofuelcellmoduleswhich provide more than 250kW ofelectrical power and deliver perfor-mancelevelsintermsofaccelerationthatarecomparable tostandarddie-sel engines.The fuel cell systemandadditional equipment are located ontheroofofthebus.

In order to have maximum reliabil-ity, standard bus components suchas automatic transmission, gearboxandsomeauxiliarycomponentswereused asmuch as possible.The busesare equipped with a central tractionsystemlocatedatthelefthandsideintherearofthebus.Allmajorauxiliarycomponents are driven by a kind of“gearbox”,whichhasbeenespeciallydesigned for the fuel cell buses andwhich is located next to the centralengine.

The fuel cell buses are based on alow-floor bus concept and equippedwith two or three double doors tofacilitatethebestpossiblepassengermovement.

Hydrogen gasH

C

OxygenO

C

Electric motorElectrons

Electrolyte(polymer

membrane)

Platinum catalyst

Wasteheat

Wasteheat

WaterAt anode:H

C 2H+ + 2 electrons

At cathode:1/2 O

C + 2H+ + 2 electrons H

CO

CATHO

DEA

NO

DE

– +

H+

(Hydrogen ions)

Technical Drawing of Fuel cell Citaro bus

How a Fuel cell works

Gascylinders(H2)

FuelCell-Supplyunit

Automatictransmission

Centralelectricengine

FuelCell-Stacks

FuelCell-Coolingunits

Aircondition

Auxiliaries

ww

w.sustainability.dpc.w

a.gov.au

CUTE Brochure �00�, p. ��

What did the CUTE Project set out to achieve?TheEuropeanCommissioninconjunc-tionwithitsmanypartnerssetouttodevelop and demonstrate an emis-sion-freeandlow-noisetransportsys-temthatinthelongertermwould:• reducetheglobalgreenhouseeffectinlinewiththeKyotoprotocol

• improve air quality and quality oflifeindenselypopulatedareas

• conservefossilfuelresources• increase public knowledge andacceptance of fuel cell technologyandhydrogenasanenergysource

• buildastrongfoundationforregu-lationandcertificationofthetech-nology.

Through theproject theCommissionalsointendedto:• strengthen the competitiveness ofEuropean industry in the strategi-cally important areas of hydrogenprocessing, fuel cell and mobilitytechnology

• demonstrate to European societythe relevance of such innovativetechnology to their everyday con-cerns such as improved employ-ment, human health, environmen-talprotectionandqualityoflife.

What did the CUTE Project do?Between 2003–2005, twenty seveninnovative, hydrogen-powered, fuelcell buses were built and placed inthe public transport fleets of nineEuropean cities, in seven different

countries. At the same time originaland leading edge hydrogen produc-tion, refuelling and support systemswere also constructed. The buseswere placed on normal public trans-portroutesanddatacollectedagainsta range of performance measuresincluding reliability, economy, safetyandpublicacceptance.Lifecycleanal-ysisofemissionsandcostswerealsoundertaken.

About Hydrogen and Fuel CellsHydrogen is themost abundant ele-ment on earth although it is rarelyfound in its energy rich molecularstate–H2. It isanenergycarrierthatcan be derived from a wide rangeof energy sources, both fossil andrenewable. The project explored awide range of pathways to producehydrogenas a transport fuel for fuelcell vehicles including steam reform-ing, water electrolysis and centrallyproduced hydrogen as a by-productofotherprocesses.Gaseoushydrogenwasselectedforusebecauseitiscur-rently cheaper, easier to handle dur-ing the refuelling process and morebroadly available than liquid hydro-gen. Hydrogen’s key advantage overelectricity is that it can be storedrathereasily.

Afuelcelluseshydrogenandoxygento create electricity by an electro-chemical process. A single fuel cellconsistsofanelectrolytesandwichedbetween an anode and a cathode.

10 11

Background information on Hydrogen (H2)Properties and Application Hydrogenhasbeenusedasanindus-trial gas formore than 100 years. In2000, the world production and useof hydrogen was estimated around500billionNm3(normalcubicmetres,cf. table), about 60 billion Nm3 ofthis by the European Union (EU-15).Mostof thesequantitiesare‘captive’produced inbulkamounts for imme-diate consumption on site,mainly inchemical and petrochemical plants.Ontheotherhand,roadtransportbytruck tosmaller customers isalsoaneverydaybusinesswithprovencodesofpractice.

Duetoitslowvolumetricenergyden-sity,hydrogenisstoredandtransport-ed as a compressed gas (CGH2) or inliquefied state (LH2) at about -253°C.Hydrogen’s low boiling point makesliquefactionveryenergyintensive.

Comparison of hydrogen and diesel energy densities

Theenergycontentof isequivalentto

1Nm3ofgaseoushydrogen 0.30l ofdiesel

1litreofliquidhydrogen 0.24l ofdiesel

1kgofhydrogen 2.79kg ofdiesel

Based on www.dwv-info.de

Mostofthehydrogenisusedasarawmaterialfortheproductionofawiderangeofsubstances(i.e.fornon-ener-geticpurposes).Thisismainlyammo-niaandmethanol synthesis,butalsoiron and steel production, treatmentofedibleoilsandfats,glassandelec-tronicsindustryetc.

The main indirect energetic applica-tion of hydrogen is the petrochemi-cal hydration of (conventional) fuels.Theintroductionoflow-sulphurfuels,drivenbyregulationsinNorthAmericaand Europe (e.g. Clean Air Act andAutoOilProgram),hasleadtoarisinghydrogendemandinthisfield.

The direct use of hydrogen for ener-gy purposes ismainly for power andheat generation. Today this sectoronly plays aminor role. This is likelyto change over the coming decadeswhenhydrogenmaybecomeanener-gy carrier as important as electricityina‘hydrogeneconomy’.

Production PathwaysHydrogenisnotonlyusedforalargevariety of purposes but can also begeneratedfromawiderangeofsourc-es. Today, these are typically fossilhydrocarbons like natural gas, min-eral oil and coal. Technical methodsinclude steam reforming, partial oxi-dation, cracking&otherpetrochemi-calprocesses.Butalsobiomass (non-fossil hydrocarbons) orwaste can begasifiedforhydrogenproduction.

Whenhydrogen isderived fromelec-tricity, it is pivotal that the primaryenergycomes fromrenewablesourc-es. Otherwise it is hardly possibleto achieve an overall environmentalbenefitalongtheentiresupplychain(from‘welltowheel’)intermsofpol-lutantsandgreenhousegasemissionscomparedtoconventionalenergysup-ply. In future, renewableelectricity islikely tobegenerated largescale, forexample at offshorewind farms andsolar power plants. Hydrogen basedon renewable sources (includingbio-mass/biogas)isfrequentlylabelledas‘greenhydrogen’.

On the other hand, hydrogen oftenemergesasaby-product fromindus-trial processes where no real usecan be made of it. It will either beemployedforheating,thusnotusingits full potential, or it is even flaredor vented. Instead it could be mar-keted to third parties like the trans-port sector. Surplus hydrogen fromindustry can thus service initial fuelcell applications filling the gap untilgreenhydrogenbecomesavailable insignificant volumes. It is estimatedthatmorethan2%ofthetotalannualEU-15 production comprises surplushydrogen,resultinginmorethan1bil-lionNm3(about90millionkg).

Energy Sources for Hydrogen Generation, Estimated Shares in World-Wide Production of about �00 billion Nm3 (ca. �� billion kg)

International Gas Union, �000

48 %NaturalGas

30 %MineralOil

18 %Coal4 %

Electricity

Hydrogen properties

Volumetric Gravimetric

gaseous liquid

Lowerheatingvalue 3.00kWh/Nm3 2.36kWh/lLH2 33.33kWh/kg

Higherheatingvalue 3.54kWh/Nm3 2.79kWh/lLH2 39.41kWh/kg

Density 0.09kg/Nm3 70.79kg/m3

Boilingpoint(at1.013barabs) -252.76°C/20.39K

»1Nm3«standsfor»onenormalcubicmetre«andisdefinedasagasamountofonegeometriccubicmetreat0°Cand1.013barabsolutepressure.

Based on www.h�data.de


DirectEnergeticUsage+Unknown

40 %IndirectEnergetic

Usage

Hydrogen Application in EU-1�, Estimated Shares of about �0 billion Nm3

Based on Zittel/Niebauer:Identification of Hydrogen By-Product Sources in the European Union, Ottobrunn 1��

55 %Non-EnergeticPurposes

5 %

About Hydrogen


1.2

1� 1�


List of Systems and Technologies tested in the CUTE Project


1.3

Infrastructure related• SmallscaleonsiteH2productionunits

· Naturalgassteamreformer · WaterElectrolyser• Feedstockpreparationsystems · Naturalgasdesulphurisationunit · Tapwaterdemineralisationunit• Hydrogenpurificationsystems · De-oxodrier · Pressureswingadsorption• Hydrogencompressors · Slowrunningunlubricatedpiston

compressors · Membranecompressors

• HydrogenStoragesystems · 3benchdecantingsystem · mediumpressure/boostersystem• Hydrogendispenser · Fillingnozzle · H2fillinghose · H2flowmeter

The CUTE project was set up to testdifferent methods of hydrogen pro-duction, compression and dispens-ing. In terms of vehicle technology,the CUTE project tested a purposedesigned engine for buses. A list ofsystem and technologies tested ispresentedbelow.

Transport for London, �00�

Fuel Cell Bus and Refuelling Station: London

Fuel cell propulsion related• H2storagesystem(350bar)• H2refuellingcoupling/port• H2highpressurevalves/regulators• Hydrogen/Aircompressors• Filters• Water/glycolfuelcellcoolingsystemincludinghydraulicallydrivenfans

• Freezeprotectionsystem• Fuelcellstacks• DC/ACInverter• Auxiliarygearcase• Electricengine• Safetyvalves/pressureregulators• Cabinheaterresistor

Maintenance Related• Ventilationsystem• Hydrogensensors• Electricalgrounding• Sparkprooftools• Walkwaysforbustopwork• SafetyproceduresforH2fillingstationandfuelcellbusbothforoperationandmaintenanceaswellasemergencysituations

Inside of the Steam Reformer Container in Madrid

Iñigo Sabater, �00�

GVB, �00�

Roof mounted fuel cell stacks and cooling unit

1� 1�

cry o pum p r efinery liquef action liquid H 2 stor ag e

Amsterdam GV B, DMB , Shel l , Hoek L oos , Nuon Barcelona TM B, B P , Linde Hambur g Norsk Hydro ElectrolysersStockholm SL, Busslink, M F , Fo r tum, Re ykjav ik (ECT IN E, Str aet o, Shell, H yd ro

Lux embourg A VL, FLEAA, Shell , Air Liquide Po rt o ST CP , BP , Lind e Pe r th (S TEP) DPI, B P, P a th Tr ansit , BOC, Linde

hydraulic / piston

diaphr ag m

na tur al gas

wind

solar

hydr o

steam r ef orme r

electricity

co mpr ession

co nv entional power sta tion (c oal, gas , nuclear , oil)

hydrogen dispenser

Madrid EM T , R epsol , Gas Na tur al , Air Liquide, C arbotech; supplemen tary e xternal suppl y

Stuttgar t SSB , EnB W , Mahler

purifica tion

chemical plan t L ondon L ondon Bus , F irst G ro up , BP , BO C

re new able r esources

c ompr essio n

bus wor ks ho p fo r maintenanc e ev apor a tion

biomass

geothermal

booster

gaseous H 2 stor ag e

(used in Amsterdam, Barcelona, Madrid, Po rt o, Stockholm and Stuttgar t)

purifica tion

electr olysis

electr olysis

non-r enew able r esources

co mpr ession

Hochbahn, Vattenfall, BP,

• BP• PLANET• Vattenfall

HydrogenicsReykjavik (ECTOS)

Perth (STEP)

PartnersCo-ordinatorsH2Infrastructure

i n f r a s t r u c t u r e : t e c h n o l o g y2.i n f r a s t r u c t u r e : t e c h n o l o g y2.

Hydrogen Supply Pathways in CUTE, ECTOS and STEP

Cities

On-

Site

Wat

er E

lect

roly

sis

Exte

rnal

Sup

ply

On-

Site

St

eam

Ref

orm

ing

2.1

1� 1�

2. i n f r a s t r u c t u r e : t e c h n o l o g y

Characteristics of the CUTE filling stations

Hydrogenproductionpath

Technologyturn-keysupplier

Compressortype

CompressorratedcapacityinNm 3/h

Compressormanufacturer

Storagesizeinkghydrogen

Refuellingtype

Dispensersupplier

Max.fillingtimeinmin

Intervalbetween2busesinmin

Amsterdam

Barcelona

Hamburg

London

Luxembourg

Madrid

Porto

Stockholm

Stuttgart

0

before3rdbus:60(orslowerrefuel-lingof3rdbus)

02)

0

0

0

before3rdbus:20(orslowerrefuel-lingof3rdbus)

03)

0

15

20

<10

30

10

10–15

12–15

20–35

<15

Linde

Linde

Brochier

FuelingTechnologieInc.

AirLiquide

AirLiquide

Linde

FuelingTechnologieInc.

Brochier

overflow+booster

overflow+booster

overflow

vapourisationofpressurisedLH2

overflow

booster

overflow+booster

overflow+booster

overflow+booster

490

170

400

3,200

500

360

172

95

282

Linde

Linde

Hofer

ACDCryo

BurtonCorblin

PDCMachinesInc.

Linde

PDCandHydroPac

IdroMeccanica

300

300

62

900

60

50and2,400

300

525

100and5,380

hydraulic

hydraulic

diaphragm

cryogenicpump

diaphragm

diaphragm(two)

hydraulic

1membrane,1hydraulic

hydraulic(two)

HoekLoos

Linde

NorskHydroElectrolysers

BOC

AirLiquide

AirLiquide

Linde

HydrogenicsSystems

MahlerIGS

electrolysis

electrolysis

electrolysis

external1)

external

steamreformer+external

external

electrolysis

steamreformer

Madrid Dispenser

EMT, �00�

1)London:detailsforstorageofliquidhydrogengiven,asinoperationfromMay2005inHornchurch.2)Hamburg:upto120minwhentakinginmaximumcapacity.3)Stockholm:intervalbetweensecondandthirdbus8hoursduetolimitedstoragesize.

i n f r a s t r u c t u r e : t e c h n o l o g y2.

2.1.1 Refuelling Station Technology

Thevolumetricenergydensityofhydro-gen gas under ambient conditions ismuch lower than that of gasoline ordiesel(cf.section1.2).Hydrogenisthere-fore compressed in order to reducethesizeof thefillingstationstorage,to keep space requirements onboardthevehicleatareasonable level,andtoensureenoughrangefordailybusoperation.This isnotentirelynewasitalsoapplies tonaturalgas,but thevolumetric energy density of hydro-gencomparedtomethane–themostimportantconstituentofnaturalgas–ismore than three times lower. Onesolutionforcompensatingthisdisad-vantageistomovetohigheronboardgaspressures,from200bar(standardtechnologyformobileapplicationssofar, both hydrogen and natural gas)to350bar,andmostlikely700barinthefuture.CUTEisthefirstmajortrial

which follows this 350 bar concept,requiring a technology step for therefuellinginfrastructure.Themaincomponentsofafillingsta-tion for compressed gaseous hydro-gen(CGH2)storageanddispensingarecompressor (one or more, cf. below),storage vessels and dispenser withfillingnozzle.

Liquidhydrogen(LH2)performsaboutas well as natural gas at 200 barregarding volumetric energy density,even when considering the volumefor the insulation of the cryogenictank. Liquid hydrogen storage canbe employed both at stations andin vehicles. One of the CUTE cities,London, will demonstrate externalsupplyof LH2and its storageon siteatthestation.Liquidonboardstorageisnot realised inCUTEasbuseshavesufficientroomontherooftoaccom-modateenough350barpressureves-selstoenablethedesiredrange.The main components for a fillingstation forCGH2 dispensingwith LH2

storagearecryogenicvessel,cryogen-ic pump for pressurising the liquid,vaporiseranddispenser.

Otherequipmentatbothtypesofsta-tionis,forexample,hydrogensensorsandothersafetyequipment,depend-ing on local or country-specific stan-dards (e.g. flame detectors, sprinklerinstallationsetc.).

BP, �00�

Barcelona Filling Station

1� 1�


Compression and Storage ConceptsOverflow FillingTheratedpressureofthestationstor-ageishigherthantheoneofthevehi-cle tank after refuelling. Refuellingis simply achieved by gas overflowfromthestationintothevehicleves-sels and pressure levelling betweenthetwo.Thisisoptimisedbydividingthe storage into several banks thatare consecutively connected to thevehiclestankwhereonlythelastbankhas to be charged with a pressureabove the final vehicle tank level. Acompressorwillonlybeneededtore-chargethestorageofthestationbutisnotinvolvedintherefuelling.

Booster Filling Thestationstoragehasa ratedpres-sure below that of the vehicle tank,so pressure downstream the stationvesselsmustbesufficientlyenhancedin order to fully charge the vehicle.This requires a“booster” compressorwitharatedinletpressurehighabove

ambient conditions which will beworking during refuelling. A secondcompressor may be required torecharge the storage of the station,depending on the characteristics ofhydrogensupply.

These were only the principle solu-tionsandhadnumerousvariants.Forexample, a two-step systemmay berealisedwithsteponeusingapressuredifferentialandinsteptwothefillingis completed by means of a booster(denoted as “overflow + booster” intheabove table).And for the caseofcompressor failure, by-passes shouldenable at least apartial vehicle tankfilling.

Inthecaseofliquidhydrogenstorageandgaseousrefuelling,theliquidcanbepressurisedupstreamthevaporiserusingacryogenicpump.Nocompres-sorforthegasphasewillberequiredandrefuellingisachievedbyoverflowfilling.

Overflowfillingsystem

Boosterfillingsystem

high pressurestorage

compressor high pressurestorage

compressor 1

compressor 2(booster)

> 350 bar < 350 bar

dispenser dispenser

The Two Options for Gaseous Hydrogen Refuelling


General RequirementsKeyrequirementsfortheCUTEhydro-genfillingstationswere:• A turn-key solution from only onesupplier per site (including on-sitehydrogengeneration,ifapplicable)

• Compact, modular units and com-ponentsthatcaneasilybeintegrat-ed into existing facilities, namelya bus depot, not interfering withday-to-daybusinessthere

• Pre-assembled, skid-mounted deli-veryoftheplant

• Smallfootprint• A full-service and maintenancecontractwithshortresponsetimesfromtheturn-keysupplier

• Automatic operation and 24 hourssurveillance possible (both by sup-plierandoperator)

• Simple handling of the refuellingprocess

• Refuelling time per bus not morethan30minutes

• Refuelling of the 3 buses feasiblewithoutorwithonlyashortinterval

• Hydrogenqualitynotaffectedalongthe chain from on-site productionortrailerfeed-in,respectively,totherefuellingnozzle

• In case of on-site generation, thepossibility to produce at part loadduringperiodsofreduceddemand

Details varied from site to site anddeviated partly from the above list.For example, the hydrogen storagesizemay have been limited to a cer-tainvaluebytheapprovingauthoritydue to the vicinity of other specificinstallations in the depot or due tonearby residential houses. In case ofasmallstorage,theintervalbetweentwobusfillingsmaybeseveralhours,until, for example, the on-site unithas produced enough gas to refuelanothervehicle.

HEW

/Hochbahn, �00�

Hydrogen Storage Banks at the Hamburg Station

�0 �1


The Electrolysis ProcessIn the water electrolysis processthehydrogen isproducedbyelectro-chemically splitting water molecules(H2O) into their constituents hydro-gen(H2)andoxygen(O2).Thedecom-positionofwater takesplace inaso-calledelectrolysiscellandconsistsoftwo partial reactions that take placeat twoelectrodes.Theelectrodesareplaced in an ion-conducting electro-lyte(usuallyanaqueousalkalinesolu-tion with 30% potassium hydroxideKOH).Gaseoushydrogen is producedat the negative electrode (cathode)and oxygen at the positive electrode(anode). The necessary exchange ofcharge occurs through the flow ofOH-ionsintheelectrolyteandcurrent(electrons) in the electric circuit. Inordertopreventamixingoftheprod-uctgases, the tworeactionareasareseparatedbyagas-tight,ion-conduct-ingdiaphragmmembrane.Energyforthewater splitting is supplied in theformofelectricity.

To achieve the desired productioncapacity,numerouscellsareconnect-edinseriesformingamodule.Largersystemscanberealisedbyaddingupseveralmodules.

Twotypesofelectrolysersarecommon,atmosphericandpressurisedunits.Anadvantage of the atmospheric elec-trolyser,workingatambientpressure,is its lower energy consumption buttherequiredspacefortheunitisrela-tively high. Pressurised electrolysersdeliver hydrogen up to 30 bar. Thisreducesenergydemandforcompres-sionandmayevenmakecompressorstagesredundant.Today,atmosphericelectrolyserswith capacitiesofup to500Nm3/handpressurisedunitswitha capacity rangeof 1–120Nm3/h arestandardproducts.

Anode Cathode

Diaphragm

+ –

O2 H2

e-

H2O/KOH

H2O/KOH

OH-

Schematic of Water Electrolysis

Based on Norsk H

ydro Electrolysers

Electrolyser Module

Hydrogenics Europe, �00�

Anode:

Cathode:

Overall cell reaction:

2OH- 1–2O2+H2O+2e-

2H2O+2e- H2+2OH-

H2O H2+

1–2O2

2.1.2 On-site Water Electrolysis


Refuelling ProcessThevehiclemustfirstbegroundedtoprevent electrostatic charging thatcouldinduceignitionofleakedhydro-gen.Next, thenozzlehas tobe fixedto the connector of the vehicle in agas-tightmanner.

Thefillingstationdoesnot“know”thestatusofthevehicletankatthebegin-ning of the fill regarding pressure(equivalenttothegasremainderandits temperature).Therefore, a samplevolumeisfirst injectedintothevehi-cletankandpressureresponseevalu-atedbythestationcontrol.Fordefin-ing the individual refuelling process,it has also to be taken into accountthathydrogen, likemostgases,heatsupwhenbeingcompressed.Sowhile

pressureinthevehicletankincreases,thetemperaturewillalsoraisewhichinturnwillaffectthetankpressure.

Thus, at completion of the fill, thetank will not necessarily display 350bar at 15°C but both values may behigher, within defined boundaries(e.g. temperature up to 85°C). Thishastobeaccountedforbythestationcontrolalgorithms.Detailsdependon,for example, ambient temperatureandwhetherornot thegas iscooledupstreamthenozzlewhilerefuelling.

