Hydrogen combustion enhancement for rail diesel.
Rail diesel splits into two very different duty profiles: mainline locomotives running long, steady, high-load hours, and shunting, yard-switching and rail-maintenance equipment running stop-start with heavy idle. HydroHub PEM units fit both as a reversible, bolt-on retrofit — no ECU calibration change, no fuel-system modification, no stored gas.
Can hydrogen combustion enhancement be used on rail locomotives and yard equipment?
Yes. A PEM unit generates hydrogen and oxygen on demand from deionised water and introduces it into the engine's intake path, so it fits rail diesel as a bolt-on, fully reversible retrofit. The HydroHub DH-Power covers 7.0 to 16.0 litre engines — shunting locomotives, rail-maintenance plant and locomotive auxiliaries — and larger mainline prime movers are handled as multi-unit installations quoted per application. Mainline and yard duty behave differently, so baseline each profile on its own terms before drawing conclusions.
- Two duty profiles covered: continuous mainline running and stop-start yard switching
- DH-Power for 7.0–16.0 L; above 16.0 L quoted as a multi-unit installation
- 12 / 24 V DC from the locomotive's own electrical system
- Gas generated on demand — nothing stored on board
- Non-invasive and reversible: no ECU, fuel-system or emissions changes
- Consumables: deionised water and a resin filter every 6–9 months
- Primary unit
- HydroHub™ DH-Power
- Displacement range
- Up to 16.0 L per unit
- Supply
- 12 / 24 V DC
- Consumable
- Resin filter 6–9 mo
The evidence and sector pages this vertical builds on.
Idle & part-load duty cycles →
Directly relevant to yard switching: what the published literature reports for high-idle and low-load operation.
Generator-set classes →
Applies to locomotive auxiliary, head-end power and depot sets running continuous duty.
Evidence review →
The published literature, the test methods behind it and how we frame claims under Australian Consumer Law.
Unit selection by equipment class.
| Equipment class | Typical displacement | Recommended unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mainline locomotives | Above 16 L | Multi-unit DH-Power | Continuous high-load duty; quoted per application. Baseline over a repeated path and payload. |
| Shunting / yard locomotives | 7 – 16 L | HydroHub™ DH-Power | Stop-start with heavy idle; measure litres per shift against a consistent workload. |
| Rail-maintenance plant (tampers, regulators) | 6 – 12 L | H-Power or DH-Power | Choose by displacement; H-Power up to 7.0 L, DH-Power above it. |
| Hi-rail trucks & road-rail vehicles | 2.8 – 7.0 L | HydroHub™ A-900 / H-Power | Behind-cab cabinet on the same pattern as road trucks. |
| Locomotive auxiliary & head-end power sets | 4 – 16 L | H-Power or D-900 | Continuous duty; fed from the auxiliary DC bus. |
| Depot & workshop gensets | 2.5 – 16 L | H-Power or D-900 | Steady-state running suits controlled measurement well. |
PEM units suited to this duty.
HydroHub™ DH-Power Heavy-Duty PEM Enhancement System
- Application
- Up to 16.0 L
- Output
- 900 ml/min max
- Voltage
- 12 / 24 V DC
- Power
- 160 W
Free worldwide delivery, DDP
Duties & taxes are included on most destinations. Select your country for the exact arrangement.
HydroHub™ H-Power Heavy-Duty PEM Enhancement System
- Application
- Up to 7.0 L
- Output
- 900 ml/min
- Voltage
- 12 / 24 V DC
- Power
- 160 W
Free worldwide delivery, DDP
Duties & taxes are included on most destinations. Select your country for the exact arrangement.
HydroHub™ A-900 PEM Engine Enhancement System
- Application
- 2.7 – 7.0 L
- Output
- 900 ml/min
- Voltage
- 12 – 24 V DC
- Power
- 170 W
Free worldwide delivery, DDP
Duties & taxes are included on most destinations. Select your country for the exact arrangement.
What this environment does to the hardware.
Continuous mainline duty
Long steady-state running is the easiest duty to measure honestly, because load and speed repeat. Baseline over the same route, tonnage and driver roster before and after fitment.
Stop-start yard duty
Yard switching spends a large share of time at idle and low notch. Hours-based comparison hides that, so log litres per shift against a consistent workload instead.
Vibration and shock
Units are vibration-isolated and deck- or compartment-mounted. PEM cells run deionised water through a solid membrane, so there is no free liquid electrolyte to slosh.
Depot servicing
Consumables are deionised water and a resin filter every 6–9 months, which slots into existing scheduled depot maintenance rather than adding a separate regime.
No stored gas
Gas is produced on demand and consumed immediately, which avoids the storage, placarding and decommissioning questions that come with cylinders.
Reversibility
The retrofit is reversible. A locomotive can be returned to standard configuration before overhaul, sale or handback, and the unit moved to another asset.
Recommended trial sequence.
- 01Split the fleet by duty profile: continuous mainline versus stop-start yard
- 02Choose one representative unit per profile and instrument fuel measurement
- 03Baseline mainline units over a repeated route, tonnage and roster
- 04Baseline yard units over a repeated shift pattern, measured per shift not per hour
- 05Fit one system per profile and record the installation against the asset number
- 06Compare like-for-like duty, and only extend once the measured result meets your threshold
Model your own numbers.
Enter your fuel burn, hours and the reduction you want to model. Scenario only — not a savings prediction.
Fuel Cost Scenario Calculator
Scenario modelling, not a savings prediction. You choose the assumed reduction — we never suggest a figure is typical or expected.
