Thesis Defence: Life Cycle Thinking Evaluation of Hydrogen-Powered Locomotives: a Canadian Context
November 29 at 1:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Maria Lizette Correa Carrillo, supervised by Dr. Kasun Hewage, will defend their thesis titled “Life Cycle Thinking Evaluation of Hydrogen-Powered Locomotives: a Canadian Context” in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Science in Civil Engineering.
An abstract for Maria Lizette Correa Carrillo’s thesis is included below.
Examinations are open to all members of the campus community as well as the general public. Please email Kasun.Hewage@ubc.ca to receive the Zoom link for this exam.
Abstract
The energy sector is one of the largest contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, with the transportation sector alone accounting for approximately one-quarter of these emissions, primarily due to the reliance on fossil fuels. Therefore, clean energy solutions are essential for reducing GHG emissions, and hydrogen has emerged as a promising solution for decarbonizing the transportation sector. This research explores the use of hydrogen in the railway sector, which is recognized as one of the cleanest and most efficient modes of transportation. However, hydrogen can be produced through various pathways, and the potential environmental, economic, and social impacts of its use in locomotives may vary depending on the employed production methods. Consequently, a comprehensive evaluation is necessary to assess these impacts holistically. To this end, the thesis employs a life cycle assessment methodology to evaluate the three pillars of sustainability—environmental, economic, and social impacts—across five different hydrogen production pathways, comparing these with conventional internal combustion engine locomotives. This life cycle analyzes all phases of the locomotive’s life cycle, including the refurbishment with hydrogen technology components, operational use, and end-of-life impacts. Additionally, a multi-criteria decision-making analysis is conducted to compare the life cycle costs, life cycle emissions and potential social impacts of hydrogen-powered locomotives with those of diesel locomotives in seven regions in Canada. This research also presents the development of a multi-criteria decision-making tool designed to assist stakeholders in evaluating hydrogen-powered locomotives with a life cycle perspective. The findings reveal that significant efforts are needed to lower the market cost of hydrogen by around $5/kg to reduce greenhouse gas emissions when implementing hydrogen-powered locomotives. The environmental assessment revealed that the water electrolysis pathway significantly reduced life cycle emissions in British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec, while steam methene reforming with carbon capture utilization and storage was most effective in Atlantic Canada and none of the hydrogen pathways considered in this analysis reduced emissions in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Additionally, diesel proved to be the least impacted pathway in the social assessment, largely due to its longstanding reliability in the railway sector. This work serves as a baseline for future applications of hydrogen technology in transportation worldwide.