The refuelling process is interruptedseveraltimesinordertoinjectfurthersample volumes. Subsequent stepsoffillingprocessrelyonadjustmentsbased on the most recent pressureresponse,inordernottoexceedpres-sureandtemperaturelimits.Inpartic-ular it has to be assured that aftercompletion of refuelling and aftertemperature equalisation betweenvehicle tank and environment, pres-sure does not exceed 350 bar anymore. The refuelling process usuallytakes about 15 (max. 30) minutes,dependingontheinitialfuellevelandrefuellingcontrolstrategy.

Bus during Refuelling in Luxembourg

PLANET, �00�

��

State-of-the-art electrolysers can beswitchedonandoff inminutes.Theyare thus capable of using off-peakelectricitywithlowertariffsfromthegridandevenintermittentrenewableenergy sources suchaswindor solarpower.

Ahydrogen-poweredvehiclewillonlycontributetoCO2-emissionreductionifcleansourcesfortheenergysupplyare used. This is why the cities thatemploy an electrolyser for on-sitehydrogenproductionbasetheirener-gysupplypartlyorfullyonrenewableresources(seedesignvaluestablefordetails).

Watermaybesuppliedfromthe tap.Theelectrolyserneedspurewater,anda feedwater treatment system is in-stalled.About1litreofwaterisrequired

toproduce1Nm3or0.09kghydrogen.The elevated pressure of 10–15 barreduces theenergydemandforcom-pression, the size of the electrolyser,and the size and costs of the com-pressor.

The electrolyser units include themain components: transformer, rec-tifier, water purifier, lye handlingsystem (cooling and pump), dryer,deoxidiser, compressor and storage.As the buses require a gas qualitybetter than 99.999% purification isneeded. The only impurities directfromtheelectrolyserareoxygenandwater vapour. Vapour is removed bythedryerandoxygenbythedeoxidis-er. After purification the hydrogen iscompressedandstored.Theproducedoxygen could also bedried andpuri-fied for use in other applications. AttheCUTEsites,theoxygenisreleasedintotheaironly.

Electrolyser Unitin Reykjavik (ECTOS Project)

Control Panel

Cooling Unit

ElectrolyserModule

Feed Water Treatment

H2 Drier & Deoxidizer

Water Purifier

Transformer

Gas/Lye Separator

Hydro , �00�


Hydrogenics Europe, �00�

Electrolysis Units in the CUTE ProjectAhydrogendemandbelow100Nm3/hand the aspects of reduced spacedemandandlowercompressionener-gy requirements led to the fact thatallthesitesintheCUTEprojectusingelectrolysers decided to install pres-surisedunits.

The two main process inputs areelectricity and water. The electricityfor the electrolysis is taken from thegrid as AC voltage, stepped downbya transformer and converted to DCvoltagebyarectifier.Energydemandis higher than for atmospheric elec-trolysis(4.8±0.1kWh/Nm3comparedto4.1±0.1kWh/Nm3H2).Thisequalsan efficiency of ~65% referring tothe lower heating value of hydrogen(3 kWh/Nm3) for the pressurisedelectrolyser.

Based on Norsk H

ydro Electrolysers, �00�

dryer

deoxidiser

to compressorand storage

lyecooler

demister

gas/lyeseparator

water seal

transformer

controlcubicle

gasanalyser lye tank

highvoltagesupply

rectifier O2 H2

H2O

O2

tappedwater

* compressionoptional, dependingon electrolyser design

*

*watertreatment

Flow Chart of an Electrolyser Unit

Electrolyser with Two Modules


��

i n f r a s t r u c t u r e : t e c h n o l o g y i n f r a s t r u c t u r e : t e c h n o l o g y2. 2.

City Amsterdam Barcelona Hamburg Stockholm

Supplier StuartEnergyEurope StuartEnergyEurope NorskHydroElectrolysers StuartEnergySystems

Capacity Nm3H2/h 60 60 60 60

Powersupply(installed) kWAC 400 400 390 400

Powersource green(certified) grid/PVon-site green(certified) green(certified)

Powerconsumption kWh/Nm3H2 4.8±0.1 4.8±0.1 4.8±0.1 4.8±0.1(module&pumps)

Availability % 98 98 >98 >90

H2purity % b u s m a n u f a c t u r e r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s (>99.999)

Feedwaterconsumption l/hratratedcapacity 60 60 60 80

Deliverypressure barabs 10 10 12 10

Electrolyte %KOH 30 30 30 30

Cellmodulelifetime years 7–10 7–10 10 7–10(atcontinuousoperation)

H2backupsystem no yes no no

Dimensions LxWxH(m) 12.2x2.55 12.2x2.55 7.7x2.5x4.3 12.2x2.55 x2.9(4incl.cooler) x2.9(4incl.cooler) x2.9(4incl.cooler)

Design values for the cities using electrolysers for on-site hydrogen productionKey Characteristics of Installed Electrolyser Technology

Technology Related• On site electrolysers are availableasturn-keysolutions.Thefullyinte-grated operating units are preas-sembled on skid-mounted framesallowing simple transport andinstallation. The modular designallowsanadjustablecapacityrange.

• Thepressurisedelectrolysersfeaturecompact space-saving design andautomatic,unattendedoperation.

• The units have a lowmaintenanceand spare parts need since no oronly few moving parts are used(dependingonsupplier).

• Theelectrolyserscanbeoperatedinaproduction rangeof 25–100%ofthe rated capacity and plant avail-ability is projected to be 98% orhigher.

• Energy consumption is 4.8 kWh/Nm3 H2 ± 0.1 kWh (electrolyser andpumps)and5.1kWh/Nm3±0.1kWh(incl. transformer, rectifier and gascleaning).Thesedesignvaluesreferto operation at max. load and anoutputpressureof10–15bar.

Safety Related• Theelectrolyserplantsaredesignedto fulfil the highest safety stan-dards (EN regulations, labellingandECdirectives).Thisincludese.g.a safe, controlled plant shut-downincaseofanydeviations fromnor-mal operation and the usage ofleak-proofgasandlyeflowducts.

GVB �00�

Electrolyser Installation: Amsterdam

Mikael Röhr, �00�

Stockholm On-Site Production Unit

��


• ion-exchange water conditioningsystem.Oneoptionishighpressurereforming with integrated heatexchangersandaworkingpressureof up to 16 bar which reduces thegeometric volume of the reformervessels and is ideal for a down-streamtreatmentbymeansofPSAor compression. The other optionis to operate the reformer at lowpressures(1.5bar)withanincreasedconversion ratio and compress thereformatepriortopurification.

• Steam Reforming and CO-Shift Conversion Methane and steam are convertedwithin the compact reformer fur-naceatapprox.900°C in thepres-enceofanickelcatalysttoahydro-gen rich reformate stream accord-ingtothefollowingreactions:

(1) CH4+H2O CO+3H2

(2) CO+H2O CO2+H2

• Theheatrequiredforreaction(1) isobtainedbythecombustionoffuelgasandpurge/tailgasfromthePSAsystem.

• Following the reforming step thesynthesis gas is fed into the CO-conversion reactor to produceadditionalhydrogen.Heat recovery

• for steam or feedstock preheatingtakes place at different pointswithin the process chain to opti-mise the energy efficiency of thereformer system (depending onthereformerdesign).

• Gas Purification – PSA-System Hydrogenpurificationisachievedbymeans of pressure swing adsorp-tion (PSA). The PSA unit consistsoffourvesselsfilledwithselectedadsorbents.ThePSAreacheshydro-genpuritieshigherthan99.999%by volume and CO impurities of

RÜTGERS Carbotech Engineering G

mbH

/WS Refom

er, �00�

height:2,4oo mm

reformatehydrogen

feed gasDI water

fuel gasair

exhaust gas

evaporator/reformatecooling(pat. pending)< 350°C

FLOX burner

combustionchamber

reformer tubewith catalyst> 850°C

insulation

Exemplary Layout of Modular Reformer (High Pressure Type)


IntroductionSteamreformingusinghydrocarbons(i.e.naturalgas, liquidpetroleumgasandnaphtha)asfeedisthemostcom-monprocesstoproducehydrogen.

Untilrecently,steamreformingplantsweredesignedforproductioncapacityrangingfrom200upto100,000Nm3/h.By using a newly developed type ofreformer it is now possible to serverangesof50upto200Nm3/heconom-ically by compact, small-scale hydro-gengenerationplantsbasedonsteamreformingof natural gas.This capac-ity range iswell suited for supplyingsmall vehicle fleets with hydrogen.The ability for multiple start-up andshut-downoperation is important toallowamaximumofflexibility.

The Steam Reformer ProcessThe process is divided into the gen-eration of a hydrogen rich reformatestreambymeansofsteam-methane-reforming (SMR) and the followinghydrogen purification by means ofpressureswingadsorption(PSA).

Theprocessrouteconsistsmainlyof• Pre-Treatment of the Feed• Thehydrocarbonfeedstockisdesul-phurisedusinge.g.activatedcarbonfilters, pressurised and, dependingon the reformerdesign, eitherpre-heated and mixed with processsteam or directly injected withthe water into the reformer with-out the need of an external heatexchanger. The fresh water is firstsoftened and demineralised by an

5

2

1 3

cooling water

condensateair

methanerich gas(e. g. naturalgas)

water H2

purge gas

4 5

*

**

a

a

stack

2

1 Feed Pre-Treatment2 Reforming & Steam Generation3 High Temperature Conversion4 Heat Exchanger Unit5 Purification Unit

* optional, depending on reformer designa either heat exchanger for low pressure reformer or compression to 1� bar for high pressure reformer

Flow Chart of a Steam Reformer

2.1.3 On-site Steam Reforming

��


Steam Reformer Units in the CUTE ProjectTwocities,MadridandStuttgart,haveinstalledsmallscalesteamreformingplantsonsite.Theseunitsweredeliv-ered by CarbotechGmbH forMadridand Mahler IGS for Stuttgart. Thereformers have a projected thermalefficiencyofnearto65%basedonthelower heating values of natural gasandhydrogen.

In Madrid, road supply of hydrogenandon-siteproductionruninparallel.Becauseof the supplementary exter-nal hydrogen source, the reformerdesign capacity (50Nm3/h) could bedeterminedbelow the rateddemandof all fuel cell buses (75Nm3/h, CUTEproject and one additional vehicle).Thisallowslongerperiodsofreformeroperationatfullloadandreducesthenumberofstart-stopcycleswhennotallbusesareinservice.

Key Characteristics of the Installed Steam Reformer Technology• The steam reforming plants aredesignedasturn-keysolutions.Theycaneitherbebuiltonskidsorinonecontainer, thus reducing the spacerequirement (anetareaequivalentto max. two 20-foot containersincluding the PSA unit is needed)and the commissioning time. Theonly interfaces needed are naturalgas,waterandelectricitysupply.

• Themodular construction allows acapacity extension of the plantwhenever it may be required. Thiscould be either realised by addingcomplete containerised reformermodules or by adding reformertubesto theexistingones(nonewreformermodulenecessary).

• The plants are designed for auto-matic and unattended operation.This includes automatic start-upandshut-downandautomaticloadadjustmentusinga remotecontrolsystem(e.g.viainternet).

• Hydrogenqualityisconstantlymoni-toredandguaranteedbythereformersuppliers.

Safety-Related Key Characteristics• Thereformerplantsaredesignedtomeet the highest safety standards(ENregulations, labellingandECdirectives). Shouldanysafety relat-ed problem occur the systemswillautomatically switch into safestate.

Mahler IG

S, �00�

Skid with theStuttgart Steam Reformer Unit


City Madrid Stuttgart

Supplier RÜTGERSCarbotechEngineeringGmbH MahlerIGS

Capacity Nm3H2/h 50 100

Naturalgasconsumption Nm3/hatratedcapacity 22 46.5

Lowerheatingvaluenat.gas MJ/Nm3 39.8 36

Feedwaterconsumption kg/hratratedcapacity 60 150

Powersupply(installed) kWAC@380V 34 50

Purificationtechnology PSA(4beds) PSA(4beds)

H2purity %b u s m a n u f a c t u r e r s p e c i f i c a t i o n s (>99.999)

Product gas specification (both sites) Flue gas specification (both sites)

CO+CO2 vppm <2 <25%(onlyCO2) Hydrocarbons vppm <1 <0,01%(CO+CO4) O2 vppm <500 <4% H2O vppm <40 <20% He+Ar+N2 vol.% <1 <80%(onlyN2) ∑S vppm <1 <5mg/m3(NOx) NH3 vppm <0,01 H2 rest –

Deliverypressure barabs 15 13

H2backupsystem deliverybytrailer deliverybytrailerinmax.24h

Reformerdimensions LxWxH(m) 12x3x3.5(incl.PSA) 12x2.5x2.5

lessthan1vppm(volumetricpartpermillion) fulfilling the specificationssetbythefuelcellbussupplier.Pure hydrogen from the PSA unit issent to the hydrogen compressor,whilethePSAoff-gasfromrecoveringthe adsorbents, called tailgas, is fedtothereformerburner.Dependingonthe reformer design, a recuperativeburner is used featuring high effi-ciency and low nitrogen oxide (NOx)emissions. During normal operation,theburnercanbeoperatedsolelyonthetailgasstream.

Mahler IG

S, �00�

Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA)

Design values for the cities using steam reformers for on-site hydrogen production

�0 �1

Gaseous SupplyThestandardpressureforroadtrans-port of compressed gaseous hydro-gen(CGH2)is200bar,maximumpres-surecurrentlybeing300bar.A trailercan deliver between 300 and 600kgCGH2.Onedeliverywillthusonlylastforaverylimitedspanoftime.Unlesstwo trailers are parked on site, thescheduleforexchangingthemwillbetightandhastoworkonastrictjust-in-timebasistoguaranteefuelsupplyforthebuses.

Comparedtoliquefaction,theenergydemand for compression is signifi-cantly less (depending on input andoutput pressure). Gaseous hydrogen,oncefilledintoapressurevessel,willremaintherewithoutlosses.

InadditiontoCUTEcitiesthatrelyonexternal supplyentirely, themajorityof the sites with on-site generationhave the opportunity to use hydro-gen from central sources on a back-upbasiswhenever required, likedur-ing maintenance. Other cities wereguaranteedaveryhighavailabilityofthe hydrogen production unit fromtheir turn-key supplier and thereforemade no arrangements for back-upsupply.

Externalsupplyofhydrogensavestheinvestmentinalocalproductionfacil-itybut itdoesnotnecessarilyreducefootprint. To the contrary, in case ofCGH2, space for at least two trailersmustbemadeavailableplusroomforparkingmanoeuvres.Some transportoperators expected disturbances intheirbusdepotbecauseofhydrogentrailer traffic and thus opted for anon-site production solution. For thisreasonorfor the lackofspace,afewof them even excluded back-up sup-plyastheirtechnologysupplierguar-anteed sufficient availability of theiron-siteproductionunit(cf.above).

Trailer for Gaseous Supply in Luxembourg

PLANET, �00�

2. i n f r a s t r u c t u r e : t e c h n o l o g yi n f r a s t r u c t u r e : t e c h n o l o g y2.

IntroductionHydrogen from a central productionplantcouldinprinciplebedeliveredtotheCUTE filling stationsviapipeline.InEurope,however,onlyca. 1,000kmofhydrogenpipelinesexistandnoneof them runs near one of the CUTEfacilities.Soexternalsupply,bothonaregularbasisandasaback-upsource,has to take place via road transport.Hydrogen quality is certified by thesuppliersforeachdelivery.

London,LuxembourgandPortoreceiveall their hydrogen fuel from centralsources,Madrid part of the demand.Theyfirstallboughtcompressedgas-eoushydrogen(CGH2).Londonmovedto liquid hydrogen supply in May2005.

Liquid SupplyA truck can carry up to about 3.3tonnesofliquidhydrogen(LH2),equiv-alent to about 36,700Nm3.Thiswayofsupplyhastheadvantagethatonedelivery to the local station storagecan last formore than 20 dayswiththreebuses served there. It isprefer-able for longdistancesbetweenpro-duction site and consumer, commonintheUSA.

A drawback of liquid supply is that,duetothevery lowtemperatures,allstorage vessels have to be very wellinsulated. Small amounts of hydro-gen can also be lost if the station isnotbeingusedfor refuellingforpro-longedperiodsashydrogencanstarttoboilandhas tobevented inorderto stay below the maximum pres-sureofthevessel.Thisisnothowevera problem if vehicles are refuellingregularly.

Another disadvantage is the highenergydemand for liquefyinghydro-gen. It amounts to about one thirdof the energy contained within theliquefiedhydrogen(1Nm3,containing3.54kWh,requiresmorethan1kWh).Given the comparably short distanc-es from central production sites tohydrogen customers, gaseous deliv-eryisdominantinEurope.Onlythreefacilitiesforliquefactionexisttoday.Trailer for Liquid Hydrogen Supply

BOC, �00�

2.1.4 External Hydrogen Supply

��

i n f r a s t r u c t u r e : o p e r a t i o n s2.

forstoringliquidhydrogen–theonlyone in CUTE (referred to as LondonHornchurch).

Inthefollowinganalysis,stationunitsand,ifapplicable,productionunitsareevaluatedseparately(cf.Figure2.2.2).

The station units comprise:hydrogencompressor(s) for high-pressure stor-age and for booster refuelling (oneunit can serve both purposes), high-pressure storage (in one ore morebenches), the dispenser, includingtherefuellingnozzle,thecontrolunitincluding signal transmitters, safe-ty devices, and auxiliaries of thesecomponents, suchasa cooler for thecompressor(s).

The hydrogen production units com-prise: the electrolysis stack or thenaturalgasreformer,respectively,andauxiliaries such as water condition-ing, cooling, compressors for instru-ment air, process gas and hydrogen,hydrogenpurificationdevices,controlunit,safetydevices,etc.

Performance of the station unitsAllrefuellingstationswereoperation-al (available) for more than 80% ofthetimeoverthetwoyearsofopera-tionwiththeexceptionofBarcelona.Themajoritydisplayedanavailabilityofmorethan90%(Figure2.2.3).GiventhatallCUTEfacilitiesareprototypes,this levelofperformance is fully sat-isfying.Figure2.2.4showsthatthehydrogencompressors were the most criticalcomponentacrossallsitesintermsofdowntime hours. Almost 50% of alldowntimewascausedbythem.

Thesecondmostcriticalcomponentswere the dispensers, namely theirnozzle,hoseandbreakawaycoupling.They did not, in fact, cause a great

Amst

erda

mBa

rcel

ona

Hambu

rg

Lond

onLu

xem

bour

g

Mad

rid

Porto

Stoc

khol

m

Stut

tgar

t

Lond

on

100 %

90 %

80 %

70 %

60 %

50 %

40 %

30 %

20 %

10 %

0 %

Hackn

eyHor

nchu

rch

Figure �.�.�: Average availabilities of the station units.

PLANET / BP / Vattenfall, �00�

TheCUTEhydrogenrefuellingfacilitiessuppliedthefuelcellbuseswithover192.000kg hydrogen in more than8.900 refuellings. This is far morethaninanyprevioustrialofhydrogen-powered vehicles.Over 120.000kgofhydrogenwereproducedon-sitewithabout56%ofthisbeingderivedfrom“green” electricity, i.e. hydro powerand combustion of solid biomass, inAmsterdam,HamburgandStockholmrespectively.

London effectively worked with twofacilities: An installation with gas-eoushydrogenstorage(referredtoasLondonHackneyinthefollowing)wasin place until the final unit becameoperational which included a tank


2.2 Hydrogen Infrastructure Operation: Results and Lessons Learnt

Electricity

Natural gas

Water

Inert gas

External Hydrogen Supply

On-site Hydrogen

Production Unit

Compressor Storage

BoosterCompressor

Station Unit

Dispenser

Amst

erda

mBa

rcel

ona

Hambu

rg

Lond

onLu

xem

bour

g

Mad

rid

Porto

Stoc

khol

m

Stut

tgar

t

Lond

on

30.000 kg

25.000 kg

20.000 kg

15.000 kg

10.000 kg

5.000 kg

0 kg

Hackn

eyHor

nchu

rch

Figure �.�.1: Amounts of hydrogen dispensed at each site. Blue bars: Sites with solely external supply. Red bars: Sites with on-site electrolysis (external backup possible in Barcelona and Hamburg). Green bars: Sites with on-site steam reformers (Madrid with complementing regular external supply, Stuttgart with external backup).

Figure �.�.�: Generalised schematic of the CUTE hydrogen infrastructure facilities Hydrogen is supplied by truck from external sources or generated on site. It is compressed, stored, and on demand dispensed to the buses. Dispensing can take place by pressure differential only (decanting), by pressure differential followed by filling up the vehicle tank with a booster compressor, or with a booster compressor only.



��

Performance of the hydrogen production unitsTheaverageavailabilityofthehydro-gen production units in Amsterdamand Stockholm was about the sameas that of the station unit and wellabove90%(Figure2.2.5).InHamburg,materialproblemscausedaleakfromapipewhichreducedtheunit’savail-ability below 70% despite an other-wisesmoothoperation.Themagentabar in Figure 2.2.6 is entirely due tothisissue.Thematerialproblemcouldnot be foreseen based on previousexperiences.Ithighlightsthenecessi-tyandvalueofdemonstrationundereverydayoperatingconditions.

On thewhole, the hydrogen produc-tion units equipped with electrolys-ersmetexpectationswell.Regardinghydrogen generation from natu-ral gas, the experience was differ-ent resulting in lower average avail-abilities (green bars in Figure 2.2.5).Most of the difficulties were causedby the reformers self (Figure 2.2.7).Steam reformer plants at industri-al scale have been state-of-the-artfor decades. The small on-site unitsin CUTE, however, had hardly beenemployedbeforeand therefore facedchallengessuchasahighlevelofloadflexibility. Their compact design alsoresultedinexcesstemperatureissuesandlimitedmaterialdurability.

2. i n f r a s t r u c t u r e : o p e r a t i o n s

Air o

r Pro

cess

Gas C

ompr

esso

rEl

ectro

lysis

St

ack

Hydro

gen

Co

mpr

esso

r

Tran

sfor

mer

/ Re

ctifi

erW

ater

Cond

ition

ing

Hydro

gen

Pu

rifica

tion

Cool

ing

Cont

rol

Safe

ty D

evice

s

and

Alar

ms

inclu

ding

Leak

sM

iscel

lane

ous

Mai

nten

ance

80 %

70 %

60 %

50 %

40 %

30 %

20 %

10 %

0 %

Figure �.�.�: Causes for downtime of the production units based on water electrolysis. ‘Maintenance’ represents scheduled maintenance; all other categories represent failure and repair of the component and its auxiliaries.

