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Safe and Efficient Marine Transportation of Liquid Hydrogen

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - LH2CRAFT (Safe and Efficient Marine Transportation of Liquid Hydrogen)

Berichtszeitraum: 2023-06-01 bis 2024-11-30

The overall goal of LH2CRAFT is to develop a next generation sustainable, commercially attractive, and safe technology for long-term storage and long-distance transportation of LH2 on merchant ships. To efficiently handle and store liquid hydrogen, which is the sole molecule phase identified for the transportation of large quantities over longer distances, an innovative containment system of membrane-type is being considered. Based on the well-established LNG containment system, an in-depth redesign is performed, utilizing novel insulation panels, with new materials that can provide excellent thermal insulation to sustain the very low temperature of the hydrogen liquefied phase at -253°C (equal to 20K) and simultaneously avoid the formation of thermal bridges in the structural parts of the tanks.

Since LH2 has almost 1/7 of the weight of LNG for the same volume, the structural integration of the proposed Cargo Containment System (CCS) solutions in the preliminary design of a large LH2 carrier and the provisional stability of the new vessel design are the two first and primal objectives of LH2CRAFT, in order to transport large LH2 quantities over longer distances, exceeding the currently demonstrated sizes. In conjunction with the integration of the developed CCS the efficient interaction of the tank with the required cargo handling systems, performing all identified required processes of LH2 handling operations is assessed through dedicated Safety Workshops from the very early engineering design stages of the project. All core technologies developed together with the respective risk and safety assessments will be reviewed from a major IACS Classification Society (ABS) and an Approval-in-Principle will be issued, providing that the one-stop ready to go CCS solution is ready for deployment meeting the review and approval achievement objective.

The key design approach of the developed CCS is the wide utilization of modular building blocks that can scale the LH2 storage to larger or smaller dimensions, that can be integrated in various ship design, similar to the variation of existing LNG carriers. A physical prototype demonstrator of approximately 180 m³ will materialize the scalability objective and concurrently update the initial approval status of the CCS solution, verifying that the developed and demonstrated CCS design has reached the intended technology maturity level. This will also be facilitated with the results of various material tests that are required and are being undertaken from the Consortium’s partners. The detailed The Life Cycle Analysis of the large LH2 carrier will evaluate the environmental impact from cradle to grave by identifying the activities related to sustainability and recyclability and determining the environmental potential.
During the first steps of the project, a dedicated task conducted a detailed review of the IMO's IGC Code and guidelines from various classification societies was performed to evaluate the limitations of existing regulations for liquid hydrogen, either as a cargo or as a fuel, revealing a lack of comprehensive safety requirements or regulations to ensure the safe storage and transportation of hydrogen.

By addressing these gaps and documenting the limitations of current regulations, the foundations for the design developments of not only the innovative CCS solution but also the engineering process for the LH2 carrier and the relevant cargo handling systems have been established. A 3-day hybrid HAZID workshop was conducted in Trieste, Italy, led by RINA in collaboration with the University of Strathclyde, involving a multidisciplinary team of experts, focused on identifying safety and operational hazards associated with LH2 cargo on a carrier vessel with a storage capacity of approximately 160,000 m³. The study did not include LH2 as a marine fuel and thus excluded considerations for onboard fuel preparation units. The findings from the HAZID study were directly fed into the conceptual design phase to enhance safety and risk mitigation and are being incorporated into the detailed designs under all dedicated design work packages, for further improvements in hydrogen safety standards. Moreover, the first technical work package has been concluded with the end of the first reporting period, with its main activities focusing on the LH2 containment system implementation plan and the relevant evaluation criteria. The key outcomes identified that two concurring drivers (global and internal) will be influencing the developments of this novel membrane CCS for liquid hydrogen storage and the interaction with the vessel and the respective cargo handling systems.
Nowadays the continuous and rapid development of the regulatory framework (EU and IMO) on decarbonization of maritime transport, with higher environmental targets and use of alternative fuels, pose the main global drivers and barriers that highly impact the engineering process for the implementation of liquid hydrogen. The direct participation of project partners in the drafting and upgrading of new rules and regulations has guaranteed the necessary level of technical knowledge to support the decisional process and the compoliance with the requirements for the LH2 CCS, for the demonstration / prototyping activities and for the correlated desktop studies. This synchronous participation of partners not only in the LH2CRAFT Consortium but also in the maritime regulatory bodies, will instantly provide access and feedback from risk and safety findings that have been assessed throughout the design development stages and assist the drafting of proposals for implementation in the future guideline framework related to LH2 transportation.
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