To address North American climate change problems, passenger rail offers one solution. However, it typically uses diesel motive power, which can cause health problems. Overhead and/or third rail infrastructure costs often preclude electrification. We examined hydrogen fuel cell/battery hybrid (Hydrail) railway propulsion systems using dynamic simulations as opposed to existing simulations in the literature which rely on static efficiency values. A British Rail Class 156 diesel multiple unit round trip is simulated using a series-hybrid architecture powertrain. Incremental battery masses were used to assess impact on fuel cell size, efficiency, maximum power, and overall hydrogen consumption. Battery mass is employed as a proxy for power and energy capability of the battery. Results suggest that passenger Hydrail systems work well, with hydrogen fuel cells handling most load dynamics. Hybridization with batteries works best and reduces fuel cell stack size and hydrogen consumption, with overall 64% stack efficiency.
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