Energy efficient operation of hydrogen powered vessels

In order to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases in shipping, new fuels are required. For shorter distances the use of a battery can work, while for longer distances hydrogen is an alternative. The costs of using hydrogen are higher than when using today's fuel, so it is therefore important to make shipping using hydrogen as cheap as possible. The project wants to contribute to this in several ways. We will further develop a system that provides information on how waves will hit the ship four to eight minutes before they actually reach the ship in order to drive the ship's engines more efficiently. To do this, one must take into account both the immediate fuel costs, but also the wear and tear on the system of batteries and fuel cells that a hydrogen-powered ship will have. If the lifespan of batteries and fuel cells can be increased, this could lead to significant savings over time. As there is limited experience with the use of fuel cells in ships, it will also be important to better understand the mechanisms that wear out the fuel cells. In order to gain more knowledge about this, we want to develop new techniques to measure wear and tear on fuel cells. The project is a collaborative project between NORCE, Corvus Energy AS, SEAM AS, SinOceanic AS, Topeka AS and the two American universities MIT and the University of California (Berkeley). The four Norwegian industrial players will contribute with maritime expertise. MIT will contribute in wave prediction. The University of California (Berkeley) has special expertise aimed at cars powered by batteries and fuel cells. We now want to utilize results that have been developed for the automotive industry within shipping. This project will be closely connected to the project "Optimized Hydrogen Powered Maritime Mobility" which is led by Corvus Energy, and also the research center "Norwegian Center for Hydrogen Research (HyValue)" led by NORCE.

The project Energy efficient operation of hydrogen powered vessels (HyEFF) will performe research to facilitate widespread, sustainable, and safe use of hydrogen powered vessels with energy efficient operation. This is important because maritime transport represents 80-90% of international trade and is responsible for about 3.2% of the global greenhouse gas emissions. These emissions will increase significantly if mitigation measures are not put in place swiftly. Hydrogen fuel for the maritime sector is seen as a necessary part of the solution to achieve the ambitions set by the IMO on zero emissions for transport with large energy needs and over long distances, or in areas with limited grid capacity which are not practically possible to electrify with batteries. However, to achieve this there are significant remaining challenges that must be addressed. In this project we will further develop a system, based on radar images, for forecasting wave and vessel motions in real time 4-8 minutes in advance. This will set the stage for developing a power management system that minimize the fuel consumption and extend the lifetime of the fuel cells and batteries of the ship power plant. We will also develop novel measurement technology for characterizing degradation and health of fuel cells, and combine measurements with models for system monitoring and degradation characterization.