Feature 3 | finland’s marine industries
Wärtsilä and partners develop methanol
fuel cell.
Finnish engine maker Wärtsilä and its partners are developing fuel cell
technology as an alternative means of power for coastal and deepsea vessels.
Fuel cells are cleaner and cheaper to operate than conventionally fuelled
ships. Is this a fuel of the future?
I
n Finland the expectation is that
coastal or inland vessels will be
powered through the use of fuel
Wärtsilä fC20
cell technology within the next 10 years.
unit, 20kW
According to Wärtsilä’s director of fuel
solid oxide,
cells Erkko Fontell environmental issues
methanol
and the debate over cleaner, emission free
powered, fuel
or low emission, shipping is driving the
cell.
development of the technology.
Effectively the use of fossil fuels will
decrease over the long term due to the
increased cost of mining the fuels and According to the EU the aims of the project contribution towards cleaner shipping
changes in regulations that will see are to “validate” the use of methanol as a and it will in the long term save money
penalties imposed for NOx, SOx and fuel in cargo ships involved in international for owners and operators who will face
carbon dioxide emissions. trade and each partner must develop its own penalties for pollution.
Research into possible substitute energy element of the project. The imposition in some regions of
sources is now under way and the lead Though Mr Fontell points out that the Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECAs)
technology currently appears to be liquefied fuel used could just as easily be LNG, biogas and NOx free zones has already been
natural gas (LNG) burnt in engines or methane or, “Anything that can be easily imposed in the Baltic and North Sea with
connected to a gearbox and propeller. Other converted into hydrogen, carbon monoxide the USA looking to reduce pollution within
forms of energy production such as sail or methane,” he said. 200nm of its coastline and a further SECA
and electrical energy through fuel cells are Wärtsilä is developing the power unit; zone being discussed for the Mediterranean
considered experimental at this stage. Wallenius will integrate the unit onto one of region the feeling is that these areas will
However, Wärtsilä is involved in two its vessels; Lloyd’s Register is taking care of become the norm over time.
research projects that are developing fuel cell the safety assessment, quality and reliability Driven by these new controls inland and
technology for use on ships, the Fellowship and classification; The University of Genoa coastal shipping will seek cleaner fuels with
project in partnership with Det Norske is conducting a life cycle assessment and which to power vessels and one solution
Veritas (DNV) and Eidesvik funded by the DNV is assessing the operational safety and could be electric powered ships using fuel
Norwegian Research Council has produced evaluating the fuel cell emissions. cell technology to produce the energy.
the Viking Lady which has a 320KW fuel According to the EU: “The work on “It’s not impossible to develop a 2MW fuel
cell with a molten carbonate electrolyte that regulatory issues would facilitate the birth of cell,” believes Mr Fontell, the largest fuel cell
offers auxiliary power to the vessel. (See The new regulations aimed at enabling the use of today is 2.5MW, but these take a lot of space,
Naval Architect January 2010 pages 54-56). methanol as a fuel onboard ship.” In addition it would take up a lot of engine room space
Fellowship’s Viking Lady project is the EU said: “This work would facilitate the and the weight is heavier than a diesel,” he
further advanced than the €2.02million work of other fuel-cell system integrators added. Mr Fontell went on to say that the
Methapu project which is supported by the and provide a technical basis for the growth company will “improve the power density
EU with €1million in funding. Methapu, of a new industry around methanol.” and the system will become more robust in
the Methanol Auxiliary Power Unit, is a The EU concludes that, “This project the future”.
20KW fuel cell that uses solid oxide as the would generate a tremendous base of Even so that aim appears to be some way
electrolyte. knowledge for further research activities off as Wärtsilä is about to launch its latest
Wärtsilä’s partners in Methapu, on greener ships, larger fuel cells and a range of fuel cells, some two and a half
Wallenius Marine, Lloyd’s Register, The sustainable society based on renewable times more powerful than the original cell,
University of Genoa and DNV, have all f u e l s .” which was rated at 20KW. “Our long term
contributed to the development of the With new regulations controlling target is to increase the power output to
methanol based fuel cell. emissions this work will make a 250KW and beyond,” said Mr Fontel. NA
58 The Naval Architect February 2010
NA Feb10 - p58.indd 58 02/02/2010 14:57:16
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