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.