Air o

r Pro

cess

Gas C

ompr

esso

rRe

form

er

Hydro

gen

Co

mpr

esso

r

Tran

sfor

mer

/ Re

ctifi

erW

ater

Cond

ition

ing

Hydro

gen

Pu

rifica

tion

Cool

ing

Cont

rol/

El

ectro

nics

Safe

ty D

evice

s

and

Alar

ms

inclu

ding

Leak

sM

iscel

lane

ous

Mai

nten

ance

80 %

70 %

60 %

50 %

40 %

30 %

20 %

10 %

0 %

Figure �.�.�: Causes for downtime of the production units based on steam methane reforming. ‘Maintenance’ represents scheduled maintenance; all other categories represent failure and repair of the component and its auxiliaries.



dealofdowntimehoursduetofailureor repair (see the relatively smallbar‘Dispensing’inFigure2.2.4).However,inthewakeofincidentsatsomesites,their safety was discussed whichmade some station operators closedown their facility at timesuntil theissuewasresolved.Thiswasthemaincontributor to the ‘Safety Concerns’barofFigure2.2.4.Insum‘Dispensing’and ‘Safety Concerns’ accounted forabout 20% of all downtime. Safetyconcerns regarding the dispensingequipment also caused a few opera-tors to reduce the maximum devel-opedpressureduring refuelling from438barto350baror400bartempo-rarily.ThankstotheworkoftheSafetyandSecurityTaskforce(cfSection2.3),the issueswere resolved, some com-ponents were modified, and opera-tiongotbacktonormal.

Downtime caused by the productionunitduetolackoffuel(bar‘ProductionUnit’ in Figure 2.2.4)mainlyoccurredinHamburgandStockholm,wherenoexternalbackupsupplywasforeseen.InHamburg,backupsupplywasonlyenabled during the second year ofoperation.Downtimeunder‘ExternalSupply’representsfreshtrailersarriv-ing late and repairs to the dockingstation.


Stor

age

Dispen

sing

Co

ntro

ls/

Elec

troni

cs

Prod

uctio

n

Unit

Exte

rnal

Supp

ly

Misc

ella

neou

s

Hydro

gen

Co

mpr

esso

r

Safe

ty D

evice

s an

d Al

arm

s

Safe

ty

Conc

erns

Mai

nten

ance

60 %

50 %

40 %

30 %

20 %

10 %

0 %

Figure �.�.�: Causes for downtime of the station unit across all sites. ‘Maintenance’ represents scheduled maintenance; ‘Safety Concerns’ represents periods when the station was technically OK but taken out of service due to safety concerns; all other categories represent failure and repair of the component and its auxiliaries.

Mad

rid

Stut

tgar

t

100 %

90 %

80 %

70 %

60 %

50 %

40 %

30 %

20 %

10 %

0 %

Amst

erda

m

Barc

elon

a

Hambu

rg

Stoc

khol

m

Figure �.�.�: Comparison of average availabilities of the production units (coloured bars) and station units (grey bars). There is no availability figure for the production unit in Barcelona due to incomplete data.



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Hydrogen lossesThe typicalvalue forhydrogen lossesduetopurgingofsystemcomponentsand background leakage was in therangeof5%to10%forsiteswithnoor few problems during the operat-ingphase,e.g.Porto,AmsterdamandStockholm(Figure2.2.9).Itisinterest-ingtonote,thereisnosignificantdif-ference between sites with externalsupplyandon-sitegeneration.

Siteswithsignificantcomponentfail-uresdisplayahigherlevelofloss.Forexample,inHamburgthestoragehadto be emptied once after rupture ofthe compressor membrane and sub-sequent hydrogen contamination.In doing so, about 400kg hydrogenwerevented.Excludingthisparticulareventwouldreducethelossfactortolessthan9%.

Special circumstances must be con-sidered for London Hornchurch andStuttgart:• The liquid hydrogen storage inHornchurchwasdesignedforadailywithdrawal of 120kg for refuellingthebuses.Theactual consumptionpattern,however,wasabout60kg,five days a week on average. Forthis reason, substantial boil-off ofliquidhydrogenoccurred.Accordingto expert estimates, the level oflosses would have been as low as

it was in other CUTE cities if theanticipated consumption patternhadprevailed.

• The main loss mechanism inStuttgart was the fact that thereformer could not start and stophydrogen generation as flexiblyas originally projected. Therefore,instead of intermittent operation,the reformer had to be operatedcontinuously (at the lowest pos-sibleproductionrateofabout50%),even at times when the hydrogenstorage was full. As a result, theexcesshydrogenwasventedtotheatmosphere.

• Over a period of sixmonthswhenthe reformerwas in repairand thesitereliedonexternalsupply,hydro-gen losses amounted to only 6%.This confirms the typical range ofloss for periods of“normal” opera-tion,asstatedabove.


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Figure �.�.�: Specific hydrogen losses relative to the sum of external supply and on-site generation. Losses were determined as the difference between the amounts supplied and dispensed.


Efficiency of on-site hydrogen generation and supplyThedarkbarsinFigure2.2.8representtheefficiencyoftheproductionunits.The light bars display the efficien-cy of the entire on-site supply chaindowntotherefuellingnozzlebecausethe energy consumption of the sta-tion unit is added on top of that ofproduction unit. In this way, Figure2.2.8 illustrates by the examples ofAmsterdam and Hamburg that theenergy demand for compression and

dispensing is not negligible. In fact,for Hamburg the dark and light bardifferbyalmost9%.Ithastobebornein mind, though, that the Hamburgsite was illuminated with effort tohighlightthe“ice-cubedesign”ofthefacility’s scaffolding (see photo onfrontpageofthissummaryofachieve-ments).Thisenergyisincludedinthemeasureddata.

Figure2.2.8alsoillustratestheconse-quences of operating steam reform-ers at part-load. The rated thermalefficienciesbasedon thenatural gasinput are stated as 62% at 50Nm3/h (Madrid) and 65% at 100 Nm3/h(Stuttgart). Therefore an overall effi-ciency, considering natural gas andpower consumption (end energy), ofabout60%canbeexpected.However,the actual overall figure during thetrialamountedtoonlyabout35%onaverage. A detailed analysis revealsthat theunitshardlyoperatedat fullload but, on average, at about halftheir rated capacity. As the reform-ers couldnotbestartedupandshutdown as easily as anticipated, theywere operated continuously at lowproduction rates that matched fuelconsumption as close as possible.(The average thermal efficiency wasabout 40%; data not included inFigure2.2.8.)

2. i n f r a s t r u c t u r e : o p e r a t i o n sAm

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Figure �.�.�: Efficiency of on-site hydrogen supply. Efficiencies are based on end energy usage (power and, for Madrid and Stuttgart, natural gas) and calculated relative to the lower heating value of the hydrogen produced. Dark bars: Considering energy consumption of the hydrogen production unit, i.e. hydrogen generation and purification only. (Not pos-sible for Barcelona and Stockholm because at these sites only the com-bined power consumption of station and production unit was metered.) Light bars: Considering energy consumption of the entire facility. (Only meaningful for months with solely on-site hydrogen supply, thus not applicable to Barcelona and Madrid as there were no such months during the operating phase.)


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greatsuccess,manychallengesofthepastlooksimpletoday.Hydrogenon-sitegenerationand350barhydrogenrefuelling are not a vision anymorebuthavebecomeaday-to-dayreality,carriedoutthousandsoftimes.Itwasnot apparent at the outset that theindividual technical solutions wouldperformsowell.

The critical components in terms ofdowntimehavebeenidentifiedabove(see Figures 2.2.4–7). These quanti-tative findings are well in line withstatements fromthebusandstationoperatorswhenconsultedabouttheirviewsonadvancesand issuesarisingfromthetrials.Theuserinterfacewasgiven firstpriority in termsof safety.Operators were in general satisfiedwith the performance of the infra-structure installations. The level oftheir individual satisfaction reflectstheavailabilityof theparticular localfacility (seeFigures2.2.3&2.2.5).Busoperators that had previous experi-enceswithCNG-poweredvehiclesandrefuelling installations pointed outthat therewere no fundamental dif-ferencesbetweenCNGandhydrogeninfrastructures.Contingencyarrange-ments for backup supply turned outtobevital.

Optimisation potentialsEnhancedsystemintegrationandsim-plificationoftheinfrastructurefacili-tiesarerequired,especiallyforplantsthatcompriseon-sitegenerationandstation units. Although all CUTE cit-ies had a turn-key supplier for theirhydrogeninfrastructureandthetech-nology,themajorcomponentsusuallycame from individualmanufacturers.This often resulted in redundancies,for example, separate controls forhydrogen production units and sta-tions, and in a mismatch betweencomponents.

It will be of great importance toachieve a basic level of standardisa-tionforhydrogenrefuellingfacilities.This will also enable turn-key sup-pliers to choose components from arangeofmanufacturersand,therefore,shouldhelptoreducetheinvestmentcostandfootprint,increaseefficiency(resultinginloweroperatingcost)andadvanceoverallperformance.

Systemdevelopmentshouldalsocon-sider, to a greater extent, the specialneeds associated with variable loadpatterns, intermittent operation, andpart-loadconditions.Anotherfocusmustbehydrogenpuri-ty monitoring. Apart from the chal-lenge that fuel cell manufacturers

2. i n f r a s t r u c t u r e : o p e r a t i o n s

The reasons for the apparently highlossesinLondonHackneyandLuxem-bourgarestillunderinvestigation.

Inert gas consumptionThe level of nitrogen or argon con-sumption determines the frequencyof supplies, and, thus the logisticaleffort.Itisworththereforeevaluatingthe levelof consumptionat the indi-vidual CUTE sites. Several inert gasusepatternscanbemadeout:• Porto,Amsterdam,Barcelona,Stock-holm and Madrid mainly requiredinertgasforoccasionalpurgingaftermaintenance or repair. Sometimesnitrogenwasemployedwhenanaircompressorfailed.Theirlevelofcon-sumption stayedwell below 0,1m3inertgasperkghydrogenrefuelled.

• London Hackney and Luxembourgused inert gas also for actuatingvalves. Their level of consumptionwas in the range of about 0,15–0,25m3 inert gas per kg hydrogenrefuelled.

• Hamburg required high amountsof nitrogen for frequent purgingof the compressor when the facil-itywas relying on external backuphydrogensupply.

• In London Hornchurch and inStuttgart, continuous purging ofventstackswasapplied.Accordingly,the level of nitrogen consumptionwas above 1m3 inert gas per kghydrogen refuelled. In Stuttgart,continuous purgingwas the resultof an individual hazard analysis.The CUTE facility was located onthesamepremisesasaliquidnatu-ral gas tank and rather close to it.In London Hornchurch, continuouspurgingwas carried out as a stan-dard practice for liquid hydrogenfacilities.

ConclusionsThe various hydrogen supply path-waysas selectedat thebeginningoftheprojecthavemadea tremendouscontribution to the wealth of learn-ingsfromCUTE.Nowthattheoperat-ing phase has been completed with


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Figure �.�.10: Specific consumption of inert gas per kg hydrogen dispensed. Several groups of sites can be identified.


�0 �1

turesusedinCUTEwereadequateforsupplying small fleets. Larger fleetswill require the refuelling of numer-ous units concurrently, either withsubstantiallyreducedrefuellingtimesfarbelow 15minutesandnowaitingbetween two vehicles, or slow refu-elling overnight. 700 bar refuellingwouldalsohelpbyincreasingvehiclerange. Concepts and components forinstallations like theseareasyetnotathand.

MostoftheinfrastructurefacilitiesinCUTEwere located in thedepot thatalsodomiciled thebuses.This is alsoanoptionforthefuture,onefavoured,in particular, by the bus operatorswhohadtocommutetotheirstationeverydayduringtheoperatingphaseofCUTE.Ontheotherhand,mostbusoperators dismiss the idea of on-sitehydrogengenerationforlargerfleets:Inthefirstplace,becausebusdepotsareusuallyshortofspaceevenwith-out additional components such aselectrolysers or large gas storages.Secondly, bus operators are worriedaboutsafety,andpermittinga‘chemi-calfactory’tobesetupontheirprem-isesraisesissues.Trailersupplyofgas-eoushydrogenisnosolutionforlargebus fleets (either), given thenumberof deliveries that would be requiredand the traffic caused by them – inthedepotandonpublicroads.

Given theabove,‘near-site’hydrogensupplyhas to be explored,withgen-erationandbulkstorageonalocationclose to thedepotwhere the stationunit is situated and connected to itviapipeline.

The issue of uniform regulations forthe approval of hydrogen refuellinginstallations needs to be tackled inordertoassureplanningreliability inall parts of the EU (andbeyond) andto facilitate a (cost reducing) stan-dardisationofthetechnology,asout-lined above. Operating experiencesfromCUTEandotherhydrogeninfra-structuresneedtobedisseminatedtoapproval bodies at all levels in orderto avoid, for example, local authori-ties imposinghighlyover-engineeredsafetyfeaturesbecauseoftheir inex-periencewithhydrogentechnology.

The ultimate goal is that hydrogenfuel for transport does not remainsomething for dedicated and enthu-siastic stakeholders, as in CUTE, butbecomesamatureproductforuseontheretailmarket.


face in order to make their productmore robust against contaminants,systems for continuous hydrogenquality analysis at the end of thesupplychain,i.e.justupstreamoftherefuellingnozzle,mustbedeveloped.Suchunitswouldhavetoraisealarmin case of acute high-level impuritybutalsotrackcreeping,low-levelcon-tamination.

Ontheorganisationalside,infrastruc-ture suppliers and operators need todevelopclearconceptsofhowtoreactrapidlytoproblemswiththeinstalla-tions, especially in the crucial ramp-up phases of operation. Accordingly,agreements with component manu-facturers and local contractors needtobeinplace.Thisincludesdemandsstemmingfrommulti-siteandmulti-country projects, such as languageandculture.

Acoherentframeworkfordataacqui-sitionandevaluationacrosssites,andeven between individual demonstra-tion projects, are a prerequisite forsuccess, and not only in transport-related activities. Such a frameworkmustbe finalisedbeforehardware isordered.Theremustbeonepersonateach site who is responsible for thecapture of all data (most likely fromseveralsources).Thesepeopleshouldbetrainedinajointworkshopbefore

thestartofoperation.Theobjectivesofthedatacollectionproceduremustbe transparent to them and misun-derstandings regarding themeaningofindividualindicatorsandtheirdatabases must be avoided as much aspossible. Again, diversities regardingvocational training background, lan-guage and culture must be consid-ered.

Next stepsThe nine sites with their individualtechnicalsolutionsandoperatingcon-ditionshaveproduced rather individ-ual results that are often difficult tocompare.TheexampleofAmsterdamand Barcelona illustrates that evensiteswith (almost) identical technol-ogy can display very different out-comes in terms of performance (seeFigure 2.2.5). This points to the needfor‘fleettrials’ofhydrogeninfrastruc-tureunits,i.e.installationsthatsharethe same technology and are oper-atedconcurrentlyatdifferentsitesinordertoexploretheirdurabilityunderdiverseoperatingconditions.

TheCUTEprojecthasbeenanimpor-tantearlysteptowardssustainabilityin(public)transportbutthereismuchto do.With thenext steps, hydrogenas a fuel has to meet even moreclosely the day-to-day needs of busoperators. The hydrogen infrastruc-


��

i n f r a s t r u c t u r e : q u a l i t y a n d s a f e t y2.

• Documentation of technical safetyrequirements for the permission,themanufacturing, and the usageofthetechnology.ThisincludestheinfrastructurefortheH2supplyandits use in fuel cell (FC) poweredbuses in different European coun-tries.

The Task The intention of WP7 was to col-lect and use experiences during theoperation of the FC hydrogen busesand the hydrogen infrastructure.Development and introduction of amonitoring scheme, as well as datacollecting and processing have beenkeyactivitiesintheproject.The scope of WP 7 was the hydro-gensupplyandhydrogenstation(seeFigure1)

To get a clear understanding of thetaskitwasessentialtodevelopacom-monperceptionofthetermsQuality, Safety andMethodology. Terms anddefinitions were discussed with theCUTE cities and agreed inWP leadermeetings:• Qualityshouldadheretotheunder-standing of quality as describedin EN-ISO 9000:2000: “Degree towhichasetofcharacteristicsfulfilsrequirements.” IntheCUTEcontextthismeans:“Asetofcharacteristics

of the hydrogen supply, hydrogenstations and the connected pro-cesses that meet the needs andexpectationsofthebuscompanies,theoperators,andother interestedparties”.

• Safetywasunderstoodasdescribedin IEC 61511: “Freedom from unac-ceptable risk1” or as described bythe Australian Council for Safetyand Quality in Healthcare andslightlymodifiedby theWP leadergroup2: “A state in which risk hasbeen reduced to a tolerable level”.IntheCUTEcontextthiswasunder-stoodas:“A state inwhich the riskis below an acceptable limit, andwheretheeffortsandcostsneededtoreducetheriskforharmishigherthan the negative impact of theharm”.

Water

Natural gas

Electricity

Hydrogendispenser

FC hydrogen bus

Energy losses

Emissions and noise

Trucked in hydrogen

Hydrogen production

Hydrogenstorage

Figure �.�.1: The scope of WP�, Quality and Safety Methodology

1IEC61511-1:2003(E):Risk:Combinationofthefrequencyofoccurrenceofharmandtheseverityofthatharm.Harm:Physicalinjuryordamagetothehealthofpeople,eitherdirectlyorindirectly,asaresultofdamagetopropertyortotheenvironment.2“Acceptablelevel”changedto“tolerablelevel”bytheWPleadergroupinordertofittheALARP–aslowasreasonablepracticable–principle

Hydro

Quality and Safety Methodology

IntroductionQuality and safety has been amajorconcern in the CUTE project. This isreflected in the three criteria laiddownforsuccessinthetrial,namely:• Nomajoraccidents• High performance of the fuel cellbusesandthehydrogeninfrastruc-ture

• Experiencesandlessonslearntfromdata generation and access shouldbe applicable for the developmentoffuturestations.

In order to learn as much as pos-sible from the project, there was arequirementthattheperformanceofthebuses and thehydrogen stationsshould be monitored. The data andinformationshouldbegeneratedinasystematic way and be accessible to

allprojectpartners.Thepurposewasto use the information for furtherdevelopment of technology and sys-temsforfutureprojects.

Work Package 7 (WP7) focused onqualityandsafetymethodologyintheCUTEproject.Thepurposeoftheworkwas to identify and recommend aqualityandsafetymethodologytobeusedwhenestablishingfuturehydro-genrefuellingstations.TheobjectivesforWP7wereasfollows:• Developmentofaqualityandsafe-tymethodologytobeusedasbasisfor guidelines for future hydrogenfilling stations. The methodologywillbedevelopedbasedonexistingknowledgeandmonitoringofCUTEproject activities andwill focus onthelikelyfutureneedsandrequire-mentsoftransportcompanies.


Storage Tank and Valve Panels: Hamburg

Hochbahn

2.3 Quality and Safety: Results and Lessons Learnt

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and improved on-site production areexamples of a systematic handlingofdeviations.Aqualitymanagementmethodologyforcontinuousimprove-ment is the PDCAmethodology, alsoknown as the Deming methodolo-gy3.Themethodologycomprisesfourbasic steps: Plan what to do – Dowhatyouhaveplanned–MonitorandCheck the results of what you havedone–Acttocorrectasneeded.

The CUTE project implemented thePDCA approach. The common datacollection and reporting system andtheprojectmeetingsinvolvingallthesitesprovedvaluable indevelopingacommonappreciationofperformancemonitoring. DaimlerChrysler andBallardused thePDCAapproacheffi-ciently during the planning and theoperation of the buses. Deviations,e.g. transmitter failures, were dealtwithefficiently,andtheoverallresultshavebeenofahighquality.Customersweresatisfied.

ThePDCAapproachwasusedfor thehydrogen stations as well, but notas uniformly as for the buses. Thiswas,however,improvedbycommenc-ingacommonincidentandfollow-upsystem introduced by the Task Forcefor Safety and Security in 2004. Thereportingandhandlingofdeviationswas done locally. Safety related inci-dents were discussed and followed-upwithingroupsofprojectpartners.Morethan60incidentswerereportedin thiscommonreportingsystem.Allin all, the quality of the hydrogenstations did not meet expectations.Some of the stations were reliable,withsatisfactoryperformance.Otherswere inoperative for various reasons,causing considerable down-time forthelocalproject.

3Ageneralprocessmethod-ologyforTotalQualityControl(TQC)introducedbytheAmericanstatisticsW.E.Deminginthelate1940’s.

Fuel Cell Bus in wintery conditions in Stockholm

Per Westergard


• Methodology was understood asdescribed in the Oxford AdvancedLearner’s Dictionary of CurrentEnglish: “(a) Science or study ofmethods (b) set of methods usedinworkingwithsomething”. IntheCUTE context this meant: “A setof methods used in working withquality and safety in all phases oftheCUTEproject”

All the cities aswell asotherprojectpartners have contributed valuablefeedbackandinputtothemonitoringprogramme,tothequalityandsafetyapproach, and to the results inWP7.Theworkinvolvingthecitieswasdis-cussed in all the CUTE projectmeet-ings. In the operational phase, theleader ofWP7met with each of thecitiesindividuallythroughout2004.The data and information were col-lected through the project’s Mission

Profile Planning (MIPP) system,through the Incident ReportingScheme,throughresponsestospecificquestionnaires developed by FLEEA,inprojectmeetingsand in individualmeetings.

The Results QualityCommunicationof requirements andexpectationsbetweenthecityprojectgroups and other stakeholders suchas the suppliers, the authorities, thepublic and the project managementwas important for the project’s suc-cess.

In order to assess any gap betweenreal performance and what wasexpected, monitoring and communi-cationofdeviationsturnedouttobeavaluabletool.ThisisinlinewiththeISO standard onQuality and the useofthePlanDoCheckAct(PDCA)tool.Tocloseanygapbetweenrealperfor-mance andwhat is expected, and inthis way encourage quality improve-ment, all deviations needed to berecorded, followedupand communi-cated systematically. This was doneinCUTE.Oneresultwastheimprovedhydrogen filling nozzle coupling.Improvements were also achievedlocally. Improved dispenser systems,improved hydrogen compressors

P: PlanD: DoC: CheckA: Act

A system that provides transparency and traceability.

