The definition and design phase of the project has been basically concluded.
Definitions for requirements for marine specific fuel cell system were defined. Close communication between the partners were held to collect knowledge and requirements. Also, workshops with classification societies and national authorities were held. And lastly, intense R&D work was conducted in Ballard's marine centre of excellence offices and as a result general requirement specification of the system was established.
In the two design cases in the project, work was concentrating on the design of the vessels themselves, route studies, ship specifications, design of the hydrogen systems on board and the related systems. This includes detailed design of hydrogen processing onboard, all auxiliary systems and safety related issues and systems. Also, work on power-train design and specification has been conducted. As a result of all of this work, vessel concepts and specifications were completed. In addition, detailed subsystem design is also ready for these vessels.
On top of this, same exercise have been done with the demo vessels, Zulu06 and FPS Waal.
For the safety considerations of the vessels, intensive work were performed as well. The process of designing a hydrogen fuel cell for use in a shipping industry is a new concept and there is not much experience to lean on. Thus, the process were iterative. Without a formal set of rules and regulations all parts of the system must be analyzed in a risk-based approach. Pre-HAZID and HAZID workshops have been conducted in the project and will be continued during the process at the same time as the final details of the design are settled.
The first demo vessel, Zulu06, has received the CCNR approval in the summer of 2023. Now, last details related to hydrogen storage can be fixed and the project can mover forward. The vessel will start its operation early 2024.
The second demo vessel, FPS Waal, has also entered the yard already. There it will be converted to run on hydrogen. This vessel will also start the operation in early 2024.
Also, in this project understanding of the national and international regulatory framework has been deepened by providing an update on the review of regulations, codes and standards for marine applications.
FLAGSHIPS project has also done extensive work on dissemination and communication of the project objectives, impacts, progress and achieved results. Project website and social media account (LinkedIn, Facebook) were launched. Several press releases, premade stories, presentations at conferences were made. Furthermore, the project has been actively engaging in discussions on zero-emission energy systems for inshore transport on political and regulatory level, and the project has been actively featured in various forums. It has been estimated that the total estimated audience for project dissemination and communication activities has been more than 2 million persons.