Remote diesel costs what it cost to deliver, not bowser price. Landed cost vs pump price →
Scenario modelling — pick a reduction to evaluate. Not a prediction.
Recommended: D-900 for this application. Payback is calculated against vehicles × system delivered price.
Results are illustrative only. Actual performance depends on engine condition, duty cycle, fuel quality, installation and operating conditions.
Field evaluation is required before any commercial decision. Fleet Trial Programme →
How we report performance.
No projected, typical or expected fuel-saving figure is published. Actual results vary materially with engine condition, duty cycle, load profile, fuel quality, installation and operating conditions. A controlled field evaluation on your own equipment, with baseline data captured before installation, is required before any commercial projection.
These are combustion-enhancement devices. No emissions-compliance or fuel-saving guarantee is expressed or implied. Professional installation and controlled field evaluation are recommended.
Free worldwide delivery. Duties & taxes included on most destinations; where pre-payment isn't permitted, the carrier collects them on arrival. 12-month manufacturer warranty. See Shipping & duties by country for the exact arrangement for your destination.
- · Remote-site fuel logistics cost — landed cost versus pump price, and why the same honest percentage moves more money.
- · Idle & part-load duty cycles — where the published literature reports the most room, and where it reports least.
- · Hydrogen with biodiesel blends — per-study findings on blended fuels, with the NOx trade-off disclosed.
- · Visible smoke reduction — smoke opacity findings per study.
Questions.
Which HydroHub unit suits rail diesel equipment?
- Displacement decides it. The HydroHub DH-Power covers engines from 7.0 to 16.0 litres, which covers most shunting locomotives, rail-maintenance plant and locomotive auxiliary sets. Larger mainline prime movers above 16 litres are handled as multi-unit installations quoted per application, because a single cabinet is not specified beyond 16 litres.
Does mainline duty behave differently from yard switching?
- Yes, and it matters for how you measure. Mainline running is long, steady, high-load operation, so fuel burn per operating hour is stable and easy to baseline over a repeated path. Yard switching is stop-start with a high proportion of idle and low-load notches, so hours are a poor proxy and litres per shift against a consistent workload is the more useful measure. We recommend the same instrumented approach for both, but with different measurement windows.
Where is the unit mounted on a locomotive?
- In the engine compartment or on a deck plate, vibration-isolated, clear of exhaust and turbo heat, with a short gas line into the intake path. It is a bolt-on retrofit: no ECU calibration change, no fuel-system component altered, and no emissions device removed.
Is any gas stored on board?
- No. Hydrogen and oxygen are generated on demand from deionised water and consumed immediately, so there is no cylinder, no accumulator and nothing to decommission beyond the unit itself.
What servicing does a rail operator need to plan for?
- Deionised water and a replacement resin filter every 6 to 9 months. Both are workshop store items, which suits depot-based maintenance schedules.
Can we trial one locomotive before a fleet decision?
- That is the approach we recommend. Instrument one unit of a given class, baseline it over a repeatable path or shift pattern, fit one system, then compare fuel burn over the same duty before extending further.
Continue reading.
Hydrogen combustion enhancement
What it is, how PEM gas reaches the cylinder, and what it does not do.
Engine performance improvement
Flame speed, burn completeness and load response on diesel engines.
Fuel efficiency
How to baseline and measure litres per 100 km or litres per hour.
Emissions reduction
Soot, particulate and unburnt-fuel behaviour, and how to test it.
Visible smoke reduction
Smoke opacity findings per study, with the NOx trade-off disclosed.
Remote-site fuel logistics cost
Landed cost versus pump price, and why the same percentage moves more money.
Generator-set classes
Camp, prime, standby, rental, telecom, irrigation and ship's service sets compared.
Idle & part-load duty cycles
Reefers, camp gensets and high-idle plant — where the literature reports most room.
Hydrogen with biodiesel blends
Per-study findings for hydrogen enrichment on biodiesel, NOx disclosed.
Installation guide
Nine-step fitting sequence: mounting, wiring, gas line, commissioning.
Safety & compliance
On-demand gas, no storage, alarms, shutdowns and reversibility.
Troubleshooting
Alarms, low gas output, water quality and no-start diagnostics.
Case studies & field results
Published operator data and trial methodology.
Compare PEM systems
A-450 to DH-Power side by side: displacement, output, current draw.
Does it actually work? Evidence review
The published literature, the FTC/EPA history and the ACL context.
How it works
Gas path and established physics, explained with diagrams.
PEM vs alkaline
Membrane on water versus caustic KOH: servicing, purity, cost.
Sizing combined gas
Why PEM and alkaline gas-volume benchmarks are not interchangeable for ICE sizing.
Four hydrogen technologies
Enhancement vs H2ICE vs fuel cell vs chemical generation.
Compared with Hydrogen Fuel Systems
Honest comparison with the Perth-based Gen alkaline range.
Compared with H2i Technology
Hardware, pricing and evidence transparency versus the Victorian supplier.
Compared with dynaCERT HydraGEN
PEM versus alkaline, published price versus dealer quote, Verra versus ACCU.
Compared with HYDI
The South Australian manufacturer: UniSA testing, field history and quote path.
AU installation, warranty & safety
VSB 14 and VSB 6, ACL guarantees and documentation to keep.
Mining fleets
Haul trucks, dozers, drill rigs and site gensets: unit selection and dust.
Marine
Workboats, charter, fishing and ship's service gensets — no gas stored aboard.
Agriculture
Tractors, headers, pump sets and farm trucks across seasonal duty.
FAQ
Answers on fitment, water, warranty, freight and duty cycles.