PA

C D

2. i n f r a s t r u c t u r e : q u a l i t y a n d s a f e t y

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Experiences from the two years ofoperationdemonstratethatthehydro-gensupplyandthehydrogenstationsin particular have not performed asexpected.Thereweremanydeviationsfromtheplannedoperation.Theday-to-day back up at the hydrogen sta-tionsneedstobedesignedandestab-lished to align with the maturity ofthis technologyanduser knowledge.Experiencesfromthesuccessfuloper-ationofthebusescouldbeutilisedforthe hydrogen stations.The followingtopicsneedtobeaddressed:1. Operational issues, e.g. automatedoperation, follow up, service andmaintenance

2.Userinterfaceandlocalservicesys-tem

Recommended Quality and Safety Methodology for Future Hydrogen StationsTheQuality and SafetyMethodologyrecommended to be used for theestablishmentandoperationoffuturehydrogenstationscanbeoutlinedasfollows:• Follow the steps for a fixed assetproject in the establishment of ahydrogenstation.

• Identify the main stakeholders,including authorities, and theirrequirements, goals and expect-ed performance at an early stage.Address these issues at the designlevel to develop an inherently safefacility.

• Useariskbasedsafetymanagementapproachand industrialsafetypol-icypracticetoidentifyhazardsandrisks.Implementriskreducingmea-sures,whereverneeded,toensureafacilitywithtolerablerisk.

• Apply recognized methods for riskanalysisandriskcontrolinallphas-esof establishment,operationanddecommissioning of the hydrogenstation.

• Apply the ISOstandardsonquality(ISO9001:2000),takingtherequire-ments of the customers and inter-ested parties (stakeholders) as abasisforthedevelopmentofinher-ent performance characteristics ofthestationandrelatedsystems.

• Implementqualityandsafetyman-agementasanintegralpartofdailywork.Establishamanagementsys-tem with procedures, instructionsand checklists that provides sys-tematicmonitoringandfollow-up.

• Implement a management systemthat enables and encourages inci-dentreportingandfollow-up.

• Use the results from quality andsafety monitoring for continuousimprovement of the hydrogen sta-tions and appurtenant systems.The PDCA methodology is recom-mended.

2. i n f r a s t r u c t u r e : q u a l i t y a n d s a f e t y

The fuel-cell buses have performedfarbetterthanexpectedbyallprojectpartnersand stakeholders.Anexten-sive service and maintenance pro-grammewithon-sitepersonnelhavebeenoneofthekeystothissuccess.

SafetyThe establishment of the Safety andSecurity Task Force in June 2004turned out to be a major improve-ment for the communication of inci-dents and lessons learnt during theoperationalphaseoftheproject.Experiencesfromthesafetyandsecu-rity related incidents that had beenreportedwere shared and discussed.

TheTaskForcewascomprisedofbothoperators and suppliers. The contri-bution of Task Force members fromthe ECTOS project in Reykjavik andthe STEP project in Perthwaswidelyrecognized.More than 60 deviationsand incidents were reported by theCUTE, ECTOS and STEPmembers andsuppliers.

To control safety risks involved withthe hydrogen infrastructure, ameth-odologyinlinewithriskbasedsafetymanagement was recommended. Byapplying thismethodology in designand construction, inherent safety isemphasized. By safety risk assess-ment any need for additional safetymeasuresisidentified.

Theapproachofanincidentreportingandfollow-upsystem,inlinewithriskbased safety management was alsoappliedintheoperationofthehydro-genstations.

30

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Figure �.�.�: Nature of Safety Incidents during Operational Phase of CUTE Project

Risk analysis

Hazardidentification

Hazardassessment

Riskestimation

Riskevaluation

Consequenceassessment

Probabilityassessment

Acceptancecriteria

Riskreduction

Risk control

Figure �.�.�: Risk Based Safety Management Model


Hydro

Hydro

��

Overall length mm 11,950

Overall width mm 2,550

Overall height mm 3,688

Min. turning diameter mm 21,542

Curb weight kg ~14,000

Gross weight kg standard:18,000

kg withspecialpermit:19,000

Max. front axle load kg 7,245

Max. rear axle load kg 12,000

Passenger seat number ~30dependingoncustomerrequirements

Max. passenger number <70@18tgrossweight >70@19tgrossweight

EMT, �00�

Madrid Bus

The Fuel Cell Drive TrainGeneral DescriptionThe HY-205 P5-1 engine is the fifthgenerationofheavy-dutydrivetrainsdeveloped in Ballard, Vancouver(Canada).ItwasdesignedaroundthenewestMk9stacktechnologytoeffi-cientlyconvertgaseoushydrogenfuelandatmosphericoxygendirectlyintoelectricityandwater.Theelectricityisfedtoacompactbutpowerfulliquid-cooled electricmotorwhichprovidesthe bus traction and also drives thefuel cell engine auxiliaries and thebusauxiliariesthroughacentralgearcase.

The P5-1 fuel cell engine design andarchitecturefocusesonreliabilityanddurabilitybyusingasmanyindustrialauxiliariesaspossible.Thedrivetrainarrangement in the vehicle address-es European safety regulations andstandards. It is designed to enable adirect replacement of a diesel drivetrain commonly used in bus applica-tions.The electricmotormodule hasconventionalmountsandanindustrystandard, SAE 1 transmission flange.Itcanbematedtoanysuitableauto-matic transmission and differentialto provide a reliable vehicle tractionsystem with excellent hill-climbingability, fast acceleration and highroad speed. The electric motor oper-atescontinuously froman idlespeedof about 600rpm to amaximum ofabout2,100rpm.

Characteristics of the Fuel Cell Citaro

b u s o p e r a t i o n s : t e c h n o l o g y3.

IntroductionOne of the main goals of the CUTEprogramwastocollectasmuchfieldexperienceaspossiblewiththefuelcelltechnology. Results from the NEBUS,the firstMercedes-Benz fuel cellbus,had shown that itwasnotnecessar-ilythefuelcell itselfwhichwasdeci-siveforvehicleavailabilitybutinfactthe various auxiliary units. From thestartofthedevelopmentphaseoftheFuelCellCitaro,specialattentionwastherefore given to maximising theuseof series-productioncomponentsinordertoachieveahighavailabilityoftheentiredrivetrain.For this reason it was decided todevelopthefuelcelldrivetrainbasedon the conventional Mercedes-BenzCitaro, employing, besides the maincomponents such as alternators,

compressors etc., also the standardautomatic transmission, while beingaware that thismight have negativeeffectsonthevehicles’fueleconomy.A fuel cell in principle reverses theelectrolysis process, generating elec-tricity, heat and water vapour frompurehydrogenandoxygencontainedinair.

The Fuel Cell CitaroTheFuelCellCitaroisbasedonthe12-metresseriesvehicleofEvoBuswhichfeatures a standing platform in theleft rear area for placing a standingengineaswellaanautomatic trans-mission.Thebodyshellworkofthesevehicles was reinforced especially intheareaof theroofdue to the threetonsofextraloadforthefuelcelldrivetrainandtheairconditioningsystem.The suspensionhasbeenadapted toaccommodatethehigherweightandtheincreasedtendencytoroll.Nomodifications to the entirely lowfloor construction and the door con-cept were necessary. Also the out-sidedimensionsremainedunchangedexcept for the vehicle height whichis approx. 3.70mdue to the fuel celldrive train and the fans of the cool-ingmodule.Thetechnicaldatainthetabledescribethevehiclecomprehen-sively.

GVB, �00�

Fuel Cell Bus in Amsterdam


3.1 Fuel Cell Bus Technology

�0 �1

Hochbahn, �00�

Fuel Cell Bus in Hamburg

of the fuel cell. As soon as hydrogenandoxygenreachthereactionsurfaceof the fuel cell membrane, the elec-trical voltage starts to build up. Theinverterisswitchedonwhenthenec-essaryminimum operational voltageof themotor/inverter is reached.Thestarterisdisconnectedaftertheoper-ationalconditionshavestabilised.

Driving Whenthedriveractivatesthethrottlepedal,theanglepositionofthepedalis converted by the controller into atorque request signal (drive control-ler). The torque request is then con-verted into direct current (DC). ThesuppliedDCleveldependsontheair-flow available to the fuel cell. Theairflow increases proportionallywiththe current demand. Accordingly theairflow is the key mechanism for aloadchange.

Thehydrogenflowisnotactivelycon-trolled.Insteadthehydrogenpressuretracksthefuelcellairpressure.Thisisaccomplishedthroughapressurereg-ulatorthathasbeencustomdesignedfor this application. To obtain a fastair flow response and to achieve thecorrectfuelstoichiometry,theairflowmust be tightly controlled. For this acontrol mechanism is required thatcontrols the air flow independent-ly from the motor speed and drive

speed.Theairdivertervalveprovidesthe independent control of the airflow from themotor speed.Throughthis valve the required air flow forthe fuel cell operation can be con-trolled partially independently fromthespeedoftheaircompressor.

During the run-up procedure thetorque request or current request isconvertedintotheairflowthatcorre-spondstotheoperationalcondition.During the turn-downprocedure themotor continues to run in controlledmode relative to the brake functionandthetorquethatisrequiredfordri-vingtheassociatedauxiliarydrives.If no current is demanded from thefuelcell,thereactiongases(hydrogenand oxygen) are not consumed andremain in the fuel cell until anotherloadchangeisrequested.

Shut-DownThefuelcelldriveisshutdowneitherbydrivercontrol(e.g.theignitionkeyisplaced intoshut-downposition)orwiththeemergencyshut-downcircuitbreaker.Duringtheshut-downproce-dure the shut-down valves on eachstorage tank are closed respectively.At the same time the main electri-calbreakeropensand the remaininghydrogeninthefuelcellisdischargedover the “Purge Diffuser” into theatmosphere.Themotorstopsturning


The HY-205 fuel cell drive comprisesthefollowingmainsystemsandfunc-tionalgroups (cf. figure).Thesemod-ules are integrated packages withdefinedfluid,electricalandmountinginterfaces. They are connected witheachother,andtothebus,withinter-connection piping and power-wiringsystems.Inadditiontothemainunits,thehydraulicpumpcircuit and lubri-cation oil circuit are powered by theauxiliarygearcase.The24VDCsupplyisprovidedbythreebeltdrivenalter-nators which are also driven by theauxiliarygearcase.

Functional Description

Start-UpThe fuel cell drive is started in thesame way as normal diesel drivetrains with the coach ignition key.Upon completion of the controllertest cycle, the starter puts the elec-trical motor into idle speed and themain hydrogen shut-off valve opens.Inparallel,theaircompressorwhichisconnected to theauxiliarygear case,initiates the airflow to the cathodesideofthefuelcellstacks.

Thehydrogenpressureregulatorwhichmaintains the hydrogen pressureslightlyabove theairpressure, startsandinducestheanodehydrogenflow

a Hydrogen Fuel Storage System Incorporating 350 bar Hydrogen

Pressure Vessels with a total Capacity of about 40 – 42 kg.b Fuel Cell Modules (two)c Interface Module and Piping System d Radiators for Heat Transfere Inverter for Converting DC into 3 Phase Alternating Currentf Auxiliary Gear Case and Electric Drive g Automatic Torque Converterh Fuel Cell Control Devicei Air Supply Systemj Cooling System

The HY-�0� P�-1 Drive Train Main Subsystem Locations

Ballard/EvoBus, �00�

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b

d

j

i

e

g

f

h


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Cooling SystemThe fuel cell process produceswasteheat that must be removed fromthe fuel cell modules to sustain theproperoperatingconditions.Thecool-ing circuit is providedwith a specialde-ionised (DI)water/ethylene glycolmixture that is non-conductive. Twocoolant diverter valves control thecorrect cooling flow and the correctcoolant inlet temperatureat the fuelcell.The control is independent fromthe inlet and outlet temperatures ofthefuelcell.

The heat of the fuel cell module isdischarged to the atmosphere via aheatexchangerandtwohydraulicallydriven fans. The heat exchangers ofthe drive train, the coach cabin andthe transmission retarder are alsoconnectedtothiscoolingsystem.The fan/radiator module(s) includethe radiator(s), air flow ducting, thehydraulically driven motor fan(s),and the hydraulic control valves andplumbing.Ahydraulicpumpprovidespowerforthefanmotor(s).

The Water/Glycol Cooling SystemThe DI-water/glycol cooling systemincludesareservoir,acontrolvalve,ade-ionising filter, a freeze-protectionsystemandvariouscontrolvalves.TheDI-water/glycol cooling system onlyuses approved materials to preventcontamination of the coolant fluid.The water/glycol system also coolsthe inverter/controller and the auto-matictransmissionretarder.

The hardware described above ispackaged in a self-containedmodulewhich interfaces via fluid portswiththe fuel cell stack modules and thewater/glycolsystem,mountedinvari-ouslocationsinthebus.

Theelectrictractionmotorcoolingoiliscooledbyaseparateair-cooledradi-ator.Thiscircuitalsoprovidesheattothebuscabinheatingsystem.Thesec-ondwater/glycolcircuitisdesignedtoallowtheuseofstandardcoolingsys-temsmaterials and heat exchangerscommonlyusedinthecabinheatingareaofastandardbusapplication.


Cooling Module


Roof Fans

Freeze Protection System


andthehydrogenpressureisreducedtoatmosphericlevel.Allelectricalsys-temsofthefuelcelldrivearediscon-nected. The 24 VDC of the on boardsystem remains connected. The fuelcellistheninsafeshut-downmode.

Subsystems

The Fuel Cell Stack ModuleThe fuel cell modules contain thefuel cell stacks, consisting of 6 dis-cretecellrowsattachedtoamanifoldplate. On the one side the cell rowsare attached, on the opposite sidethe reactant conditioning system isattached. The stack contains a mod-ule which is the air and hydrogenhumidifier,theirassociatedhardware,thefuelcellhydrogenregulatingandre-circulation system hardware, andthe electronic cell voltage monitor-ing system. The stack modules arefully enclosed toprevent contamina-tion and thermal impact. They areventilatedwith a filtered air stream.The modules can be removed as acomplete unit for servicing. For thisapplication the two stack modulesarelocatedontop,andinthemiddle,of the roof, mounted with a specialmountingbracket.

Purge DiffuserDue to hydrogen fuel contaminationand to condensation that can resultin water droplet formation on theanode side, it is necessary to purgethe hydrogen circuit at certain inter-vals. Hydrogen gas is dischargedthroughthe“PurgeDiffuser”intotheatmosphere.

Thehydrogensystemmustbepurgedon start-up, periodically during oper-ation, and on shutdown, venting asmall quantity of moist hydrogenand impurities to the atmosphere.The hydrogen diffusermodulemixesthe small volume of hydrogen witha large quantity of air, diluting themixture toa safe level.Underno cir-cumstances the system will releasehydrogenconcentrationshigher than25%ofthelowerexplosionlimit.Thehydrogendiffusermoduleismountedontheroofofthebus,inawell-venti-latedlocation.


The Purge Diffuser


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fuel cell engine auxiliaries includingthe superchargerand twowater/gly-colpumps.Theauxiliarydrivemoduleisoperatedbyasingleelectricmotor.The samemotor also powers a stan-

dardautomatictransmissionthroughan SAE 1 transmission flange to pro-videbustraction.Astandardhydrau-lic retarder, part of the transmission,providessupplementarybraking.

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Air Compressor and Second Stage Compressor for Fuel Cell Engine

Transmission

Electric Motor

Central Gear Case with Auxiliaries

Traction Module

Traction module characteristics

General output Nominalmotoroutput 250kWshaftpowerspecifications Capacity 340kVA

Ratedoutputcurrent 450A(1200VDCIGBT)

Maximumoutputvoltage 3-phase,460Vor0.7xDCinputvoltage–whicheverisless

Ratedoutputfrequency 400Hz(maximum)atfulltorque

Overloadcapacity 150%ratedcurrent/1minute

PWMfrequency minimum2.5kHz

maximum5kHz

Control Voltagerange 14–35Vpower supply Loadratinginverter 6A(maximum)

Main Inputcurrent 425Acontinuous,540Amaximumfor5minutespower supply Ratedvoltage 600VDC(fullload)to900VDC(zeroload)input


Cabin Heating and InterfaceThe HY-205 engine provides a cabinheatinginterfacetothecoach.Thesys-temisbasedonanelectricimmersedheating device with an approximateheating power of 40kW at full load.Inordertoprovidecabinheat,thefuelcellenginehastobeactive.

The Citaro bus application has thedumpresistorhousingsituatedintheenginebaylocatedinthesameplacewhere the cabin heating system fora diesel bus used to be. The cabinheating circulation pump, as well asthetemperaturecontrolsoftwareandalgorithms are OEM specific. Addi-tional piping is required to connectthe roof package to the bus cabinheatingsystem.

Cold Start and FreezingThestackmodulesareequippedwiththermalinsulationinordertoextendthe cool down periods. In order torealise quick start capability the fuelcell system should be kept above+5°C. This will be managed via anelectricalblockheaterwhichoperatesfrom an external energy source anda small circulation pump. The blockheater is thermostat controlled. Thefuelcellenginecanbeoff.

The Inverter/Controller ModuleThe inverter/controller module con-vertstherawDCelectricalpowerpro-duced by the fuel cell stacks intocontrolled AC power for the electricmotor. This module is cooled by thenormalwater/glycolcircuit.

The Auxiliary Drive & ElectricMotor/Traction ModuleStandardbusauxiliariessuchastheairbrakecompressor,powersteeringpump,andtheradiatorfanpumparedrivenbyafront-endgearcase,thealternatorand

airconditioningcompressorbyabeltdrive.Thegearcasealsoactivatesthe


Interface Heat Exchanger between Fuel Cell System and Cabin Heating System

40 kW Electric Resistor Heater with Superheating Coolant for the Heating System

Cabin Heater Module

Inverter Module



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SSB, �00�

Stuttgart Buses

Fuel Cell Engine Specifications

Emissions CO 0.000

NOX 0.000

hydrocarbons 0.000

SO2 0.000

particulates 0.000

CO2 0.000

Performance netshaftpower 190kW@2100rpm

peaktorque 1050Nm@800rpm

Fuel gaseoushydrogenatambienttemperature

supplypressure(min)required 10bar

flow(max) 0.005kg/s

fuelpurity BPS136-0454-CA

Onboardfuelstorage CGH2capacity@350bar ≥40kg

Air twostagecompressor;flowrate(max) 0.3kg/s

Coolingsystem water/glycolcoolingloopwithcoachheatinginterface

Temperature fuelcelloperating 70°Cto80°C

ambientoperating –20°Cto40°C

ambientstoragewithoutfreezeprovision 2°Cto50°C

ambientstoragewithfreezeprovision –20°Cto40°C

Pressure systemoperating(nominal) 2bar

Electricpower fuelcellvoltagerange 550to900VDC

liquidcooledIGBTinverter

integralgroundfaultdetection

Enginecontrolsystem powertraincontrolmodule:32bit24MHzpower

PCmicrocontroller,1CANchannelforcustomerinterface

CANconvertermodule15011898to15011992

Dynamicbraking suppliedbytransmissionretarder

Transmission SAE1transmissionflange


The Fuel Cell Air System ModuleAsupercharger,drivenby theelectricmotor,producespressurisedairwhichissuppliedtothefuelcellstacks.Afterleavingthestacks thepressurisedairis exhausted through a turbocharg-er which recovers energy from theexhaustandprovidesa secondstageofaircompression.Theairsupplysys-tem also includes an inter-cooler toimprove compression efficiency andanair filter to removecontaminants.Mufflersontheairsystemintakeandexhaust quieten the superchargerandtheturbochargerinordertomeetthenoiserequirementsoftheoverallvehicle.

Electronical Interfaces to the BusThe main control interface betweenthe bus and the engine is realisedvia an industry standard fault-toler-ant communication protocol (CAN,

or Controller AreaNetwork). A set ofdiscrete signalsbetweenthebusandthe engine control-lerareinterfacedviaautomotive relays.The engine control-ler and associatedsensors and controldevices require a 12VDCsupply,providedfromone12VDCbat-terythroughtheuseofanequaliser.

Fuel Cell Air System


Exhaust Mufflerand Water Separator Fuel Cell Fine Filter

H2 tanks H2 fill portFuel Cell Engine

tansmission

drivetrain

drive controlengine systems controlfuel supply controlstarter motor control

engine statusfuel cell statusengine speed

enginecontrollerISO 9141

PC-baseddiagnosticscan tool

CAN direct wireinterface

CANinterface

direct wireinterface

to PCMvia CAN

FMR FPS

vehiclesafetysystems

on-boarddiagnostics

off-boarddiagnostics

H2 safetysystemenginesafetysystem

interface toEvoBus

Electronical Interfaces

Based on Ballard, �00�


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strength-to-weight ratios and opera-tionperformanceunder theharshestofautomotiveenvironments.

The high performance design mate-rials selected for the fuel cylinderreduces the weight of the cylinderby two to four times compared toconventional designs without com-promising structural integrity andquality.

With this fuel storage system, theoverall weight and range require-ments can be satisfied. Ranges andrefill intervalsmay differ from thoseofadiesel,thoughrangeisdependentondrivecycleandcabinheating/cool-ing conditions. The fuel storage sys-temiscapableoffastfilloperation.

Porto Bus

Onboard Fuel Storage System

High Pressure Cylinders

Fill Port

Low Pressure Fuel Cell Modules

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PurgeDiffuser

STCP, Armindo Cerqueira, �00�

High Pressure Fill Line


The Onboard Hydrogen Fuel Storage SystemThe P5-1 fuel storage system con-sists of 9 high-pressure cylinders ofthe DyneCell type with a geometricvolume of 205 litres each. The totalstorage capacity of hydrogenat 15°Cand 350bar is 40kg. The DyneCellcylinder is a lightweight composite

cylinder designed for the storage ofcompressed gases such as hydrogenand natural gas. It is built from aseamless “thin wall” aluminum linerwithafullcarbonfibreoverwrap.Theliner technology guarantees ultralightweights,highstoragecapacitiesand non-permeability while the cor-rosion resistant overwrapmaximises

OutputPowertotheTransmissionInterface

OutputTorquetotheTransmissionInterface

EFFICIENCYCURVEBasedonLowerHeatingValueofHydrogen

motor speed (rpm)

motor speed (rpm)

motor speed (rpm)

net s

haft

pow

er (k

W)

net s

haft

torq

ue (N

m)

net e

ngin

e ef

ficie

ncy

(%)

22020018016014012010080604020

500 700 900 1100 1300 1500 1700 1900 2100 2300

1200

1100

1000

900

800

700

600

500

400500 700 900 1100 1300 1500 1700 1900 2100 2300

50

45

40

35

30

25

20500 700 900 1100 1300 1500 1700 1900 2100 2300

Power Characteristics of the HY-�0� P�-1 Fuel Cell Engine

Ballard, �00�

3. b u s o p e r a t i o n s : t e c h n o l o g y

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HydrogenReleasePipesInstalled

HydrogenReleasePipesInstalled

VentilationafterHydrogenDetection

VentilationduringNormalOperation

Amsterdam

Barcelona

Hamburg

London

Luxembourg

Madrid

Porto

Stockholm

Stuttgart

adapted

new(forH2andnaturalgas)

converted

new

adapted

adapted(H2inadditiontonaturalgas)

converted

adapted

adapted

designatedarea

separatebuilding(forH2+naturalgasvehicles)

separatebuilding

separatebuilding

separateroom

separatebuilding(forH2+naturalgasvehicles)

separatebuilding

separateroom

designatedarea

natural

natural

natural

natural

forced

TypeofBuildingWorkshop Situation Parking

X

indoors1

outdoors

outdoors

outdoors

indoors

outdoors

outdoors

outdoors

outdoors

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

natural

naturalandforced

forced

forced

natural

forced

forced

forced

naturalandforced(byfirebrigade)

1Smokehatchesopenincaseofhydrogenalarm

Characteristics of the CUTE garages

• Flashlights, horns or other signalsinside and outside the room andbuilding, respectively,wereactivat-ed.

