Cummins Fuel-Agnostic X Series Platform
This post shows a Cummins video on YouTube about their fuel-agnostic X Series engine.
Universal Hydrogen And Railway Locomotives
On the product page of the Universal Hydrogen web site, there is a section, which is entitled Other Transportation Applications, where this is said.
Our lightweight, aviation-grade modular hydrogen capsules can be used in a wide range of transportation applications where weight, safety, and speed of refueling are important. We are working with partners in automotive, heavy equipment, maritime, and railroad domains. If you have an application that can benefit from our global modular green hydrogen distribution network, please get in touch!
I believe that the railway locomotive of the future will be hydrogen-electric. And so do some of the UK’s rail freight companies, judging, by some of their press releases.
- It would have an electric transmission. like most locomotives today, such as the UK’s Class 66, Class 68, Class 70, Class 88, Class 93 and the upcoming Class 99 locomotives.
- It will be able to use 25 KVAC overhead electrification, where it exists.
- Hydrogen-power will be used, where there is no electrification.
The lowest-carbon of the locomotives, that I listed, will probably be the Class 99 locomotive.
- Thirty have been ordered by GB Railfreight, from Swiss company; Stadler.
- The locomotives will be built at Valencia in Spain.
- It will have up to 6 MW, when running using electrification.
- It will have up to 1.6 MW, when running using a Cummins diesel, with a rating of 2,150 hp.
- Because a proportion of UK freight routes are electrified, it is likely that these locomotives will substantially reduce carbon emissions for many locomotive-hauled operations.
It should be noted that Cummins are heavily into hydrogen and their philosophy seems to embrace families of engines, which are identical below the cylinder head gasket, but with appropriate cylinder heads and fuel systems, they can run on diesel, natural gas or hydrogen.
I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that the Class 99 locomotive will have a diesel engine, that has a hydrogen-powered sibling under development at Cummins.
With perhaps a power on hydrogen of about 2.5 MW, these zero-carbon locomotives would be able to handle upwards of ninety percent of all heavy freight trains in the UK.
These are further thoughts.
Alternatives To Cummins Hydrogen Internal Combustion Engines
There are two main alternatives, in addition to similar engines from companies like Caterpillar, JCB, Rolls-Royce mtu and others.
- Fuel cells
- Gas-turbine engines.
Note.
- Universal Hydrogen and others have fuel cells, that can probably deliver 2.5 MW.
- Universal Hydrogen use Plug Power fuel cells.
- Rolls-Royce have developed a 2.5 MW electrical generator, based on the engine in a Super Hercules, that is about the size of a typical beer-keg. I wrote about this generator in What Does 2.5 MW Look Like?.
Cummins may be in the pole position with Stadler, but there are interesting ideas out there!
Cummins have also indicated, they will build hydrogen internal combustion engines at Darlington in the UK.
Would One Of Universal Hydrogen’s Hydrogen Capsules Fit In A Railway Locomotive?
These are various widths.
- Class 66 locomotive – 2.63 metres.
- ATR72 airliner – 2.57 metres.
- DHC Dash-8 airliner – 2.52 metres
- Class 43 power car – 2.74 metres
I suspect that even if it was a bit smaller a hydrogen capsule could be made for a UK locomotive.
How Big Is The Market?
The UK has around five hundred diesel railway locomotives.
Cummins’ First Female Engineer Retiring After Nearly 40 Years In A Pioneering Role
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on Commercial Carrier Journal.
The article was picked up by my Google Alert for the Cummins X15H, which is their new hydrogen internal combustion engine for large trucks.
This is the first paragraph.
Amy Boerger, Cummins vice president and general manager of on-highway for North America, is retiring in March following a nearly 40-year career. Srikanth Padmanabahn, president of Cummins’ engine business segment, said Boerger has been critical to the company’s success and leaves behind a legacy that will propel the company ahead. “She is a trusted partner and advisor and has strengthened many customer relationships that are more important than ever as they look to us for the solutions of today and tomorrow during this period of energy transition,” Padmanabahn said.
The article is an interesting long read for anybody, who is interested in the future of large diesel engines and the thinking of one of the world’s biggest players in the diesel engine industry.
This is an important paragraph.
“When we go to customers and they ask us ‘Hey, is electric for me?’ or ‘Is hydrogen for me?’ we try to steer them away from those questions,” said Samperio, who serves . “Instead, why don’t we start with the question on what are you trying to achieve. What are your goals? How do you operate? And then after we understand that, then we’ll be in a better position to say (whether) this technology fits your operation a little better or … that technology fits your operation a little better. That way, I think it allows us to just have a conversation more about what they’re trying to achieve rather than picking winners and losers.”
