Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Technology State of the ... - NEXTHYLIGHTS

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Bus Technology State of the Art Review
Figure 39 The hydrogen refuelling station in Hürth, Cologne. On the left side of the
picture there is the dispensing unit (one dispenser for 350bar refuelling). In the
background there are the compressor unit (enclosed in a container, left side) and the low
pressure (150bar) storage tanks. The gaseous hydrogen is currently delivered to the
refuelling station by tube trailers, which are connected to the system behind the yellow
concrete wall.
The low capital cost of the refuelling station is a consequence of its simple design,
possible thanks to the local availability of hydrogen as a by-product from the chemical
industry. The hydrogen is currently trucked-in in gaseous form at 200bar, but the
refuelling station could be easily retrofitted to accommodate a hydrogen pipeline directly
connected with the production plant (some 450m away).
Figure 40, below, captures the benefits coming from the simple refuelling station design
and cheap hydrogen price in terms of hydrogen price at the pump. The model considers
three dispensing capacities (100kgH2/day, 200kgH2/day and 300kgH2/day), a discount
period of ten years, a discount rate of 3.5% and a yearly maintenance fee equivalent to
the 3% of the capital cost of the refuelling station. The hydrogen is assumed to be
delivered through a short pipeline, whose cost is also included, and by tube-trailer.
Finally, the figures include the extra capital cost for additional on-site storage capacity
for dispensing capacities over 100kg/day, quantified as ~ 25% of the initial capital cost of
the infrastructure.
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