• All staff were to stop work andleavethebuilding.

• Depending on the alarm chain,the fire brigade were to be calledautomaticallyormanuallyfromtheplantcontrolroom.

In case of a pre-alarm, thismay ter-minateby itselfwhenhydrogencon-centration fell below a fixed level,although certain devicesmight havehad to be re-activated with a key-operatedswitch.Amainalarmdidnotendautomatically.

Hydrogen Release PipesAfurtherpreventivemeasureagainsthydrogen infiltration was set up forthe case when the pressure reliefdevice of one of the bus’s storagetanks fails and this vessel emptiesautomatically. So-called “hydrogenrelease pipes” were installed at allplaces where the fuel cell bus maybe parked inside buildings formain-tenance work or simply overnight.The release pipe was connected tothe high pressure line of the bus’spipingsystem,sointheeventofleak-age,hydrogenwouldbesafelyvented– to the outside. The capacity pervessel was 5 kg hydrogen, releasingthisamountmayhavetakenupto10minutes.

bus operations: maintenance requirements3.

Workshops for Hydrogen VehiclesBuses that enter the workshop car-ried some hydrogen onboard. Evenwhen the storage vessels were tooempty for continuing service, a cer-tain amount remained for technicalreasons, unless the storage was dis-mantledontherareoccasionandthevessels were completely emptied onpurpose.The risk of hydrogen escap-ing through leakages from a vehiclebeingparkedorrepairedinthework-shop,hadtobeallowedfor.Mixturesareexplosive inarangebetween4%(“lower” explosion limit) and 75% ofhydrogeninair.

At most of the CUTE sites, parts ofan existing workshop were adaptedto hydrogen-induced requirements,either separate rooms or designatedareaswithinalargerfacility(cf.table).Buildings that previously had servedother purposes were converted inHamburg and Porto. Two cities builtnewworkshops: in Barcelona to ser-vicebothhydrogenandalargernum-ber of natural gas fuelled vehicles;in Londonbecauseno free capacitieswere available for the three CUTEbuses in the existing buildings ofthe depot. The main objective wasto ensure employee safety. The indi-vidual concepts for workshops and,as far as applicable, for indoor park-ing areas showed a large variety of

detail, depending on safety philoso-phy,nationalor localregulationsandbuildingcharacteristics.Commonele-mentsaredescribedbelow.

Safety-Related Design RequirementsAs hydrogen ismore than ten timeslighter than air it will accumulateunder the roofwhen released insidea building. Hydrogen sensors hadtherefore to be installed on the ceil-ing.Safetyalarmsareactivatedwhenone of the sensors detects a hydro-genconcentrationevenfarbelowthelower explosion limit. At most sites,twolevelsweredefined:awarningorpre-alarmat0.6%or0.8%hydrogenin air (i.e. 15% or 20% of the lowerexplosion limit) and a main alarmattwicetheseconcentrations. (Main)alarms can also be started by emer-gencypushbuttons.

Keymeasureswere:• Fansintheroofstartedoperationorhatchesforincreasednaturalventi-lation opened, supported by open-ings at low level (doors or other)thatsupportfreshairentry.

• Electrical installations which werenot explosion-proofwere switchedoff.

• Ex-proof lighting, ifnotpartof thenormal illumination, were turnedon.

3. bus operations: maintenance requirements

3.2 Fuel Cell Bus Technology Maintenance Requirements

��

Experiences & Results of operation under different Climatic, Topographic and Traffic conditionsThissectionisconcernedwithaneval-uationoftheoperationofthehydro-gen fuel cell buses and summarisestheworkofworkpackages (WP)4, 5and 6. The objective for work pack-ages 4, 5 and 6 was to evaluate theoperationofthefuelcellbusesunderdifferent climatic (WP4), topographi-cal(WP5)andtraffic(WP6)conditions,inorder toprepare thenew technol-ogyforuseacrossEurope.

Twenty seven fuel cell buses wereoperatedonregularurbanroutesoverthe two years of the project. Theseroutes were situated in nine citiesencompassingverydifferentclimatic,topographic and traffic conditions.Theseconditionsvariedfromhotanddry in Madrid to cold and humid inStockholm, from flat in Hamburg tohillyinStuttgart,andfromcongestedtraffic in London to relatively lighttrafficinLuxembourg.

Byintegratinginnovativefuelcellsys-temandhydrogen technology into aconventional,low-floorurbanbusandoperatingthebusesundernormalcityconditions, the CUTE project set outto test and prove the feasibility, reli-ability and potential of the fuel cellandhydrogentechnologies.

General operation resultsWhen analysing the data from theCUTE project, the most impressivefigures come from the mileage orkilometres driven and the numberof operating hours of the bus fleet.Never before has a project usinghydrogen technology for transportenergy achieved such operating suc-cess. The buses,managed by normaloperators,inregulartrafficanddrivenby regular bus drivers, drove a dis-tance ofmore than 20 times aroundtheglobe–yieldingavastamountofdataandexperience.

Total Aggregate ResultsKilometres drivenAfter the completionof twoyearsofoperation the CUTE buses had trav-elled a distance of almost 850.000km in the nine partner cities. If thekilometres driven by the 6 addition-al buses operated through ECTOS(Reykjavik)andSTEP(Perth)aretakenintoaccount,theCitaroFuelCellBusessurpassed one million kilometres inOctober2005.

900800700600500400300200100

001Month in Operation

03 05 07 09 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25

3. bus operations: results and lessons learnt

3.3 Operation of Fuel Cell buses: Results and Lessons Learnt

Figure �.�.1. Accumulated operating kilometres per month of operation, for the CUTE bus fleet.

Before any maintenance work maybegin, and right after electricalgrounding of the vehicles, the busalways had to be connected to therelease pipe. At some sites this wascheckedbyan inductiveswitch:afterasettime,subsequenttothebusente-ringthebuilding(detectedbya lightbarrier),allnon-ex-proofdeviceswereshut off (and an alarmmay be acti-vated)iftheconnectiontothereleasepipewasnotregistered.

Further Measures• A separate clean room (standardoffice conditions) of about 12m2floor space was required for workonthefuelcellstacks.

• Buses were usually maintainedbefore being refuelled. If theyentered a building after refuelling,maintenance work may only startwhen tank temperature was backto ambient conditions (cf. sectiononrefuellingprocess).

• The increased height of the buseshadtobeconsideredfordoorsetc.

• Walkways,eitherfixedoronwheels,withappropriateguard-railshadtobeprovided forworkon the topofthebuses.

• Sparkprooftoolshadtobeused,atleastforworkonthebustop.

• Mechanicsworeanti-staticclothing.• For hoisting components fromandto the bus roof, a crane had to beinstalled(cf.photo,whichalsoillus-tratesspacerequirements).

• Buses were be washed manuallyunlessthetopbrushinthewashinghallcouldde-activatedandthehead-roominthefacilitywassufficient.

• Ifbuseswereparkedoutsideorinanon-heated building, they neededto be heated externally to avoiddamage to the fuel cells on coldnights. At some sites with regularoutsideparking,busesstayedintheworkshop when very cold nightswereexpected.

Crane to Lift Components from and onto the Bus Roof and Space Requirements; Workshop Madrid

Hydrogen Release Pipe in the Reykjavik Workshop (ECTOS Project)

3. bus operations: maintenance requirements

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thepermittedoperatingtimeresultedinacontinuous increase inoperationtime permonth.This increased froman average of 1.200–1.500 hours inthebeginning,toaround3.340hoursinthefinalquarterofoperationinthepartner cities. An overall average of2.680hourspermonthwasachieved.Whenconsideringthisincrease,ithasto be borne in mind that the busmanufacturer recommended to thebus operators to start the ramp upin operations slowly, from 8 hoursperday initially, to 10hoursadaybyNovember 2004 (This latter periodfallsbetweenmonth 15and 17 in fig-ure3.3.4).

Driving the fuel cell busesFor a new technology to be success-ful it requiress more then reliabilityfor the concept to be commercial. Itisalsoimportantthatthedriversandthepublicaresatisfiedandsafeusingthe new technology. Therefore, partof the evaluation was to investigatedriversopinionsofthenewtechnolo-gy,intermsofhandling,drivedynam-icsandsafety.

The result of a driver survey, initi-atedby theCityof Luxembourg,wasanalysed for the four cities answer-ing the survey: Hamburg, London,Luxembourg and Stockholm. Theanalysis showed that most charac-teristics of the fuel cell buses wereperceivedas thesameorbetter thanregularbuses.Theonlyexceptionwasthatamajorityofthedrivers(50of99answers) felt that a regular bus hadbetter acceleration. The reason forthismighthavebeentheextraweightof the fuel cellbus.Twoof theotherperformance parameters, speed andbraking, was perceived as the sameorbetterbymostofdrivers.However,there was a significant number ofdriverswhoperceivedthemtobelessgoodand therefore itwas concludedtheseparametershaveroomforopti-misationinfuturebusdesigns.


40

30

20

10


03 05 07 09 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25

Monthly Hours5 month average

Ope

ratin

g ho

urs (

100

h)

Figure �.�.�. Monthly operating hours per operating month, for the CUTE bus fleet.

Hours of operationWhen the bus operation within theCUTE project finished in December2005, the 27 CUTE buses had beenoperated for over 62.000 hours onEuropeanroads.Again,addingECTOSandSTEP,thewholefleetoperatedfor75.600hours.

Monthly Aggregate ResultsThetotalaggregatekilometresdrivenandhoursoperatedarean indicationthatthebustechnologywassuccess-ful both in terms of reliability andin terms of gathering of data. Thechange over time in kilometres driv-enandhoursoperatedperoperatingmonth indicateshowthebuseswereperceived to run, from theoperators’pointofview.

Kilometres drivenBreakingdownthemileagebymonthofoperation,thebusescompletedanaverage of 35.800km per month inthenineCUTEpartnercities.

Bus performance improved dramati-callyfromlessthan20.000kmatthebeginningoftheprojectuptodoublethisattheend.Thebusesdroveabout48.000kmpermonthonaveragedur-ingthelasthalf-yearofoperation.Themaximum in a calendar month wasreached in July 2005with59.000kmdriven.

Operating hoursFigure3.3.3shows thatby theendofthe CUTE project, the buseswere onthe road for more than double thetime every month than they wereat the beginning.The overcoming of“teething problems”, a much higherreliabilityandthepolicyofincreasing

bus operations: results and lessons learnt3.

706050403020100


03 05 07 09 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25

Figure �.�.�. Accumulated operating hours per month of operation, for the CUTE bus fleet.

60

50

40

30

20

10


03 05 07 09 11 13 15 17 19 21 23 25

Monthly Kilometers5 month average

Cove

red

dist

ance

(100

0 km

)

Figure �.�.�. Monthly kilometres of operation per operating month, for the CUTE bus fleet.

��

Kilometres drivenIn the CUTE cities the buses com-pleted an average of 94.000km.Luxembourg reached a maximumof 142.000km drivenwithin the twoyears of operation, followed closelyby Stuttgart. Porto (47.000km) andBarcelona(38.000km)werethecitieswiththelowesttotalmileagedriven.

Correlation analysis in Figure 3.3.8indicates that the fuel consumptionseemstobehigherforthecitieswiththeleastkilometresdriven.Asagen-eral rule it can be said that dem-onstration projects should aim fora highest possible number of accu-mulated kilometres to be sure thatat the endof theproject all systemsareproperlyworkingandcanbecom-paredtooperationselsewhere.

Hours of operationOn average a CUTE bus operated for2.330 hours. In Stuttgart, the totalhours of operation were more than11.000. In Barcelona, the three busesoperated for almost 3.000 hours i.e.lessthen1.000hourseach.

Average speedAn average speed of the buses canbe calculated from the total operat-ing hours and the total kilometresdriven. This average speed includessomeofthestoppingandbrakingandis therefore slightly lower than theactualaveragespeedofaroute.

The average speed differed a lotbetween the partner cities, fromaround 18km/h in Amsterdamand Luxembourg down to around9–10km/hforStockholmandPorto.


Stuttgart(129.283 km)

Stockholm(91.580 km)

Porto(46.929 km)

Madrid(87.008 km)

Luxembourg(142.068 km)

London(100.250 km)

Barcelona(37.654 km)

Amsterdam(109.098 km)

Hamburg(104.473 km)

Figure �.�.�. The total amount of kilometres driven in the nine CUTE cities.

Amst

erda

m

Barc

elon

a

Hambu

rg

Lond

on

Luxe

mbo

urg

Mad

rid

Porto

Stoc

khol

m

Stut

tgar

t

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

3.8

27.4

4.7

31.5

8.7

28.8

9.2

26.6

10.0

23.9

10.4

20.4

10.9

21.6

12.9

22.1

14.2

20.9

Kilometres of operation (10.000 km)Average fuel consumption (kg/100 km)

Figure �.�.�. The total amount of kilometres driven and the fuel consumption in the CUTE cities.

Stuttgart(11.312 h)

Stockholm(9.448 h)

Porto(5.181 h)

Madrid(6.296 h)

Luxembourg(7.942 h)

London(7.226 h)

Barcelona(2.927 h)

Amsterdam(6.040 h)

Hamburg(6.443 h)

Figure �.�.�. The operating hours in each CUTE city.

City specific results Availability Overall the reliability of the fuelcell buses was surprisingly high. Forexample, the availability in Stuttgartwas extremely high. FromMay 2004onwards,theStuttgartbusesreacheda99.6%reliability.Theaverageavail-abilityinall9CUTEcitieswas81.6%.

The low availability of the buses inBarcelona, around 60%, was main-ly due to the contamination of thehydrogen vessels in all three buses.Thisgraphitecontaminationoccurredduring incidents with the hydrogensupplysysteminApril2004.Onebuswas back in action after 3 monthsbut it took until August (4 months)beforeallbuseswereput intoopera-tionagain.

The definition used for availabilitywasthenumberofdowntimedayspermonthasaproportion(%)ofthetotalnumberofdaysinthatmonth.Giventhefactthatnotallcitiesreportedthebusavailabilityfromthebeginningofthe project the availability numberspresentedwouldprobablyhavebeena little lower for these cities thanreported inFigure3.3.6.Neverthelessthe figure presented is based on thereporteddataandindicatestheover-allhighavailabilityofthebuses.


100908070605040302010

Smell

Pollution, exhaust emission

Comfort for passengers

Comfort for driver

Driving bus

Safety

Brake

Speed

Acceleration

Effort, driver exhaustion

97

98

39

36

26

18

15

7

13

15

1

1

56

59

59

80

53

64

36

78

2

1

5

5

14

2

32

28

50

8

Better Same Less good

0%

Figure �.�.�. The drivers’ opinions on some of the bus characteristics; Comfort, safety and performance: responses answers from the drivers in Hamburg, London, Luxembourg and Stockholm.

100908070605040302010

Stuttgart

Stockholm

Porto

Madrid

Luxembourg

London

Barcelona

Amsterdam

Hamburg

Availability (%)0%

Figure �.�.�. The availability of the buses in the nine CUTE cities.

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Cold start behaviourTo improve reliability, the fuel cellstacks were heated during periodswhen they were standing in coldconditions. Therefore, there were nocoldstartsinthesenseofstarting-upin very low temperatures (below 5degrees celsius). The start-up proce-dure was, however, still affected bythe cold,mainly due to the preheat-ing of the larger cooling loop priorto connecting it to the smaller loopsurroundingthefuelcellsstacks.Thetimefromstart-upuntilthefuelcellsdeliverfullpowermayalsohavebeenaffectedbyclimate,but thiswasnotanalysedinthisproject.

Climate effect on fuel consumptionTemperaturedependencyoffuelcon-sumptioninthebuseswasnoticeablewhen the temperatures were below0ºC or above 18ºC. The increase infuel consumption in warmer periodswasnotedasanincreaseinthedrawdown of power (see Figure 3.3.12)whichwasmainly causedby theuseof the air conditioning unit. In coldperiods the energy used for heat-ing the cabin area consumed up to~5kg/100kmfuel.


City Extreme Date Comment

Stockholm –16ºC 2004-01-22 Relativehumidity:85%

Madrid 39ºC 2004-07-24 Relativehumidity:14%

London 100% 2004-12-03 Temperature:3ºC

Madrid 13% 2005-04-28 Temperature:27ºC

Table �.�.1. The singular weather extremes from the four partner cities of WP� (Stockholm, London, Barcelona and Porto) and Madrid, from the data measured every third hour, during the test period.

05101520253035

Heating resistorDump resistor

February 2005

July 2005Fuel

cons

umpt

ion

(kg/

100

km)

Purge APurge B

Motor powerTemperature

7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

05

1015

202530

024681012

Tem

pera

ture

(°C)

Figure �.�.1�. Power consumption charts forMadrid summer (above) and winter (below). The red line represents a base consumption calculated from the dates marked.

The boundary conditions’ effect on operationTo evaluate how the boundary con-ditions affect the operation of thebuses, the reliability under differ-ent conditions has to be evaluated.Thebuses tested in thisprojecthaveprovedtobereliable.Thispartofthereport considers the different condi-tionsunderwhichtheyoperatedandwereassessedasreliable.

Besides the reliability issue, it is alsoworthwhile evaluatinghowdifferentboundary conditions affect this newtechnology in terms of performanceandfuelconsumption.

The analysis mainly focuses on theboundary conditions allotted to thedifferent work packages: climate(WP4), topography (WP5) and traffic(WP6).Other factors influencing fuelconsumption such as driver behav-iour, tyre pressure, passenger load,frequencyofkneelinganddooropen-ings, etc. are not discussed in thissummary.

Climate effect on operationTheclimateinthenineCUTEcitiesdif-fersconsiderably.Figure3.3.11providesthe monthly mean temperature andhumidity in 2004 for the nine CUTEcities and Reykjavik. It can be seenthat Barcelona and Madrid are thewarmestcitieswhileStockholmisthecoldest.HamburgandAmsterdamareamongstthecitieswithhighestrelativehumidityall yeararoundandMadridisthecitywiththelowesthumidity.However, the extremes of tempera-ture and humidity are experiencedon a daily, even hourly, basis. Themeasured extremes from theprojectperiod are found in Table 3.3.1. It isundertheseclimaticboundarycondi-tions that the buses have proved tobereliable.


0

5

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15

20

25

30

35

Amst

erda

m

Barc

elon

a

Hambu

rg

Lond

on

Luxe

mbo

urg

Mad

rid

Porto

Stoc

khol

m

Stut

tgar

t

8.9

31.5

9.7

26.6

11.4

22.1

12.9

27.4

13.8

28.8

13.9

23.9

16.2 20

.4

17.9 20

.9

18.1 21

.6

Average speed (km/h)Average fuel consumption (kg/100 km)

Figure �.�.10. The average speed and fuel consumption for the nine CUTE cities.

Figure �.�.11. Monthly mean values (�00�) for temperature (above) and humidity (below) during daytime for all cities in the CUTE project and Reykjavik.

AmsterdamBarcelona

HamburgLondon

LuxembourgMadrid Porto Stockholm

StuttgartReykjavik

Temperature (°C)

0

10

20

30

40

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov DecHumidity (%)

00

50

100

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) Stockholm

-Div. Energy Processes

�0 �1

Topography effect on fuel consumptionSimilar todieselbuses,achallengingtopographycausedanincreaseinfuelconsumption in the fuel cell buses.Comparedwithdieselbuseshowever,the fuel cell buses used in the CUTEproject were at a disadvantage thatis clearly shown in topography anal-ysis. This disadvantage was causedby aminimumcurrent limitation seton the fuel cells. The minimum cur-rent limitation is implemented forreliability reasons and requires fuelcells to continue to produce electric-ity at a minimum rate. In practicethis means that when driving fuel

cell buses downhill, they still have arelativelyhighfuelconsumptioncom-paredwithdieselvehicles,whichusevirtually no fuel when deceleratingandcoasting.

Traffic effect on operationTrafficinfluencedthebusesinseveralways: externally in terms of drivingmode, the number of stops, trafficcongestionetc.andwithinthebusintermsoftheweightofpassengers.

One key factor for estimating theexternaltrafficconditionsistheaver-age speed. Within the SORT project(Standardised On-Road Tests), initi-atedby the InternationalAssociationofPublicTransport(UITP),threeartifi-cial route cyclesweredeveloped.Thethree route cycles differed primar-ily in average and maximum speed.

SORT 1 Heavy Urban

SORT 2 Easy Urban

SORT 3 Sub Urban

Cyclecourse(route)

Cycledistance(m) 520 920 1.450

Maximumspeed(km/h) 40 50 60

Time/Cycle(sec) 60 60 40

Cycleperiod(sec) 151,2 179,4 199,2

Stops/km 5,8 3,3 2,1

Average speed with stops (km/h)

12,6 18,6 26,3


00Distance (m)

10

20

30

40

50

Altit

ude

(m)

1000 3000 5000 7000

Figure �.�.1�. Topography of route �� in Stockholm.

Figure �.�.1� .Comparison of the three SORT cycles

00

(m)

204060

500 1000 1500

(km/h)

00

(m)

204060

500 1000 1500

(km/h)

00

(m)

204060

500 1000 1500

(km/h)

Two different drive cycle tests per-formedonthesameroute(route66)duringacolddayandduringawarmdayinStockholmshowsthatonacoldday the heating of the cabin can beresponsibleforasmuchas16%ofthetotalfuelconsumption(seeFigure13.)

Topography effect on operationThe buseswere operated under verydifferent topographical conditions.Hamburg, London and Amsterdamare cities with low or no height dif-ferences on the used routes. From atopographicalpointofview,thesearethe cities with the least demandingoperatingenvironment.

Stuttgart,LuxembourgandBarcelonahavethegreatestvariationinheight.Stuttgart has the highest gradientwiththebusesclimbingalmost8.5%at the end of the route (see Figure

3.3.14). The routes with the largestheightdifferentialintheCUTEproject-ed were located in Barcelona (Route66)andinLuxembourg(Route9)withmore than 150 meters between thelowest point and the highest pointon the routes. The routes in MadridandPortoonwhichtheFCbuseswereoperated also featured height differ-encesof70–90meters.

