Will Hydrogen Locomotives Run from Next Year... Dedicated Charging Station Completed

Rail Technology Institute Establishes K-Hydrogen Railway Osong Charging Station in Osong, Chungbuk

Hydrogen Refueling Station for Railway Vehicles

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] As the completion of hydrogen locomotives (rail vehicles) being developed domestically approaches, a dedicated hydrogen refueling station has also opened.

The Korea Railroad Research Institute announced on the 15th that it has established the country's first hydrogen refueling facility for hydrogen rail vehicles, the 'K-Hydrogen Railroad Osong Refueling Station,' at the comprehensive railroad test track in Osong, Chungbuk.

This refueling facility is intended to supply hydrogen fuel to the hydrogen electric train test vehicles currently under development. Since technical standards for hydrogen refueling facilities for railroads have not yet been established domestically or internationally, the regulatory sandbox system was utilized to install the railroad refueling facility within the comprehensive railroad test track. Since 2018, the Railroad Research Institute, in collaboration with Korea Railroad Corporation and others, has been developing hydrogen rail vehicles with a total investment of 25 billion KRW. Test operations are scheduled to be completed by the end of this year. The rail vehicle applies a hydrogen fuel cell-based hybrid power system, achieving a maximum speed of 110 km/h and capable of traveling over 600 km on a single charge. Specifically, the hydrogen fuel cell hybrid power system, power conversion devices for rail vehicles, plans for establishing hydrogen refueling stations, and draft technical standards for rail vehicles have been developed. Performance verification regarding safety and efficiency will be conducted at the comprehensive railroad test track in Osong, Chungbuk, until the end of 2022.

The newly installed K-Hydrogen Railroad Osong Refueling Station can refuel hydrogen at a pressure of 35 MPa. It consists of a high-pressure hydrogen compressor (41.3 MPa), hydrogen storage tanks (operating pressure 50 MPa), and a refueler (35 MPa). After verifying the interface with the hydrogen electric train test vehicles and conducting phased refueling tests, it will be operated.

Due to the absence of construction standards for hydrogen refueling facilities for rail vehicles, safety standards for the construction of refueling facilities (draft) were derived using the regulatory sandbox, allowing hydrogen refueling under certain conditions. Going forward, plans include establishing technical standards for the railroad sector through the collection and analysis of demonstration data. As this is the first in the country, safety measures for constructing the refueling station, ensuring safety during refueling, and the possibility of relaxing the separation distance (30 m) between gas facilities and railroads were decided after review by the Safety Management Committee.

Meanwhile, hydrogen rail vehicles have been developed and introduced in countries such as France, the United Kingdom, and China, starting with East Japan Railway Company in 2006.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.