Samperio will be the lady’s successor.
Rolls-Royce Successfully Tests mtu Engines With Pure Hydrogen
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Rolls-Royce.
These are the two bullet points.
- mtu gensets and cogeneration units to be further developed for 100% hydrogen use
- First use in the new CO2-neutral container terminal in the German inland port of Duisburg
This is the first paragraph.
Rolls-Royce (LSE: RR., ADR: RYCEY) today announces that it has conducted successful tests of a 12-cylinder gas variant of the mtu Series 4000 L64 engine running on 100% hydrogen fuel. The tests, carried out by the Power Systems business unit, showed very good characteristics in terms of efficiency, performance, emissions and combustion. These tests mark another important step towards the commercial introduction of hydrogen solutions to meet the demand of customers for more sustainable energy.
Note.
- Rolls-Royce mtu have converted and tested a natural gas version of the Series 4000 L64 engine.
- The Class 43 power cars used in the iconic InterCity 125 train and powered by mtu V16 4000 R41R engines.
Are the two engines related? If so, can Rolls-Royce mtu build a hydrogen engine that could power an InterCity 125?
It was a rapid development.
Andrea Prospero, an engineer at Rolls-Royce responsible for the development of the hydrogen engine, is quoted as saying.
We are very pleased with the rapid progress. The very low engine emissions are well below the strict EU limits, no exhaust gas aftertreatment is required.
Due to the different combustion behaviour of hydrogen compared to natural gas, some engine components including fuel injection, turbocharging, piston design and control, were modified in the test engine. However, by using proven technologies within the Power Systems’ portfolio, such as mtu turbochargers, injection valves, and engine electronics and control, the development of the engine to use hydrogen was advanced quickly and efficiently.
Diesel and natural gas internal combustion engine manufacturers like Cummins, Rolls-Royce mtu and several other companies, have a long history of research, that they have the knowledge to convert diesel or natural gas engines to hydrogen.
So far only Cummins, JCB and Rolls-Royce mtu have disclosed a multi-fuel line of engines.
First Deployment For CO2-Neutral Power Supply At Duisport
There is a section in the press release called First Deployment For CO2-Neutral Power Supply At Duisport, where this is said.
Duisport, one of the world’s largest inland ports, is working with several partners to build a hydrogen-based supply network for its new terminal, ready for operation in 2024. In the future, most of the electricity required by the port itself will be generated directly on site from hydrogen in a CO2-neutral manner. This will be achieved by two combined heat and power plants with mtu Series 4000 hydrogen engines (with a total installed capacity of 2MW) as well as three mtu fuel cell systems (with a total installed capacity 1.5MW).
As part of its sustainability program, Rolls-Royce is realigning the product portfolio of Power Systems towards more sustainable fuels and new technologies that can further reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
There is also this Rolls-Royce graphic, which shows the energy sources.
It would appear batteries, combined heap and power (CHP), grid electricity, hydrogen electrolyser, hydrogen storage and renewable electricity are being brought together to create a climate-neutral energy system.
Is this a world-first, where hydrogen engines and fuel cell systems will be working together?
Gondan Shipyard Launches Another Hydrogen-Ready CSOV
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on offshoreWIND.biz.
This is the sub-heading.
Gondan Shipyard has launched another commissioning service operation vessel (CSOV) it is building for the Norwegian shipowner Edda Wind at its yard in Figueras, Spain.
Increasingly smaller ships are being built hydrogen-ready, so they can be converted to zero-carbon, when the technology is developed.
Over the last couple of years companies like Cummins, JCB and Rolls-Royce mtu have developed diesel engines that can be converted to hydrogen engines.
Cummins talk of agnostic engines, which are identical from the cylinder head gasket down and what is above it, can make the engine, diesel, hydrogen on natural gas powered.
Electrolyser System To Linde For Green Hydrogen Production In Niagara Falls, New York
The title of this post, is the same as that of this press release from Cummins.
This is the first paragraph.
Cummins Inc. will supply a 35-megawatt (MW) proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyzer system for Linde’s new hydrogen production plant in Niagara Falls, New York. Once commissioned, Cummins’ electrolyzer system will power Linde’s largest green hydrogen plant in the U.S., marking significant progress in moving the green hydrogen economy forward.
Note.
- The electrolyser will be powered by hydroelectricity.
- Linde have a strategic investment in iTM Power, who are a British manufacturer of electrolysers.
- ITM Linde Electrolysis is a joint venture between iTM Power and Linde.
Why did Linde choose Cummins over iTM Power?
Is it down to cost, delivery, politics or quality?
Do Cummins And Stadler Have a Cunning Plan?
Roger Ford in the December 2022 Edition of Modern Railways has written an article called Traction à la mode.