AlthoughthecityofStockholmhasafairly low height variation, it cannotbe classified as a flat city. In August2004 the buses started operating inregular traffic on route 66, a ratherdemandingroute.Thetwosteephills(seeninFigure15)haveasteepgradi-entandmakethestopandgotrafficratherdemanding.

During the two years of operationtherewasnoobviouslong-termeffectof topographyon thewear onbusesor fuel cell systems. The buses weretherefore assessed as reliable underthesetopographicalconditions.


Power Dump14 %11.5 kW

Power Dump5.5 %6 kW

HVACresistor -CabinHeat16 %17 kW

100 % Fuel = 81 kW 100 % Fuel = 109 kW

Traction17 %21.5 kW

Traction22 %24 kW

Auxiliarysystems14.5 %12 kW

Losses in DC/ACinverter and in electric motor5.5 %4.5 kW

Losses in DC/ACinverter and in electric motor4.5 %5 kW

Fule celllosses39 %31.5 kW

Fule celllosses39 %43 kW Fuel cell Stack Fuel cell Stack

DC/AC EngineDC/AC Engine

Auxiliarysystems13 %14 kW

Figure �.�.1�. Sankey diagrams, illustrating the energy flow and power consump-tion from 100 % fuel to traction, from tests in Stockholm in September �00� (left) and March �00� (right).

2000Distance (m)

250

300

350

400

Altit

ude

(m)

1000 3000 5000 7000 9000

Figure �.�.1�. Topography of route �� in Stuttgart.

��

Comparing the fuel consumption inthe4citiesshowshoweveraclearcor-relation between the average speedandaverageamountoffuelconsumed(seeTable3).Itcanalsobenotedthatthe fuel consumptionmeasured dur-ingthetestrunsisinaccordancewiththeaverage fuel consumptionvaluesforthewholeprojectperiodrecordedontheMIPPsheetsandfilledindailybythesitetechnicians/operators.

This indicates that the traffic situ-ation, represented here by averagespeed,hasa similar influenceon thefuel consumption of the fuel cellbuses as on the fuel consumptionof conventional buses, i.e. the SORTprediction that lower speed, greatercongestionresultsinhigherfuelcon-sumptionaretransferabletothefuelcell bus system. Further analysiswillneed to be undertaken if a different

configuration of the FC drive train(e.g. alternatives to centralised elec-tric enginewithmechanically drivenauxiliary gear case, use of hybridisa-tiontechnologyetc.)showsthesametendencies.

General ConclusionThe buses operated for two years inninecitiesunderverydifferentbound-aryconditions.Theconditionsrangedfrom hot and dry in Madrid to coldand humid in Stockholm, from flatinHamburg tohilly inStuttgart,and


0

5

10

15

20

25

030

35

40

45

Idle & Creeping Decelleration &Coasting

Acceleration Cruising

AmsterdamLuxembourgLondonStockholm

Figure �.�.1�. Time spent in different drive modes from drive cycle test runs in four CUTE cities.

City Speed(km/h)

MIPP (kg/100km)

Test run (kg/100km)

Amsterdam 21.6 21.6 21.9

Luxembourg 19.8 20.9 20.2

London 10.8 23.9 24.6

Stockholm 10.9 26.6 23.8

Table �.�.�. Fuel consumption from MIPP compared with the fuel consumption from a test run.

Thefirstcyclerepresentsheavy-urbantraffic during a big city’s rush hourwith a slow average speed. The sec-ondonemodelseasy-urbantrafficinasmallertownwithamediumaveragespeed and the third cycle representssub-urban traffic drivingwith ahighaverage speed. This methodology isbased on the assumption that aver-age speed isakeyparameter for theclassificationoffuelconsumption.

To gather information for analysis,thepartnercitiesofWP6wereaskedto perform so called drive cycle testduring one day in September 2005.Threeofthepartnercitiesdidthetestandtherouteconditionsforthesecit-iesarepresentedinTable2.Althoughthenumberofbus stopsper kilome-tre is not that different, the averagetravelled distance in London is quitelow compared with the other cities,i.e.thepassengerflowisthehighest.London also has the lowest averagespeed of the three cities. Data fromatestruninStockholmperformedinSeptember 2004 was also added tothe analysis (seeTable 2). Stockholmhas a higher number of bus stopsper kilometre than the other cities

and,similartoLondon,alowaveragespeed.Additional information is thatabout15%oftheroutesinLondonandAmsterdamareseparatebuslanes,inLuxembourg the percentage is 22%fortherouteusedforthetestrunandin Stockholm there are no bus lanesalongtheroute.

According to theSORT cycles Londonand Stockholm would be classifiedas heavy-urban traffic because ofthe low average speed. Amsterdamand Luxembourg would be classi-fiedaseasy-urban traffic.Thiswouldalso imply that in Amsterdam andLuxembourg the percentage of timespent in constant speed during thecyclewouldbemuchhigher.InFigure17 it is obvious that this is not thecaseforthedrivecycletests.Thebig-gest difference in the four cities orbetweenthelowaveragespeedcitiesand the higher average speed citiesis the time spent idling or creeping,thatisstandingstillordrivingslowerthat4km/hwithamotorspeedlowerthat800rpm.Anotherdifferenceisinthetimespentaccelerating.Thehighaverage speed cities spend clearlymoretimeinthismode.


City Length of line (km)

Average travelled

distance (km)

Average speed (km/h)

Number of bus stops

Number of bus stops per kilometre

Amsterdam 10.3 4.7 21.6 22 2.1

Luxembourg 22.2 4.9 19.8 48 2.2

London 6.5 2.5 10.8 18 2.8

Stockholm 7.5 n/a 10.9 27 3.6

Table �.�.�. Route information, from test runs for the � participating partner cities of WP� and Stockholm.

��

Experience concerning the evaluation of bus operationsIn the beginning of the evaluation,whichstartedinphase2oftheproject,therewasa lotofeffortput into thedefiningthedatacollectionsheetsaswell as negotiating which confiden-tialdatashouldbemadeavailableforevaluation. The fact that the evalua-tionwasnot included in the phase 1budgetoftheprojectmeantthattheplanning fordatacollectionandspe-cific testswashinderedand that thecollection of data only commencedafterseveralof thecitieshadstartedoperating thebuses.Thismighthaveinfluenced the cooperativeness ofsomeofthepartnercities.

In addition, gathering of importantdataforevaluationof thebusopera-tionscouldhavebeengreatly simpli-fiedifconsideredandintegratedwiththe already existing data acquisitionsystemon-board the buses from thestart of the project. Data such asroad inclination/altitude could havebeenrecordedviaaltimeterandvehi-cle weight estimation via passengercountingdevicesorthemonitoringofpressureintheairbellows.

Optimisation potentialThere are possibilities for optimisa-tion inmany aspects of the fuel cellbuses, e.g. fuel economy, comfort,noise,weight,systemcomplexityandcost.Optimisedfueleconomywasnotthemaintargetinthebusdesignbutitiswherethepotentialforoptimisa-tion isperhaps thegreatest.Abetterfuel economy needs to be achievedbefore commercialisation of the fuelcelltechnologyisrealistic.

In terms of design for better fueleconomythebuseshavegreatpoten-tial for optimisation, both in relationtothefuelcellsystemandthedrive-line aswell as to the adaptations ofbus auxiliary systems to an electricpowersource.

Firstly the minimum current limita-tion of the fuel cell stacks in thissystem design is reducing some ofthemajorbenefitsofusingfuelcellsi.e. high efficiency at partial loads.Minimum current limitation makesthe bus consume energy when thecompeting technologies, suchasdie-selenginesdonot,forexamplewhencoasting or decelerating. Buses withno,orlower,minimumcurrentlimita-tion would most probably performbetter on challenging topographicalroutes than the current generation


fromcongestedinLondontorelative-ly traffic free in Luxembourg. Therewere no major breakdowns or prob-lems causedby the fuel cell technol-ogy itself and the buseswere foundtobereliableunderEuropeanclimate,topographyandtrafficconditions.Themaingoaloftheproject–todemon-strateandevaluatetheemission-freeandlow-noisefuelcellbuses,togeth-er with its fuel infrastructure – wasclearlyachieved.

Many of the participating partnerswere impressed by the durability ofthefuelcellstacks,andtheavailabilityofthefuelcellbuses.Thebusdriverswere pleased with the performanceofthebusesandfeltcomfortableandsafe with the hydrogen-fuelled, fuelcells.Asaconsequence, theybecamethe main ambassadors for this newtechnology.Allof thiswas importantinformingtheattitudesofthepublictowardsthenewtechnology.

Specific Results• The buses proved reliable and safeduring operation under extremeEuropean climate conditions, withdaytime temperature conditionsranging from 39ºC down to -16ºC,andrelativehumidityrangingfrom13% up to 100%. An influence onfuel consumption due to climatewas found when the temperaturewasbelow0ºCorabove 18ºC.Thiswas primarily due to the need toheatorcoolthecabin.

• A challenging topography causedan increase in fuel consumption.Drivingdownhillcausedhigherfuelconsumptionduetothesignificantconsumptioninthefuelcellsduringidling, compared with diesel vehi-cles that use virtually no energygoingdownhill.

• Trafficinfluencesthebusinseveralways:externallyintermsofdrivingmode, the number of stops, trafficcongestionetc. andwithin thebusin terms of the weight of passen-gers. It is shown that the averagespeed is an important factor forfuel consumption. However, datafromsomecities indicatesthattheweight of the buses (including thepassengers) is also an importantfactorthatneedsfurtherinvestiga-tion,tobeabletotellhowmuchisaffectedbytheexternaltrafficsitu-ation,andhowmuchisaffectedbydifferentpassengerloads.


Fuel Cell Bus: Oxford Circus, London

TfL �00�

��

Environmental Impact of Fuel Cell Bus Trial: Results and Lessons Learnt

Assessing the environmental impactofthefuelcell (FC)busincludingtheprovisionofhydrogen(H2)isacentralelementoftheCUTEproject.

Incontrasttobusespoweredbyfuelssuch as diesel or natural gas, fuelcell busesproducenoemissionsdur-ingoperation.Howeversupplyofthehydrogenfuelmayproduceemissionsand other negative environmentalimpacts. The total environmentaleffects of the fuel cell bus transportenergy system are therefore mostlikely determined by the production,storage and dispensing of hydrogencomponents.

It is therefore important to considerthecompletelifecycleofthetransportsystem independently of the appliedpropulsiontechnology.Themethodol-ogyofLifeCycleAssessment(LCA)asspecified in the ISO Standard 14040series was chosen for the environ-mental analysis of the Fuel Cell bussystem along with its conventionalcompetitorsystemsDieselandCNG1.Figure 4.1.1 gives a schematic over-viewof the life cycleand the systemboundaries which were used for theFC bus system. Analogue boundaryconditionswereappliedtodieselandCNGbussystems.

e n v i r o n m e n t a l i m p a c t4.

4.1

End

of Li

feO

pera

tion/

use

phas

ePr

oduc

tion

Reso

urce

s Production ofraw materials,

power generation,...

Production ofraw materials,








Manufacturingextraction gear

Extraction ofnatural gas

End of Lifeextraction gear

Manufacturingpower plant

Manufacturingpower plant

Manufacturingfilling station

Filling station with:

OR

CompressorStorage

Dispenser

Trucked in(externalsources)

ManufacturingFC bus

End of Lifepower plant

End of Lifepower plant

End of Lifefilling station

End of Lifebusses

Bus operation

Functional unit:Vehicle km

Fuel part Bus part

Electricity generation (from

non-renewableresources)

Electricity generation (from

renewableresources)

oxygenwater

electricity

natural gas

hydrogen

onsite electrolyser

onsite steamreformer

Figure �.1.1.Life cycle of bus system

1CNG:Compressednaturalgas

System boundary

of fuel cell buses. Simulations showthatover 15% fuelwouldbe saved iftheminimumcurrentlimitationwereeliminatedonatypicalinner-citybusroute in Stockholm. The minimumcurrentalsoaffectstheclimaterelat-edloads,sincesomeoftheelectricitydumpedisusedforheatingthecabin.Therefore, the climate related loadsaffect the overall fuel consumptionmore than if there where no limit-ingcurrent.However,redesigningtheheating system to adapt it to thelowertemperatureoftheoutputheatfromthefuelcellscouldeliminateorminimisetheneedforelectricalheat-ing.

Withanelectricdriveline,withoutanytransmission i.e. direct propulsion ofthewheelsusingwheelhubdrives,thebuseswouldbequieter.Electrificationof the auxilliaries would also assistwith reduction in noise from the aircompressorsandthehydraulicsoftheroof mounted radiators. In addition,with electric auxiliaries, idling lossesduetothemechanicallydrivenauxil-liariescanbeavoidedandefficienciesfor subsystems increased. It is esti-mated that hybridisation, in general,wouldsaveupto20%oftheenergy.

ThefuelcellCitarobusesaredesignedfor a conventional (i.e. mechanical)driveline with an internal combus-tion engine as energy converter.Consequently, the potential forimprovedvehicledesign,achievedbyusingelectricdrivelineswithfuelcellsas energy converter, is not exploited.Electricdrivelinesingeneral,andfuelcells inparticular,present theoppor-tunity to build buseswith optimisedpassenger compartment and axleweightdistribution.Thisisduetothefact that the systems – in principle– are modular in their design andthat theymaybepackedquite freelyin thebusoron thebuschassis. Inaconventionaldriveline,limitationsareimposedbythemechanicaltransmis-sion from the energy converter (i.e.theengine)tothewheels.

In these buses, not being a produc-tionmodel, the fuel cell system anddriveline are not optimised for lowweight but for reliability. Loweringthe weight of components and sys-tems would give better driving per-formance,higherpassenger(i.e.load)capacityaswell as reduced fuel con-sumption.


��

requirements was set as a baseline.VariationsintermsofPrimaryEnergydemandfromnonrenewableresourc-es (PE (n.ren.)), the Global WarmingPotential (GWP100), the summersmogformationpotential(POCP)andthe Acidification Potential (AP) aregiven.

European boundary conditions wereassumed for the fuel supply. That isdiesel was produced in a Europeanrefinery using crude oil from theEuropeancrudeoilsupplymix.

FortheFCbussestheH2wasproducedviatwodifferentroutes:1. small scaleon-site Steam reformer(H2st.ref.)

2.smallscaleonsiteelectrolyserusinghydropower(H2hydro).

Theresultswerecalculatedforarun-ningdistanceof720.000km(12yearsat 60.000km/a) driven on Stuttgartbusroute“Line42”.Thisisademand-ing drive cycle in Stuttgart with amax. gradientof 8%andanaveragespeedof16km/h.

Figure 4.1.3 shows the productionof hydrogen by a small scale on-sitesteam reformer.The reformerperfor-mance is shown using natural gasandelectricity fromdifferent regions(Europe (EU15), Germany (DE), Spain(ES)). The consumption figures arebased on full load operation and arethesameforallthreeroutes.

The European boundary conditionproduction route has been set to100%.The results for the productionof one litre of diesel equivalent cor-responding to 3.3Nm3 of H2 or 35.6Megajoules of energy are given forPrimary Energy demand from nonrenewable resources (PE (n.ren.)) andthree impact categories (GWP100,POCPandAP).

4. e n v i r o n m e n t a l i m p a c t

BaselineDieselEuro 3

FC, H2 Hydro

FC NEBUS, H2 St.ref.-100 %

-75 %

-50 %

-25 %

0 %

50 %

100 %

150 %

200 %

250 %

300 % PE (n. ren.)GWP100POCPAP

FC, H2 St.ref.

Aggr

avat

ion

Impr

ovem

ent

Figure �.1.�: Comparison of FC, CNG with Diesel bus system on Line ��, EU1� boundary conditions

-50 %

0 %

50 %

100 %

150 %

200 %

EU15 DE ES

EU15 DE ES

EU15 DE ES

EU15 DE ES

EoL St. ReformerCompression

Steam ReformingNatural gas supply

Energy ContentManufacturing/Maint.

97.8 MJ/lDiesel Eq.

PE GWP100 POCP AP

5.15 kg CO 2-

Equiv./l D. Eq.9.77 10 -4kg Ethen-Equiv./l D. Eq.

967 10 -3 kg SO 2-

Equiv./l D. Eq.

non renew. resource

Figure �.1.�: On-site H� production via steam reformer applying European, German and Spanish boundary conditions

Thelifecycleconsistsofthreephases:• productionincludingresourcebeneficiation,

• operationand• endoflife.

Besides this vertical breakdown, thesystem is also analysed horizontallythroughthefuelsupplyandbusvehi-cleelements.

In addition, broadening the scopebeyond the usually analysed catego-riesofa)primaryenergydemandandb) emissions of greenhouse gases2in well-to-wheel studies, is impor-tant in order to address the goalsof European policies over and abovethe Kyoto commitments. These are,for example, an improved quality ofair, especially in urban areas, and anenhanced security of energy supplybydecreasingimportdependencye.g.ofthetransportsector.

The widening of the scope of theconsideredenvironmentalimpactcat-egories(e.g.globalwarming,summersmog (POCP)3, acidification) ensuresthat thesearemonitored if therearepotentialshiftsbetweenenvironmen-tal impacts of the different bus sys-tems.

A modular Life Cycle model for themanufacturing, operation (incl. fuelsupply) and End-of-Life of differentbus technologieswas developed andused to quantify the total environ-mentalfootprints.

ResultsWhenanalysingand interpreting theLCAresultsitisimportanttoconsiderthatthefocusoftheCUTEprojectwasonthedemonstrationofthefeasibil-ity and reliability of the FC and H2technology, not on its efficiency. TheCUTE project results are calculatedandpresentedfortechnologieswhichare currently at a prototype stage.This applies to the H2 infrastructureaswell as to the FC Bus. The resultswill therefore serve as a baseline tomeasure the future improvementsduring the maturing process of thefuelsupplyandvehicletechnologies.

Themain results of the LCA are pre-sented in Figure 4.1.2 for the overalllifecycleof thebussystem, inFigure4.1.3 for a sample hydrogen produc-tion route and in Figure 4.1.4 for theenergy sources used. The interpreta-tion of the figures is provided in theFindingssection.

In Figure 4.1.2 the FC Citaro4 busused in the project (designated FCin the Figure) is compared with theNEBUS5 (FC NEBUS), the predecessorprototype to the FC Citaro. A DieselCitaro meeting the Euro 3 emission


2CO2,CH4,N2o,SF6,HFC,PFC3POCP:PhotoChemicalOxidationPotential4Citaro:Typeofbusforpublictransport5NEBUS:NewElectricBUS,FCbusprototypedevelopedbyDaimlerChrysler

�0 �1

The goal of this study was an eco-nomicanalysisofthehydrogeninfra-structure in parallel with the lifecycleassessment.Thisstudygivesanoverview on the economics of theCUTE hydrogen infrastructure basedon actual costs as they occurred inthe project. The cost for the statusquo represent the situation for thesmall production capacity of on-siteproductionunits(50Nm3/hforsteamreforming, 60Nm3/h for electrolyserand prototype production units/cus-tomized solutions) and a small vol-ume for trucked-in hydrogen. Basedon this CUTE status quo, a futurescenariowasconstructedtomeetthehydrogen demand of 2015 as envi-sioned by the European Commission(EC). The required future productioncapacityisbasedon• the goal of substituting 2% ofconventional fuel by hydrogen(based on energy content; lowercalorific value) as stated in the ECWhitepaper: “European TransportPolicy for 2010: Time to Decide”(COM(2001)370);and

• an estimated fuel demand basedonthenumberofbusesandcoach-es published in statistics from theDirectorateGeneral (Transport andEnergy), i.e. an increase of 10% innumbersofbusesevery10years,anaveragefueleconomyof49ldieselper100kmandayearlymileageof60.000km.

Usingtheseboundaryconditions,170on-siteproductionplantswithapro-duction capacity of 600Nm3/h eachwouldberequiredin2015.Thisimpliesthe operation of 170 FC bus fleetsthroughout Europe with 73 buseseach operating with a fuel economyof10.8kghydrogenper100km.

Status QuoThe economic analysis of the statusquowasperformedbasedonthefol-lowing level of detail: Overall equip-ment (initial investment), mainte-nance,operationandsitepreparationcosts.Since the cost for the different cat-egories varied between the differ-ent sites, the results are present-ed as average values showing theminimum and maximum range. Theminimum numbers consist of theminimumcostprovidedby the infra-structure suppliers for each module(electrolyser/steam reformer, storageconcept, compressor, dispenser andmaintenance)andtheminimumcostfor site preparation. The maximumnumbers consist of the maximumcostforeachmodule.As the energy consumption is inde-pendentofthenon-operationalcosts,the same energy consumption hasbeen considered for all scenarios.The energy consumption consideredrepresents the averagenumber fromall sites of the whole filling station

4. e c o n o m i c i m p a c t

Economic Impact of Fuel Cell Bus Trial: Results and Lessons Learnt

4.2

Figure 4.1.4 addresses the issue ofsecurity and diversity of energy sup-plyforpublictransportationintheEU.Theleftbarshowsthecurrentstatusof the resource mix and contribu-tionofimportstothatmixforpublictransportationwithinEurope.

FindingsThe findings of the Life CycleAssessment can be summarised asfollows:• the H2/FC bus systems contribut-ed to an improvement of the airquality in congested urban areasby providing emission free vehicleoperation.Incontrast,aDieselEuro3 bus emitsmore than 80% of itsharmfullifecycleemissions6duringtheoperationphase.

• the environmental profile of theH2/FC bus system is highly depen-dentonthechosenH2supplyrouteandontheoverallefficiencyofthewhole fuel cellbussystem (vehicle&fuelsupply).Thisisespeciallythecase with regard to primary ener-gy demand (from non renewableresources) and impact categories(seeFigure4.1.2)7.

• theusageofrenewableenergycar-riers (e.g.hydropowerorbiomass)willaddresstheKyotocommitments

andcontributetoanincreasedsus-tainability in the (public) transportsector(seeFigure4.1.2).

• in terms of local environmentaleffects (e.g. summer smog causedbyNOxandHCemissionsfromtraf-fic) theoperationof theH2/FCsys-tem is already demonstrating itsadvantages in comparison withconventional systems. This advan-tage is independent of the chosenH2supplyroute(seeFigure4.1.2)

• apart from the factor of which H2

supplyrouteischosen,theregionalboundaryconditionsforthesupplyof energy carriers such as naturalgasorelectricityaredecisivefortheoverallenvironmentalprofileofthebussystem(seeFigure4.1.3)

• the environmental burdens duringmanufacturing of the fuel cell busare approximately twice the bur-dens caused during the manufac-turing of a state of the art dieselbus

• the CUTE project demonstratesan increased use of renewableresources (more than 40%) andan increased diversity of energyresources used. At the same timethe theoretical importdependencyforthefleetwasreducedbyaround40%.


