Hydrogen PEM fuel cell system to retrofit ships in the marine transport industry

Informazioni relative al progetto

HyEkoTank

ID dell’accordo di sovvenzione: 101096981

DOI

10.3030/101096981

Data della firma CE 19 Dicembre 2022

Data di avvio 1 Febbraio 2023

Data di completamento 31 Luglio 2026

Finanziato da

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Costo totale

€ 9 551 041,00

Contributo UE

€ 5 092 999,00

Coordinato da

UNIVERSITETET I TROMSOE - NORGES ARKTISKE UNIVERSITET
Norway

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - HyEkoTank (Hydrogen PEM fuel cell system to retrofit ships in the marine transport industry)

Periodo di rendicontazione: 2023-02-01 al 2025-01-31

Sintesi del contesto e degli obiettivi generali del progetto

The HyEkoTank project will develop cost-effective technology for retrofitting seagoing and inland waterway vessels
with hydrogen PEM fuel cell systems for emission-free operations. Retrofit solutions are urgently needed to transform
the waterborne transport and reach the reduction of green house gas emissions established by EU and IMO by 2050.
HyEkoTank project proposes the design, development, approval and demonstration of a 1.6 MW hydrogen fuel cell
system. The technology will be developed by a consortium of 13 partners who are experts in the field and demonstrated
by retrofitting a container ship, Kvitnos, under operation at fix round trip from Rotterdam to the Northern Norway in
the North Sea.
The main challenges that need to be resolved concern the development of a cost-efficient fuel cell system specifically
designed for maritime applications and suitable to retrofit existing vessels, as well as the assessment and creation of
hydrogen infrastructure and logistics for vessel refueling in ports, as well as safe hydrogen storage and handling. We
aim at approving the HyEkoTank technology to deploy it for any type of vessel and operation, while demonstrating the
expected environmental impacts: 50% GHG reduction during voyage, 100% reduction in port, and 50% total reduction
yearly. The project will take the technology from TRL 4/5 to TRL 8.
The HyEkoTank consortium is mostly composed by companies with industrial/commercial interest in the project results:
TECO 2030 AS (NO), Shell International Exploration & Production B.V. (NL), Shell International Trading & Shipping
Company Limited (UK),Samskip (IS), Nav-Tech BV (NL), TarbitShipping AB (SE), TECO 2030 Innovation Center AS
(NO), Fartygskonstruktioner AB (SE), Blom Maritime AS(NO), TecoSolutions AS(NO), Umoe Advanced Composites
AS (NO). They are all experienced in providing services and commercializing products in the hydrogen and/or maritime
fields. The consortium also counts with the participation of an academic partner, UiT - The Arctic University of Norway (NO).

Lavoro eseguito dall’inizio del progetto fino alla fine del periodo coperto dalla relazione e principali risultati finora ottenuti

The project has successfully developed and designed at a concept level of maturity the fuel cell system components as per the project plan. It have also ensured that the hydrogen storage solutions were documented and aligned with the necessary safety and technical requirements.
The fuel cell module (FCM400) was designed with a focus on safety, with ventilation and inert gas safety strategies considered. The project has also determine the necessary modifications to the original ship design.
A Hazid workshop facilitating discussions on risk scenarios, including catastrophic hydrogen tank failures, accidental hydrogen releases, fires, and explosions. A report have been delivered after this Hazid.
The project has also identified current and planned green hydrogen production locations.

Progressi oltre lo stato dell’arte e potenziale impatto previsto (incluso l’impatto socioeconomico e le implicazioni sociali più ampie del progetto fino ad ora)

The project developed the state of the art fuel cell module (FCM400) which was designed with a focus on safety, with ventilation and inert gas safety strategies considered.