The article is a series of small sections, with the last section but one, labelled Monster.
Roger says this.
Finally, we come to the mighty Class 99, which is not at all flakey. In the past I have often commented on the UK railways’ prejudice against Co-Co bogies.
But with the ’99’ six axles will give 6MW (8,000 hp) at the rail, with contact patches to use all its 113 tonnes. Plus the extra axles mean it can accommodate the weight of a 2,400 hp Cummins diesel.
At the recent Rail Freight Group conference, Ross Shepherd, Chief Technical Officer of Beacon Rail, which has 30 locomotives on order for GB Railfreight, revealed a computer simulation which showed a Class 99 would save 36 minutes on a run timed for 1 hr 40 minutes for diesel traction. To quote Mr Shepherd:’It’s a monster and it’s coming.’
I have been doing some digging around the Internet and have found this bulletin from Cummins, which is entitled QSK60 For Rail.
The Class 99 locomotive appears to have a QSK50, which appears to be a less powerful version.
The bulletin describes a Stadler locomotive with a Cummins QSK60 engine, which Stadler are delivering to Bolivia.
This paragraph introduces the locomotives.
Stadler and the Bolivian Ferroviaria Andina (Andean
Railway) FCA have signed a contract for the supply of the first three state-of-the art South American Light
Loco (SALi) locomotives, which will feature the
Cummins QSK60 engine.
The bulletin gives these details.
- Locomotive type – diesel-electric
- Track gauge – one metre
- Axle load – 18 ton/axle
- Power – 1865 kW – 2500 hp
- Diesel engine – QSK60
- Maximum Speed – 100 km/h
- Starting Tractive Effort – 415 kN
- Coupling – AAR
- Fuel Tank – Up to 6000 litres
The bulletin is marked as Printed in UK, so does that mean that the engines will come from Darlington.
The weight of this locomotive is 98 tonnes and Roger says that the Class 99 locomotive is 113 tonnes. But the Class 99 locomotive is an electro-diesel locomotive with 6 MW available when running on 25 KVAC overhead electrification.
It looks to me that Stadler have arranged the substantial electrical gubbins around the Cummins QSK50 diesel engine to create Beacon Rail’s monster.
Cummins And Hydrogen
Cummins is a company, that is big in hydrogen.
- They own hydrogen fuel cell and electrolysis company; Hydrogenics.
- They supply the fuel cells for Alstom’s hydrogen-powered Coradia iLint.
In Werner Enterprises Signs Letter Of Intent Planning To Secure 500 X15H Engines From Cummins, I said this.
More details of the X15H engine are given in this earlier press release, which is entitled Cummins Inc. Debuts 15-Litre Hydrogen Engine At ACT Expo, which has this first paragraph.
Today, Cummins Inc. debuted its 15-liter hydrogen engine at ACT Expo in Long Beach, California. This engine is built on Cummins’ new fuel-agnostic platform, where below the head gasket each fuel type’s engine has largely similar components, and above the head gasket, each has different components for different fuel types. This version, with expected full production in 2027, pairs with clean, zero-carbon hydrogen fuel, a key enabler of Cummins’ strategy to go further faster to help customers reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
I certainly like the concept of a fuel-agnostic platform, where below the head gasket, everything is similar, and above the head gasket, there are appropriate components.
Could This Philosophy Be Used To Create An Electro-Hydrogen Locomotive?
It looks to me that if Stadler use the Cummins QSK diesel engine in their locomotives, then if Cummins develop a hydrogen version of the QSK, Stadler can convert the locomotives to hydrogen, if Cummins follow their philosophy of a fuel-agnostic platform, with everything identical below the cylinder head gasket.
Over twenty years ago, I did a small data analysis task for Cummins in Darlington. One of their engineers explained to me how they would rearrange the components of diesel engines, so they fitted with the customer’s application. It looks to me that they have taken this philosophy a step further, so that the customer can have diesel or hydrogen engines in the same application, depending on what the end user wants.
In the case of the order from Beacon Rail for thirty Class 99 locomotives, they will be delivered as electro-diesel locomotives, but at some point in the future, when Cummins has developed the hydrogen engine, they will be able to be converted to electro-hydrogen locomotives.
These locomotives could be in front-line service for over forty years!
The Very Long Range Electro-Hydrogen Locomotive
Hydrogen surely has the power and range to move freight trains across continents.
But can everything be fitted in a standard locomotive body?
Alstom have come up with an innovative solution, which I described in From 2025, Nestlé Waters France Will Use The First Hydrogen-Powered Freight Train Through An Innovative Solution Developed by Alstom and ENGIE
I would also suspect a simple tender containing a tank full of hydrogen will also work.