OthersRenewableUranium

Natural gasLignite

Hard coalCrude oil

Energy resources –status quo

Energy resources –CUTE

0 %

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Import Domestic (EU)

Energy resources –status quo

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0 %

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100 %Figure �.1.�:Mix of energy resources and share of energy imports used in public transportation and in CUTE

6WiththeexceptionofSO2InaccordancewiththeAutoOilpro-grammethesulphurcontentislimitedto50resp.10ppmresultinginverylittleSO2emissionsduringthebusoperation(<2%ofthelifecycleSO2emissions)

7ThehigherPOCPandAPvaluesforESarerelatedtothesupplyofelectricitycon-sumedbythereform-erandcompressoraccordingtoSpanishboundaryconditions.DuetoitsenergycarriermixanditsemissionstandardselectricitygenerationinSpainin2002wasstillconnectedwithhigherNOX(relevantforPOCPandAP)andSO2(relevantforAP)emissionscomparedtoGermanyorEurope(EU15).

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Should the electricity cost be 0.07 perkWhasshowninFigure4.2.1,on-sitesteamreformingisthepreferabletechnologyshouldthecostfornaturalgas be less than approx. 0.078 perkWh.Productionofhydrogenbyelec-trolysershouldbepreferredifthecostfornaturalgasisgreaterthanapprox.0.104 per kWh. Between approx.0.078 and approx. 0.104 per kWhnaturalgas,thenonoperationalcostsaredecisive.

AnalysisinofFigure4.2.2showsthatforanestimatedcostforelectricityof0.1 per kWh, on site steam reform-ingisthepreferabletechnologywhenthe cost for natural gas is less thanapprox. 0.102 per kWh. Productionofhydrogenbyelectrolysershouldbepreferredifthecostfornaturalgasisgreaterthanapprox.0.127 perkWh.Between approx. 0.102 and approx.0.127 per kWh natural gas the nonoperationalcostsarethedecisivefac-tor.

The analysis showed also that thedeterminationofthepreferabletech-nology from an economic point ofview is closely related to the costof the energy supply. Therefore it isnecessary to consider local boundaryconditionswhencomparingdifferentinfrastructurescenarios.

FindingsThecomparisonofthestatusquoandthefuturescenarioshowsthecontri-butionofthenon-operationalcostsislikely to decrease in the future. Thisisdue to thegreaterdecreaseof thenon-operational cost as a result ofup-scalingand learningcurveeffectscomparedwiththedecreaseofopera-tionalcostsresultingfromanincreaseofenergyefficiencyinthefuture.

4. e c o n o m i c i m p a c t

SteamReformermaxmin

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Figure �.�.1 Future scenario: Reformer – Electrolyser; cost for electricity 0.0� per kWh

(electrolyser 5.8kWh electricity perNm3hydrogen;steamreformer7kWhnatural gas and 1kWh electricity perNm3hydrogen).Thehighconsumptionofnaturalgasoftheon-sitesteamreformerisbasedon the fact that they where rarelyoperated under full load conditions,leading to a significantly decreasedenergyefficiencyofthesteamreform-er. To better represent an operationaccordingtodesignspecifications,theeconomicsofthesteamreformerwasalsocalculatedandpresentedforfullload operation (4.7kWh natural gasand1kWhperNm3hydrogen).

Foron-siteproductionthenon-opera-tionalcosts(overallequipment,main-tenance and site preparation) with-in the CUTE project where betweenapproximately 5 and 9 per kg ofhydrogen produced by the electroly-ser and between approximately 7 and10 perkgofhydrogenproducedby steam reforming. Thewide rangeof the cost numbers is due to thefact that the cost figures for on-siteproduction facilities are based onprototype/custom built plants (elec-trolyser/steam reformer, compressorand dispenser). The overall produc-tion cost for hydrogen is dominatedby the energy cost. As the costs forenergy supply are regional specific,

theoverallcostforhydrogenproduc-tioncanbedeterminedusingregionalenergycost,energyconsumptionandtherangeofnon-operationalcosts.

Future scenarioThe economics of future plantswitha capacity of 600Nm3/hwere calcu-lated using the six-tenth factor rulefor up scaling, cost reduction factorsrelatedtotheincreaseofplantnum-bers produced, an internal return ofreturn(IRR)of12%andanincreaseinefficiency.Theelectricityconsumptionof filling stations with on-site elec-trolyserswasmodeled using 5.5kWhperNm3hydrogenwhile4.2kWhnat-uralgasand0.6kWhelectricitywereassumedforsteamreforming.The non-operational costs for thefuture scenario decreased to approx.2.0 – 2.5 for hydrogen productionviaon-siteelectrolyser,andtoapprox.1.5 –2.25 perkghydrogenforsteamreforming.Figure4.2.1andFigure4.2.2 illustrateresults for electricity costs of 0.07 and 0.1 per kWh and varying costsfor natural gas.They also show that,as a function of the locally prevail-ingcostsfortheenergycarriersused,costrangescanbedeterminedwithinwhicheitheronetechnologyisprefer-ableorifthenon-operational(capital)costsaredecisive.

e c o n o m i c i m p a c t4.

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c o m m u n i c a t i o n s5.

Dissemination Activities: Influencing Opinion

Objectives‘Dissemination’ in the CUTE projectcomprised all activities and mate-rial used to inform a diverse publicabout the project, about hydrogenand fuel cell technology, about theprojectpartnersaswellasabout theEuropeanUnionasaco-fundinginsti-tution. Information material such asbrochures,leaflets,CDs,webpages,TVspots, newspaper articles and activi-tiessuchaspresentations,conferenc-es,eventsweredeveloped.

Dissemination activities clearly hadtobeinalignmentwiththecharacterand the goals of the CUTE project.Communicationfocussedon• convincing decision makers toinvest in the project especially inthe setting-up phase in the begin-ningofCUTE

• making the public aware of theproject,itstechnologyanditspart-nersbyusingmanymediums

• creating acceptance of hydrogentechnology and reducing possibleconcernswithit

• communicating the progress andsubsequently the success of theproject to the public and partners–themaintaskinthesecond(oper-ational)phaseofCUTE

• promoting Europe as a leader inhydrogentechnology

Structured research and analysis ofpublicperceptionwasnotthesubjectof dissemination activities. Howeverpassengerandcustomersurveyswerecarried by the cities and local opera-tors.Oneparticularchallengewas topromote the indirect and long termbenefits of the project to the pub-lic as well as direct improvementssuch as clean air, less pollution andless climate influencing gases. Oneorganisationalchallengewastoworktogetherwithninepartnercitiesand28 partner companies to develop acentralmarketingstrategywhichleftenough space for local partners tosatisfy their own requirements andactiontheirownideas.

1. StrategyThe definition of target groups wasan important initial step in devel-oping a dissemination strategy andin retrospect, proved to be essen-tial. Differentiation between groups:industry, politicians, students/pupils,journalists, passengers, enabled anefficient use of capacities in orderto get the highest possible visibility,attentionandsupport.

One strategy in the disseminationactivities was to split the tasks andresponsibilitiesbetweentwodifferentgroups – centrally co-ordinated tasksundertaken by project managementand locally co-ordinated responsibili-tiesundertakenbythetransportcom-paniesintheCUTEpartnercities.

5.1

Status quo: • Regional boundary conditions aredecisive

• absolute non-operational costs areindependentof theutilization rateoftheproductionunit,

• within CUTE boundary conditions,thenon-operationalcostsarehigh-erforsteamreformerthanforelec-trolyser,

• cost for site preparation and stor-agearenotinsignificant,and

• the maintenance cost for bothon-sitetechnologiesanalyzed(elec-trolyser,steamreformer)adduptoanaverageof5%to8%of the ini-tial investment cost. Costs relatedtowarrantyrepairsandspecialinci-dentsarenot includedandhavetobediscussedindependently.

Future scenario:• Cost reduction potential is higherfor steam reformer compared toelectrolyser,and

• nogeneralstatementfavouringoneof theoptions canbemadeas theoverall cost are closely related toregional boundary conditions (e.g.costfortrucked-inhydrogenvarybyafactorof4).

Basedonthefindingsofthisstudyitis possible to determine the cost foron-sitesteamreformer&electrolyserhydrogen production and trucked-inhydrogenfordifferentboundarycon-ditions.Thisisachievedbyvaryingthekey parameters such as the cost forenergy, efficiencies, capacity and thenumber of on-site production units,maintenance and site preparationcost and applying an IRR to invest-mentcost.When comparing the hydrogen pro-ductioncostscalculatedinthisstudywith cost figures provided by otherstudies,itisessentialtocarefullycon-sider the boundary conditions thathavebeenapplied.

e c o n o m i c i m p a c t4.

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Figure �.�.� Future scenario: Reformer – Electrolyser; cost for electricity 0.10 per kWh

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Thestructureofthesite,withapublicpartandamemberssection,enabledittoaddressthetwotargetgroupsbyallowingdifferentcontents.

From its launch in late 2002, thesite developed very successfully andachievedthefollowingbetween2004and2005:• atotalof6.5millionregisteredhitswithpagerequeststotallingnearly700.000. From around 15.000 permonthattheendof2003,requestsat the end of CUTE in Nov 2005were four times higher, reachingnearly60.000permonth.

• More than 61,000 visitors werecounted in total which gives arough average of 2.500 to 3.000permonth.Towards theendof theproject,amaximumofnearly3.500visitors in November 05 indicatesa trend to increasing popularity ofthesite.

• 45GBof informationmaterialwasdownloadedcontaininginformationonthecities,theprojectandspecif-ically the technology, for example2600onlinecopiesofthebrochuresonCUTEweredownloaded.

The web site appears to have beenand remains a successful tool tospread information.For futureactivi-ties it needs to be continued in asimilarstructureandbecontinuouslyimproved.

MaterialPublicationsandpress releases regu-larlyappearedatcityandpartnerlevel.Thegreaterpartofpressreleaseworkwasconductedbythecitypartners.One of the intentions of materialdeveloped by project managementwastoprovideauniformprojectiden-tity and the publication of ‘whole ofproject’informationbrochures.Oneelementofthiswasthecreationofaprojectlogo.

Figure �.1.1: Fuel Cell Bus Club web site: Page requests �00� – �00�

0

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CUTE logo

Projectmanagementwasresponsibleforestablishingacentralstrategy,co-ordinatingcentralcommunicationtoolssuch as theweb site, a standardisedproject identity and organizing proj-ectmeetingsandconferences.

Thetransportcompaniesinthecitiesand all other project partners devel-oped local material such as regularand one off publications, papers andhandbooksandinitiatedmediaplace-ments such as newspaper and radiospots.

2. Central ActivitiesFuel Cell Bus ClubA first step in co-ordinating dissemi-nation activities was the setting upoftheFellCellBusClub(FCBC)atthebeginningoftheCUTEprojectin2001.The FCBC comprised theparticipantsin the fuel cell bus projects whichintend to introduce fuel cell transitbuses to their fleets and establisha hydrogen refuelling infrastructure

in their cities. All the CUTE projectcities were represented as well aspartnerprojects inReykjavik (ECTOS),Perth(STEP)andmorelatterly,Beijing(MOST) and Vancouver (BC Transit).The long term aim of the FCBC wasto achieve a sustainable transportsolution based on renewable fuels.Theparticipantsagreedonbasicprin-ciples and common goals in March2001.

Web SiteAcentralandelementarytaskwasthedevelopmentandthemaintenanceofanofficialweb-siteby theFCBC,cov-eringCUTEaswellasECTOSandSTEP.ThissitewascreatedinOctober2002andisavailableat:http:// www.fuel-cell-bus-club.comThe website was set up to promotetheprojectamongstthedifferenttar-getgroups–bothexternallyandinter-nally–andtoensureahightranspar-encybyinformationexchangeontheprogress of the CUTE project and itssisterprojects.

The web site had two main objec-tives:• Toprovidethepublicwithasmuchinformation as possible on project,news,technologyanditspartners.

• Aplatformforinformationexchangeforallprojectpartnerstoguaranteeinformationexchangebetweenthedifferentstakeholders.

Entrance screen of www.fuel-cell-bus-club.com

5. c o m m u n i c a t i o n s

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Dissemination Summary Chart 2006

It is clear from this table that differ-entmeanshavebeenusedtovaryingextent in the different cities due todifferent strategies, requirements orbudgets.

4. Surveys / Public ResponseStructured research to assess publicresponse to the technology and tomeasure dissemination success wasnotacore task inCUTE.Howevercit-ies themselves launched surveys toassesstheirowndisseminationactivi-ties, e.g. Hamburg and Stuttgart ranpassengersurveysin2004,Stockholmin2004and2005,Barcelonain2004.InadditiontheEuropeanCommissionfinanced a study1 performed byAcceptH2 to examine the impact ofhydrogen trials on public awarenessand attitudes in four cities amongstthem the CUTE cities of London andLuxembourg.ThepartnerprojectSTEP,in Perth, concurrently ran a similarstudy.

A brief summary of the outcomesshow that amongst the passengers– who are mostly (up to 90%) dailyusers of public transportation sys-tems–theacceptanceandsupportof

hydrogen and the CUTE project wasvery high (between 60% and 90%).Negative associationswith hydrogenprovedtobenegligible.In relation to information penetra-tion, 10–15% of the passengers stilldidnotknowtheywereonafuelcellbus and generally people requiredmore informationon theprojectandtechnology. However, passengersfound the project a good idea andwould even accept a slightly higher(10–20%)fare.

5. ConclusionCUTE setnewdimensions in relationto the numbers of people directlybrought into contact with the newhydrogen technology. With nearly 5million passengers transported, thismeansnearlyfivemillionpeoplewiththepotentialtoexperiencethesafetyandreliabilityoffuelcellsandhydro-gentechnology.

However, reaching thesepeopledoesnotautomatically result inapositiveperception. Therefore a structuredapproach to communicating projectgoals and success had to be applied.Both partners – customer cities andproject co-ordination – had to worktogethertoachievethis.

1PublicAcceptanceofHydrogenTransportTechnologies,AcceptH2project,2005(www.accepth2.com)

Table �.�.1: Summary of dissemination activities

city period (since launch)

tv & radio

newspaper & articles

media placement

presentations local events

Amsterdam 12/2003–10/2005 9 17 7 30 8Barcelona 09/2003–10/2005 17 28 3 64 6Hamburg 09/2003–10/2005 26 62 9 393 6London 12/2003–10/2005 20 46 10 31 15Luxembourg 10/2003–10/2005 16 17 4 89 5Madrid 05/2003–10/2005 3 66 7 95 2Porto 01/2004–10/2005 14 152 17 18 12Stockholm 11/2003–10/2005 10 51 11 103 4Stuttgart 11/2003–10/2005 12 40 24 123 14sum 127 479 92 946 72

Another important element was thepublishingofseveralbrochuresaimedatthegeneralpublic.• AGeneral IntroductionBrochure inOctober2002with8000copiesdis-tributed

• A General Information Leaflet pro-ducedinJune2003with5000cop-iesdistributed

• AHydrogen InfrastructureandBusTechnology Brochure produced inJanuary2004with8000copiesdis-tributed

• A Final Brochure at the end CUTEshowing results of the operation-al phase and outlining lessonslearned

Allthebrochurescanbedownloadedin English language from the website.

Conferences & meetingsConferences for thepublicwereheldat major milestones of the project.As a regular forum for exchange ofinformation,CUTE/ECTOS/STEPjointmeetingswereheldtwiceayear.EachparticipatingcityhostedonemeetingthroughoutthedurationofCUTE.

3. Project City Dissemination ActivitiesEachof theprojectcitieswasheavilyinvolved in dissemination activities.In relation tomaterial and presenta-tions,theprojectcitiesandtheirlocalpartnersemployedtheirownmarket-ingconceptsandstrategiesaccordingtolocalneedsandvision.Thiscombi-nation of different activities workedoutverysuccessfully.

Activities included presentations &interviews, conferences, local events,press releases, production of bro-chures/flyers, development of CDs/videos/modelbuses,maintainingofalocalweb-site,etc.

Facts and FiguresThe following statistics provide animpression of the dimension andnature of CUTE dissemination andpromotionactivitiesintheprojectcit-ies.CitieswereaskedtoupdatetheirdisseminationstatisticssothatatendofCUTEthefollowingchartsandfig-uresfortheyears2004&2005couldbepresented.

Technology brochure – �00�


�0 �1

Training aspects for busoperations and infrastructure staff


IntroductionBesidesthetestingoffuelcellbuses,hydrogen production and refuellingstationsindailyoperation,oneofthemain objectives of the CUTE projectwastoreduceanyfearandresistanceto hydrogen as a fuel and to raiseawareness on sustainable transportenergy in the respective cities. Welltrainedandcommunicativestaffact-ing as a link between people andthe technology (training) and directinformation giving to special targetgroupssuchasschoolstudents (edu-cation) were considered a precondi-tiontoachievethisgoal.

The objectives of this deliverable –Training and Education: The HumanPart inCUTE–were toanalyse, com-pare,andassesshowtheCUTEpartnercities trained their drivers and theirstaff at refuelling stations and howBallard Power Systems trained theiron-site technicians. In addition, thissectionreportstheeducationalactivi-tiesundertakentospreadtheknowl-edgegainedthroughtheCUTEprojectaboutthisinnovativetechnology.

Recommendations for future activi-ties intrainingandeducationincon-nection with the introduction of anew technology are also provided.Based on these recommendations,lessons can be drawn for enterpris-

es and governmental organisationswhen introducing new technologiesin the future. The experience gainedis not only relevant to hydrogen orfuel-cell(FC)technology,buttomanytechnologies. All technologies needto be safely handled by well-trainedstaff and theyall benefit fromeffec-tiveawarenessraisingeducationpro-grammes.

TrainingTraining was defined as the execu-tion of a systematic programme ora variety of scheduled exercises inorder to develop and enhance skills,knowledge, capabilities and produc-tiveefficiency.Therefore,training–incontrastto“education”–inthisreportreferstotheeducationofstaffintheparticipatingorganisationsthatwereworkingwiththefuelcelltechnology(drivers, refuelling station staff, sitetechnicians).

Training and Education: The ‘Human’ Side of the CUTE Project

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• examination of the contents• duration of the training• training-methods applied• schedules and materials chosen

The strategy of delegating responsi-bility for most activities to the localpartners on the one hand appearedto work successfully as it enabledthe cities to satisfy local & culturalrequirements when addressing thepublic and other target groups. Onthe other hand, having few commonminimum standards and budgets ofdifferent scales resulted in a largediscrepancy between the number ofactivitiesinthecities.

Widespread acceptance and supportof hydrogen technology was foundfortheCUTEdemonstrationprojectintheparticipatingcities.Expectedresis-tancetoandconcernabouthydrogenas a fuel proved to be less prevalentthanexpected.Awarenessaboutfuelcellbusesandtechnologywasraisedin thepublic through thedissemina-tion activities. However, there is stillmoretodotoreachpeoplethatdonottravelbypublictransporteachday.

Generally speaking the combinationofdifferenttoolsprovedtoworkwell.A rigorous assessment of the differ-ent activities was not undertaken,however some methods seemed toreachpeoplebetterthanothers:• buses andpublic transport in gen-eral, as a lever to promote hydro-gen technology, are an ideal com-bination.Theyprovedtobeamosteffectivetoolasmanypeoplecoulddirectly experience fuel cell driventransport–comparedtothelimitedcapacityoffuelcellcars.

• Informationmaterial on the busesworked well but must be moreeffective in terms of giving moreand better information on hydro-gen infrastructure and the projectpartners.Multimediapresentationsmayhelp to reduce thenumberofpeople(10–15%)whodidnotknowtheywereonafuelcellbus.

• Direct contact with single targetgroups worked well too, events atschools or information days. Thiswas followedasaneffectivemedi-um by articles in local press andpresentationsatevents.

• Inmostcities,thedemandformate-rial, presentations and eventswithCUTEbusessurpassed thecapacityof the cities/operators to providethem.

Somemajor points for improvementin future projects were also identi-fied:• TheimportanceofCUTEasaprojectfor the participating customers /operatorshastobealignedamongall partners. Clearer, centralisedorganisation and guidelines fromthebeginningmayrepresentastepforward.

• Structured research in all cities, inthe beginning and at the end oftheprojectwithidenticalquestion-naires may allow a more rigorousanalysisandcomparisonofthesuc-cessofthedifferentactivities.


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Project experience suggests that itwouldbeworthwhileconsideringthedevelopment of a uniform Europeancertificate for bus drivers and otherstaff handling fuel cell technology(e.g.operatorsofhydrogenrefuellingstations,workshops, etc.).Thiswouldguarantee uniform safety standardsandwould acknowledge the respon-siblenatureoftheworkofthestaff.

Emergency TrainingSimulated emergency response drillsshouldbemadeuseofinthetraining:According to experiences in London,complex documents are rather inef-fective training materials, simplybecause they are not read.Themosteffective training approach werethe simulated (tabletop) emergencyresponse drills. Such drills requiredthetrainedstafftotransferandapplytheir theoretical knowledge in ordertosolveacriticalsituation.

Training FeedbackGeneral feedback from the staffregardingtrainingneedsandcontentsneed to be harnessed regularly in aformalisedwaypreferablyintheformofwrittenquestionnaires tobe filledin, in combination with regular (e.g.bi-annual)group-meetings.Thefeed-backneeds tobeanalysedanddocu-mented. Changes which have beenpromptedby the feedback shouldbewellcommunicated,sothestaffclear-

ly understand that their experiencesand knowledge is highly valued andmaycausechanges.

EducationEducationwasdefinedinthisprojectas the gradual process of acquiringknowledge, and – in the context ofCUTE–mainlyreferstoactivitiesthatfocussed on pupils and students astheprimarytargetgroupthatwillusethehydrogenandfuelcelltechnologyin the future. Mobility patterns andawareness regarding environmen-tal sustainability are formed in one’syouth.

Specific Education ProgrammesInallcitiesinvolved,strongemphasiswas given to inform the communityof the objectives of the project andthepositiveenvironmental impactofthebuses.Forthispurposebrochures,flyersandotherdisseminationmate-rial were distributed on the buses,on site and during special events. Inaddition to this, Hamburg, Stuttgartand Perth (STEP) developed specialeducationmaterialsandprogrammesfor teachers and pupils, which werehandedoutfreeofcharge.InHamburgthematerialwasdistributedthroughCDROMandonpaperandmorethan500copiesofeachweresentorgiventoschools.Targetgroupforthemate-rialwas7thand8thgradepupils(aged10to12years).

