Testbed Leader: TPL FVG
Via dei Lavoratori, 2, 34144 Trieste TS, Italy
Partner: APT Gorizia
Director (or representative): Giuseppe Zottis (giuseppe.zottis@tplfvg.it)
Project Description
The project concerns the ecological transition of part of the TPLFVG fleet from diesel to hydrogen power. Trieste Trasporti, will use the hydrogen produced by the new AcegasApsAmga plant and, therefore, will build the storage and distribution plant. It is planned to refuel up to 10 buses by installing the refuelling system consisting of the following facilities: storage, chiller (cooling), compressor and two refuelling lines.
Key Metrics
An investment of 3.245.000 euros is estimated for the realization of the project.
Trieste Trasporti will also need to cover the costs for the purchase of 10 hydrogen buses, which has been estimated at 7,000,000 euros.
Impact and Benefits
The ecological transition project will have important consequences in the entire fleet management activity, which will see logistical, and maintenance activities change, and safety procedures will also have to be changed.
Current Status
Site inspections have been conducted on a potential area for the construction of the storage and refuelling infrastructure. Additionally, contacts have been made with AcegasApsAmga, which will handle the hydrogen supply.
Future Plans
The next steps involve identifying and subsequently purchasing the land for the construction of the hydrogen storage facility and the bus refuelling station. Once the area has been identified, the authorization procedures must be completed, followed by the drafting of an executive project to be presented during the tender phase.
Detailed description of the use case for the public bus transport in Gorizia; Trieste Trasporti, Trieste, Italy
Testbed Partner: APT Gorizia
Detailes Project Description
The hydrogen production plant has a maximum power of 1 MW with a daily production capacity of 400 kg. The hydrogen refueling station is suitable for refueling buses and trucks at 350 bar and light vehicles at 700 bar. The plant will be equipped with two 350 bar refrigerated dispensers for the refueling of HDV (heavy vehicles) and 1 700 bar refrigerated dispenser for LDV. In the event of anomalies in the hydrogen production system, the system will be powered by a wagon-trailer which can operate with an operating pressure of up to 500 bar. To this end, a loading/unloading bay for trailers is provided.
Below is an initial indication of the main elements:
- Electrolysis 1 MW;
- Pmax cylinder wagon unloading panel. 500 bars
- Compressor H2 Pout max = 500 bar
- Compressor H2 Pout max= 1000 bar
- Storage H2 Medium Pressure 500 bar
- H2 High Pressure storage 900 bar
- Cooling System H2 -20°C for refuelling at 350 bar
- Cooling System H2 -40°C for refuelling at 700 bar
- N.2 H2 dispensers at a pressure of 350 bar for refuelling heavy vehicles/buses
- 1 dispenser at a pressure of approximately 700 bar for refuelling light vehicles/cars
- H2 system control room;
- Technical rooms serving the hydrogen refuelling system, including the cooling and electrical supply part;
The system will be managed and maintained locally and remotely by specially trained personnel and refuelling will be carried out by on-site personnel. The plant will be designed, built and operated in accordance with current standards and regulations. Particular attention will be paid to the safety and safe operation of the facility.
The scheme on the previous page shows a first summary indication of the planned configuration, which does not include information on the allocation of the storage benches and the pipe connections.
From the electrolyser or from the trailers, the hydrogen will be sucked in by the compressors located respectively at each „Station module„
and can alternatively be stored inside the appropriate storage benches provided or used directly for refuelling. The system includes two cooling systems, one for each station module, which allow the hydrogen to be brought to the right temperature for refuelling. It is underlined that this configuration could possibly vary in the subsequent design phases also in relation to a more accurate study of the production and supply profiles.
The hydrogen refuelling station is designed in compliance with the Decree of the Ministry of the Interior of 23 October 2018 (Official Gazette of 05 November 2018, n. 257) “Technical fire prevention rule for the design, construction and operation of hydrogen distribution systems for automotive purposes ” and to the Decree of the Ministry of the Interior of 7 July 2023 “Fire prevention technical rule for the identification of methodologies for risk analysis and fire safety measures to be adopted for the design, construction and operation of systems of hydrogen production through electrolysis and related storage systems.”
Key Metrics
The plant will consist of an electrolysis and discharge panel, two “Station modules” with compression, cooling, and control, two storage benches, and three dispensers for refuelling heavy vehicles at 350 bar (HDV) and 700 bar light vehicles (LDV). Gaseous hydrogen will be supplied to the station on the electrolysis side with an inlet pressure of max 30 bar or on the exchange trailer side with a pressure of up to 500 bar. The hydrogen can be transferred directly to storage units or compressed inside the “Station module” and then transferred to the storage units. The refuelling process follows the international standard SAE J2601-2. For LDV refuelling at 700 bar, the hydrogen is taken from the depot, compressed, and cooled to -40 degrees in the “Station module” and kept cold up to the dispenser. The refuelling protocol complies with SAE J2601-1. The hydrogen cooling system will allow fast refuelling in 3–8 minutes for buses and approximately 4 minutes for cars.
A single electrical panel with a PLC capable of managing the entire production, charging, storage, dispensing, and emergency processes will oversee the hydrogen system. The budget is 10,411,467.00 euro.
- Max daily production (indicative): 185 Nm3/h (400 kg/day)
- Positioning: outdoor container
- Temperature: between -20°C and +40°C
- Max altitude: 1000 m above sea level
- Noise: <85dB (at 1 m)
- Usage range: from 10% to 100%, ramp 10%/sec
- Start-up time: <8 min
- Nominal cell stack consumption at the beginning of life: 4.7 kWh/Nm3
- Nominal consumption of the entire system at the beginning of its life: 5 kWh/Nm3
- Water consumption: 280 l/h
Impact and Benefits
The plant will allow the production of green hydrogen (maximum productivity of 400 tones/day) that will also be used to support the transition of part of the TPLFVG fleet from diesel to hydrogen power.
Current Status
The tender for the construction of the plant has been called and awarded. The works will begin by the end of the year and finish by the 30th of June 2026.
Future Plans
The construction works will start at the end of the year.