Collateral Benefits Of A Electro-Hydrogen Locomotive
These are possible benefits of electro-hydrogen locomotives.
- Staff in ports and freight depots get all the clean-air benefits of working with zero-carbon and low-pollution locomotives.
- Ports are becoming hydrogen hubs to fuel ships and ground-handling equipment, so electro-hydrogen locomotives could be easily-fueled.
- Ports and freight depots don’t like electrification, as containers occasionally get dropped.
- Electro-hydrogen locomotives will be able to do their own shunting.
- Electro-hydrogen locomotives will not need all tracks to ports and freight depots to be electrified, but won’t mind if they are.
These benefits would allow Network Rail and the operators of ports and freight depots to develop the best solutions for their operations.
Research And Development Agreement Signed For Hydrogen Combustion Trains In US
The title of this post, is the same as that of this article on H2-View.
This is the opening paragraph.
Hydrogen combustion engine-powered trains are set to be at the centre of a collaborative research and development agreement between Argonne and Oak Ridge National Laboratories and Wabtec in a bid to decarbonise US rail.
The US is certainly calling up the heavy brigade in Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratories and Wabtec.
This appears to be the main objective.
It is hoped the team will be able to design train engines that will deliver the same power, range, and cost-effectiveness as current diesel technology.
The article states that there are 25,000 diesel locomotives in the United States, but because of exports to large parts of the world, including the UK, this research could clean up a lot more than just the United States.
The omens are good, in that both Cummins and Rolls-Royce mtu, who are two of the world’s big diesel engine manufacturers have successfully launched hydrogen combustion engines.
Cummins Is Charging Towards Green
If ten years ago, you’d asked any green activist to name companies, that would be ruined by or fail to adjust to global warming by decarbonising their product line, I’m sure most big diesel engine manufacturers, like Cummins, would have been on their list.
But Cummins have successfully moved on as their latest press releases about their technology show.
- October 13th – Cummins Drives Gigawatt Electrolyzer Manufacturing Plant Forward in Spain, Expanding Its Global Clean Energy Footprint.
- October 10th – Cummins Drives Domestic Green Hydrogen Economy Forward With First U.S. Electrolyzer Manufacturing Facility.
- October 6th – Atura Power Selects Cummins To Design, Manufacture 20 MW Electrolyzer System For Niagara Hydrogen Centre.
- October 5th – Cummins’ Second Largest Solar Farm Goes Live at Rocky Mount Engine Plant.
- September 22nd – Destination IAA: Cummins Unveils New Technology For Zero-Emissions Power Solutions.
- September 20th – Cummins QSK95 Engine Proven Fully Compatible With Renewable Diesel.
- September 15th – Cummins Advocating for Racial Equity (CARE) Supports Mobile Grocery Markets in Communities Across the U.S.
- September 15th – Destination IAA: Cummins Debuting Electrified Meritor Powertrains For The First Time Since Acquisition.
- September 8th – Cummins Advocating for Racial Equity (CARE) Invests in a Sustainable Future Through Private Equity Partnership.
- September 8th – Cummins Scaling Belgium Electrolyzer Manufacturing Capacity To 1 Gigawatt Through IPCEI Support.
- September 7th – Werner Enterprises Signs Letter of Intent Planning to Secure 500 X15H Engines from Cummins.
- August 31st – Transport Enterprise Leasing Planning to Integrate Cummins’ X15H into Heavy Duty Truck Fleets.
These can be summarised as follows.
- Green Solutions – 4
- Electrolysers for green hydrogen – 3
- Decarbonisation of diesel engines – 3
- Community Support – 2
- Electric Powertrains – 1
- Solar Power – 1
According to Google, the Cummins share price has risen thirty percent in the last five years.
They must have done something right!
Hydrogen ICE Trucks Offer Lower Cost Shift Away From Diesel
The title of this post, is the same as that of this hydrogen news item from Ryse Hydrogen.
These three paragraphs put forward their view.
Truck manufacturers are offering fleet managers an alternative decarbonisation route that allows them to use clean hydrogen within a well-known environment: the internal combustion engine (ICE).
This U.S. engine giant Cummins will unveil a medium-duty concept truck powered by the H2-ICE at this week’s IAA Transportation exhibition in Hanover, Germany, while Westport Fuel Systems revealed its HPDI hydrogen ICE engine for heavy duty vehicles just last week.
Hydrogen ICE vehicles offer many of the benefits of hydrogen fuel cells housed within a technology that is already familiar to millions of mechanics and engineers around the world.
I agree with Ryse and feel that several companies are working on doing the same for smaller vehicles like cars and vans.
The Anonymous Widower 