Broad Parameters of the TrainingIn 2003, over 550 bus drivers andnearly 30 refuelling station staffwere trained on-site. The site tech-nicians from EvoBus and BallardPower Systemsalsounderwentprac-tical training in Vancouver. Trainingmethods included upfront teaching(especially on technical issues) anda train-the-trainer-approach. The lat-ter principle was mostly used withoperational aspects of the FC busessuchasthebusstartingprocedureorthe refuelling process. The durationof thetrainingof thedriversdifferedbetween 2 and 20 hours accordingto the specific objectives of the cit-ies. Training material was presentedthrough power point presentations,manualsandwork instructions.Afterthe completion of the training, per-sonnel reported in interviews thattheyfeltwellpreparedtohandle thenewtechnologyandtocommunicatethe objectives of the project to pas-sengers.

Training MaterialsIt is in the nature of a new technol-ogy, that there is no such thing as aperfectandall-embracingpreliminaryversionoftrainingmaterialsorproce-dures. Questions arise in connectionwith the use and practical applica-tionof thetechnology.Consequently,thepreliminarytraining-manualsandhandbooksneed tobe further devel-oped and designed in such a waythatallowsthemtobeamendedandadapted,accordingtoexperienceandin order to keep pace with ongo-ing technological innovations. Thetrainingmaterialsneedtobeeasytounderstandandwritteninthemotherlanguageofthestaff.

Selection of PersonnelThe most important criteria in theselectionofoperatingstaffwerethatthey showed a lively interest in thenew technology and volunteered tobecome part of this project. It wasdesirabletorecruitthestaffonavol-untarybasisasmostCUTEpartnercit-iesdid.Thisisbecauseitwasnotonlythesafehandlingofthenewtechnol-ogy, that was required, but also itspresentationtotheinterestedpublic.Theoperatingstaffneededtobeableandwillingtostudynewandcomplexcontentsandpresentandexplainthattointerestedcustomers.

Figure �.�.1: Training duration in relation to trained staff

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Education Materials on Fuel Cell Bus Technology: Hamburg

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asserstoff.de

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6. s u m m a r y a n d f u t u r e s t e p s

TheCUTEprojecthasbeenrecognisedinternationally as a major milestonein the development and demonstra-tionofhydrogenfuelcelltechnology.Theprojecthasseen27busesworkingin everyday public transport servicesin nine European cities and performwith an extremely high and excitinglevelofreliabilityandeffectiveness.

CUTE has successfully demonstratedthathydrogenpoweredfuelcellbusesare capableofmeeting thedemand-ing operating conditions of publictransport.Thebuseshave• operated for more than 62.000hours,

• covered more than 850.000Kilometresand

• carried more than 4 Million pas-sengers.

Similar buses have operated just assuccessfully in Iceland and Perth,Western Australia, demonstratingtherobustnessoftheoperationalandsupportingsystems.Most importantly, the CUTE Projecthas also produced some very impor-tant results which point the way tothe future – for Governments, fortechnology developers and for thecommunity.

The Global ContextOil is the foundation of the globaltransport system.More than 90% ofthe global transport task is poweredfromoilbasedenergy.

Oilisafossilfuelthattookmillionsofyears to form.Howeverweareusingoil at a rate that will substantiallyexhaustitoverconsiderablylessthantwocenturies.

And while it is being used – in cars,in power generation, in industry andthe community – the environmentand human health continue to beharmed.

These facts are generally not in dis-pute nor subject to debate.The onlydebate is around the timing of oildepletionand thedegreeofenviron-mentalharm.Eventhemostauthori-tative and arguably the most con-servative sources are talking aboutreservesofaround40yearsbasedonthecurrentrateofproduction.Thelatest(2005)BPStatisticalReviewstates that the world’s Reserve toProductionratio (ineffect the‘life’ofoil) in2004was40.5years.That is ifwe continue using oil at the currentrate and from the known reserves,oilsupplieswill runoutafterslightlymorethan40years.

What did we learn from CUTE: A Summary.6.1

InStuttgartthefuelcellbusesvisitedmore than 23 schoolswhich allowedpupils to get in touch directly withthenewtechnology.

In June 2005, Perth launched aweb-site, to download specific educationmaterial.TheSTEP“hydrogenandfuelcell education package1” is a web-based, interactive program (whichincludesteacherandstudentresourcematerial) designed for mid-to-upperprimary school students (age 9–13years). Two different and separateactivity and learning packages weredeveloped and are available on theweb site. The package was designedtointroduceyoungAustralianstotheconcept behind clean fuel technol-ogy such as hydrogen, and spark agenuineinterestinwhatcanbedonetore-thinkourenergyoptionsforthefuture. By January 2006, the educa-tionsitehadreceived6,612hitssinceitwaslaunched.Thesepositiveresultsspeakforthemselves.

Learning from the Education ActivitiesThe feedbackwith regard to the dif-ferent education activities in thesecitieswas very positive. Some of thelessons learned from these activitiesare:

• theeasierthematerialscanbeinte-grated into themandatory school-curriculum,themorelikelyitisthattheywillactuallybeused.Therefore,a close co-operation with all rel-evantstakeholders(school-authori-ties, teachers, science curriculumspecialists,studentrepresentatives,etc.)willbebeneficialforthedevel-opmentof theeducationmaterialswith regard to structure and con-tent

• additionalopportunitiesforschool-ing“outside the classroom”, at thebusdepotforexample,weregener-ally well received by teachers andstudents

• referencesintheeducationmateri-als should indicate other organisa-tions and options for activities tocreate a whole network of educa-tion possibilities regarding hydro-gen and fuel cell technology. Thisprovides teachers with an easyorientation, so they can make themost suitable choice (for addition-al materials and excursions) anddo not get lost in the “jungle” ofopportunities.

• a systematic and well structuredcollection of feedback from teach-ers, facilitates the further-develop-ment of materials and (teaching-)concepts, in order to fully meetthe (changing)needsofpupilsandteachers.

Web page hits from June �00� to January �00� in Perth/Australia

1Thematerialisavailableintheinternetonthesitewww.gdc.asn.au/ecobus


Year Page Loads Unique Visitors First Time Visitors Returning Visitors

2005 6,613 1,965 1,68 285

2006 110 51 45 6

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s u m m a r y a n d f u t u r e s t e p s6.

whichhasafleetofvehicles,centrallybased,maintained and refueled, andwellresourcedandhighlyskilledsup-portfacilities.

Arguablyitistheonlytransportener-gy system currently being developedwhichhasthatcapabilityinthebroadscale.

The Technical FindingsThe technical results of the proj-ect give many ‘pointers’ toward thefutureandwheremore researchanddevelopmentworkmightbestbecon-centrated.

The BusesThebuseshaveperformedfarbeyondexpectation set at the commence-mentoftheCUTEproject.

However the CUTE buses weredesigned to meet reliability objec-tives and not to be as efficient aspossible.Theobjectivewastotestthefuel cell drive train.Thebuses there-fore utilized asmuch of the existingCitarobusmechanicalcomponentsaspossible.Thisdesignphilosophyledtomany of the fundamental efficiencypotentialsofafuelcelldrivetrainnotbeingcaptured.

In order to meet the performancepotential that fuel cell vehicleshave,aswellastomeetoperationalpublictransportdemands,theyneedtoper-formevenbetter.• ImprovetheVehicleEnergyefficien-cytobeequaltoorbetterthanthedieselequivalent;

• Vehicleweightneedstobereducedtobecomparablewithadieselbus;

• Vehiclenoiseneedstobereduced.

The CUTE accompanying studiessuggest that these targets can beachieved.

Energy efficiency can be greatlyincreasedby• Utilizingahybriddrivetrain• Eliminatingthedesignrequirementforthefuelcellstoalwaysproduceaminimumcurrent

• Changingtheauxiliarysystem• Improvingtheweightofthebus

Other work being undertaken alsoindicates that vehicle noise can begreatly reduced. Projects alreadyunderwayaretacklingtheseissues.

Significantly, the reportedReserve toProduction ratio had dropped fromthe 43 years predicted in 2002. Eventhough the known reserves hadincreased, the world’s rate of use ofoil had increased more quickly, andthepredicted‘life’hasreduced.

Similar predictions are made by theInternational Energy Agency (IEA)which is the official energy moni-toring authority of the Organisation

for Economic Cooperation andDevelopment(OECD).

Butoilwillnotsuddenlyrunout.These‘lifetime’ predictions are of course atheoreticalconceptastheydon’ttakeintoaccounthowwecontinuetousemore oil each year, the possible newreserves thatmay be found, and theeffect that inevitable price increasesmayhave.

Oilsupplieswillprogressivelybecomescarcer and the price will inexorablyincreasetolevelswhichwillmakethecurrent levels ofmobility too expen-sivetomaintain.Arguably,thisishap-peningnow.

The European Union Energy Policyencouragesthereducedconsumptionof oil, improved environmental out-comes, and the progressive substi-tution of traditional transport fuelswithalternatives,includinghydrogen.The objective is to both reduce theenvironmental damage from currentsystems, and to increase energy selfsufficiency.

The CUTE project has demonstratedthat a hydrogen and fuel cell basedtransport system offers a realisticpromiseofachievingtheseobjectives–atleastinapublictransportmodel

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This was an unexpected result fromtheCUTEprojectas,priortothecom-mencement, the ‘weak point’ of theprojectwasexpected tobe the vehi-cles.Muchofcontemporarycommen-tary refers only to refuelling infra-structure being an issue regardingthe amount of financial investmentneeded to build it up to the extentnecessarytoservicethetransportsys-tem.

SomeoftheCUTErefuellingtechnol-ogy was based upon existing ‘con-ventional’ gas refuelling technologywithmodificationstodispensehydro-gen and towork at the higher pres-suresrequiredbythebuses.Thiswasapparently not a successful strategyinallcasesandindicatestheneedtodevelopnewandmorereliablerefuel-lingtechnology,whilemakingcurrenttechnologymorereliable.

Itishardtofindevidenceofabroad-scale or major financial or technicalcommitmentbyrefuellingtechnologymanufacturerstodeveloptheirequip-ment in thisway.This isagap in theglobalworkprogrammethatmustbefilled if a hydrogen based transportenergysystemistodevelop.

The Human SideThesheer scaleof the transport taskthat the CUTE buses have success-fullyachieveddemonstratesthatthisaspect of the project was a success.However the project has providedsome excellent learnings that needto be taken into account to improvefutureprojects.

The difficulties experienced by somecities inobtainingapprovalsforrefu-ellingstationsandforoperations,indi-catethatevensupportersofenviron-mentally friendly transport systemsmay not support a hydrogen basedsystem,despiteitsbenefits,iftheydonotfullyunderstandthefacts.

The often made general statementthat“thecommunitysupportandarecomfortable with a hydrogen basedtransport energy system” can hidesome very important areas wherethere is lackofunderstanding.Thesekey opponents, or simply areas ofuncertainty and caution, can signifi-cantly impact projects. Similar evi-dence emerged from the STEP proj-ect in Western Australia which wassubject to considerable delay causedby both community opposition, andregulatorlackofknowledge.

Hydrogen productionWhiletheprojectidentifiedthetech-nicalstrengthandweaknessesofthehydrogenproduction technology, thekey findingwas the relative efficien-ciesofthevariousproductionroutes.The energy input into the hydrogenproductionsystemiscrucial indeter-mining theefficiency,and theextentto which global warming and otherenvironmentalcriteriaareimproved.This aspect of the CUTE projectemphasizesyetagaintheimportanceofrenewableenergysupplies,andtheneed to develop renewable electric-itygenerationtechnologiesandtheirbroad availability. There is a strongcase for increasing investment byindustryandbyGovernmentsintheseareas.

The CUTE results also showed thattherearesignificantopportunities toimprove hydrogen production tech-nologies – their fundamental opera-tions and their efficiency.Companiesare alreadyworking hard to improvethe quality of their equipment – itsreliabilityandefficiency.

Hydrogen PurityThis remains a major constraint onPEM fuel cell operations. The CUTEresults demonstrate that the pres-enceof impurities,evenatextremelylow levels which in some instanc-

es approach the minimum levels ofdetection,canharmthefuelcellper-formance.

While fuel cellmanufacturersunder-standably would like the hydrogenpurity tobe increased,hydrogenpro-vidersandvehicleoperatorsknowthatthiswouldbeamajorimpedimenttothewide scale introduction through-out the community of a hydrogenfuelcelltransportenergysystem.Itisdifficult to picture a refuelling “pet-rolstationforecourt”operatingundervirtual laboratorystandardsofclean-liness in order to ensure hydrogenpurity.

TheCUTEprojecthashighlightedtheissue. Infrastructure companies needtoaddresshowtheycanreliablepro-videhydrogenatagreaterpurity.Onthe other side fuel cell manufactur-ers need to produce systems thataremuchmore tolerant of hydrogenimpurities. It is known that fuel celldevelopers are working hard on thisaspectoffuelcellperformance.

The RefuellersThe refuelling technology did notmatchtheperformanceofthebuses.A part of the time when the buseswerenotoperatingwas the resultoftherefuellingstationsnotbeingabletodispensehydrogen.


100 101


It is important that CUTE experi-ences are built upon and the exist-ing information bases are enhancedwith information sharing from andbetweenthemultiplefutureprojectsthat will surely be established. It isonlybyexploitingthesesynergieswillthefutureopportunitiesberealized.

Pointers for GovernmentsMost importantly the CUTE proj-ect has also provided key informa-tion which will assist and perhapslead Governments in developing thefuture for sustainable, emission free,transportsystems.

It is essential that the technologicallearningsanddevelopmentsareusedto influencepublic policy and strate-giesandprogrammes. Ifprojects likeCUTE do not lead to these impacts,future communitywide changeswillbeslow,ifatall.

Perhaps one of the most significantfindings to emerge from the projecthas been the degree to which themost senior decision makers withinthe broader European community– elected Members of Parliaments,Government officials, industry andcommunity leaders – have very lim-itedor evendistortedunderstandingabout the current state of develop-

ment of hydrogen fuel cell transportenergysystems.Toaverylargedegreethe enthusiasm and positive resultsfromthisandsimilarprojectsarenotgetting through to these communityleaders.Andmost importantly itwillbe these leaders who will, to a verylargeextend,becalledupontodecidethe transport energy systems of thefuture. It will be these groups thatmake key decisions which will influ-ence if, how and perhaps why not,hydrogenandfuelcellswilldevelop.

Too many of the conversations andinformation exchanges are ‘betweenthe converted’ – those people whoarealreadyawareandwell informedabout the possibilities. Those peoplewho either make decisions them-selves,orjustasimportantlyarelead-ers in community decision making,arenothearingthegoodnews.

This information gap was well illus-trated by the events in various citieswheregroupswhowereverysupport-ive of the concept of clean, sustain-able transport energy systems, werenotsupportiveof theproject in theirneighbourhood.

It is clear that there is still a majorneedfor• Public education and informationprogrammes;

• Schooleducationprogrammes;• Regulator and support person-nel education and training pro-grammes.

There is also evidence that thereremains a lack of understandingof both the potential benefits of ahydrogen based transport energysystem, and the need for pro-activegovernment,industryandcommunityactions to support any future devel-opment.

The Project DesignCUTEhasbeenamajor internationalcooperative effort – across multipleGovernments, across different levelsofGovernment, acrossdiverse indus-tries, organisations and communi-ties.Morethan25majorpartnersandmany more secondary and tertiarypartnerswereinvolved.

The organisational complexity andthe amount of effort necessary todesign, implementandmanagesucha project is immense and is difficulttounder state.Even the time-framesto consult the multiple partners, letalone get agreement on issues, isenormous.

It is important that future projectsofthistypearescopedandresourcedto commit adequate time and ener-gy and human skills to the projectdesign, operations and maintenanceaspects.Without this the success ofthe project is jeopardized from theoutset.

TheCUTEprojecthasalsohighlightedtheneedtogiveprioritytodevelopingevaluationarrangements,anddesign-ingoperationswithevaluationmeth-odologies in mind. This will ensurethat appropriate data are collectedreliably.

Another key learning from CUTE hasbeen the need to develop andmaxi-mize the synergies between similarprojects.TheCUTEprojecthasbrokennew ground in hydrogen, in Europeandinternationally.Buttherearenownew projects being developed andtherearemanyopportunitiestoshareknowledge between European proj-ectsandbetweenEuropeandtherestoftheworld.

The CUTE project has developedexcellent information and educationresources, outstanding local, nation-al and international networks, anda global reputation as the leadinghydrogenfuelcellproject.Theseactiv-itieswillnowbeusedasthefounda-tionformanyfutureprojects.


10� 10�

Future Steps

The CUTE project has demonstratedthedistance thathas still tobe trav-eled to reach these objectives. Forexample, it would seen that com-mercializationofthistechnologystillrequiresignificantimprovementsin:• FuelCellcosts• durabilityofthefuelcells• powerdensityand• high voltage components likeinverters,electricenginesetc.

CUTEhasalsodemonstratedasimilarneedfor,andopportunities to,devel-optheentiresupportstructuresforahydrogen fuel cell transport energysystem. As has been outlined above,theevidenceisthatthevariousstake-holdersareactivelyengagedinwork-ing hard to develop these improve-ments.

TheEuropeanCommissionhasfundedtheHyFleet:CUTEprojectwhichbuildsontheCUTEproject,aswellasdevel-opingmanyofitsowninitiatives.• HyFleet:CUTEwillenable theexist-ing fuel cell buses to be workedharderandlongerto

• • test the limits of the fuel cellstackdurability

• • testtherefuellingchaintechnol-ogyfurther

• aprototypeof thenextgenerationfuel cell bus will be designed andtested to build on the learningsfrom the currentmodel buses.Thetargets for thisbus include signifi-cant weight and noise reduction,fuel efficiency increase and manyotherimprovements.

• HyFleet:CUTE will considerablyincrease the education and infor-mation aspects of the CUTE workwith pro-active information dis-semination to the community andtodecisionmakers.

6.2

s u m m a r y a n d f u t u r e s t e p s6.6. s u m m a r y a n d f u t u r e s t e p s

And when this information is beingdiscussed with these leaders, thebreadthofthedecisionsthattheywillhave to face and the very long timeline to put any changes into actionwillneedtobeaveryimportantpartofthatdiscussion.

If hydrogen fuel cell powered trans-port energy systems are to becomean every day part of our commu-nities, then Governments, industriesandcommunitieswillneed toexam-ine and probably change dramatical-ly systems as diverse as training fortownplanners,architectsandvehicletechnicians. Our citizens and theirleaderswill need tounderstand thathydrogen,properlyhandledandman-aged, has no greater safety implica-tionsthanothertransportfuels–justdifferent.

And these changes will take a longtime to put into action. For exampleit will likely take three of four yearsto revise the trainingprogramme forvehiclemechanics,oneortwoyearstotrain the teaching staff, and another3 years for the firstmechanics to betrainedinthenewsystems.Soatimelag of perhaps a decade might beexpected even after the decision istakentochangethetrainingsystem.

And we are currently talking abouthydrogen fuel cell technology per-hapsbeingintroducedquitewidelyinourcommunitieswithintenyears.

Futureprojectsmustactivelyengagewith the policy and decision makersto ensure that they are well awareof the current ‘state of the art’ inhydrogenfuelcellpoweredtransportenergy systems. The projects mustwork with these leaders to ensurethat their decisions aremade in thelightofaccurateknowledge.

Hochbahn �00�

Hamburg Buses ready for action in the new Hy:FLEET CUTE Project.

10� 10�

©2006EvoBusGmBH,Käsbohrerstrasse13,89077Ulm,Germany

Contact Person: DrManfredSchuckert,Phone:+497021-89-3573,E-mail:[email protected]:www.fuel-cell-bus-club.com

CUTEisoneoftheresearchprojectssupportedandco-financedbytheEuropeanCommission,DGEnergyandTransport.NeithertheEuropeanCommissionnoranypersonactingonbehalfoftheEuropeanCommissionisresponsiblefortheusewhichmightbemadeoftheinformationcontainedinthispublication

DesignbyDesignunterTeck,D-73230Kirchheim/Teck,Germany,www.designunterteck.de;PrintedinGermanybyKochDruckGmbH,Hasenbergstrasse14A,D-70178Stuttgart,Germany;TextpreparedforEvoBusbyPEEuropeGmbH,Hauptstrasse111–113,D-70771Leinfelden-Echterdingen,Germany,www.pe-europe.com

European CommissionDGTREN Mr.IñigoSabater [email protected]

Project Co-ordinatorEvoBus Dr.ManfredSchuckert [email protected]

City PartnersGVB,Amsterdam Mr.FritsvanDrunen [email protected],Amsterdam Mr.HarryvanBergen [email protected],Barcelona Mr.OscarSbert [email protected] Mrs.CarolaThimm [email protected],London Mr.ChrisDyal [email protected] Mr.MikeWeston [email protected],Luxembourg Mr.NicoPundel [email protected],Luxembourg Mr.JosSales [email protected].,Madrid Dr.Arturo-M.Martínez [email protected],Porto Mr.RochaTeixeira [email protected],Stockholm Mr.PerWikström [email protected]öförvaltningen,Stockholm Mrs.EvaSunnerstedt [email protected] Mr.JonasStrömberg [email protected]ßenbahnen Mr.MarkusWiedemann [email protected]

Industrial PartnersBPInternational Dr.MichaelD.Jones [email protected] Mr.WalterRau [email protected] Mr.HolgerGrubel [email protected] Mrs.AnneMaritHansen [email protected] Mr.JamesBarron [email protected]

Academic and Consulting PartnersIKP,UniversityofStuttgart Mr.MichaelFaltenbacher [email protected] Mr.TiagoFarias [email protected] Mrs.HananAbdul-Rida [email protected] Mr.MarcBinder [email protected] Mr.KlausStolzenburg [email protected] Mrs.IsabelleDussutour [email protected] Dr.RagneHildrum [email protected] Prof.LarsSjunnesson [email protected]

Associated ProjectsECTOSIcelandicNewEnergy Mr.JónBjörnSkúlason [email protected] Mr.GlenHead [email protected]

7. t h e c u t e p r o j e c t c o n s o r t i u m

The Partners

clean urban transport for europe

City Partners

The CUTE Project

is co-financedby the European

Union

Industrial Partners

Academic and Consulting Partners

CUTE / ECTOS / STEP Team: Stockholm �00�

t h e c u t e p r o j e c t c o n s o r t i u m

Associated Projects and Partners

European Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Technology Platform

International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy

Documents

cute - eltis.org · Teamwork and Technology The CUTE Project is co-financed by the European Union c o n t e n t s preface: vision, technology and teamwork ... 1/2 OC + 2H+ + 2 electrons