Fuels
public opinion and people’s eagerness to pay a bit more for zero-emission fuel, I think we’ll solve the capex issue.”
NOMADA 12V105Ah COMPACT,
LIGHTWEIGHT & MODULAR DESIGN
In terms of storage, there are various techniques in development, which would involve storing hydrogen in powder or paste form. Researchers in Dresden recently created a substance called ‘Powerpaste’, which is based on solid magnesium hydride and decomposes into hydrogen under very high temperatures. This could be used in small vehicles. Meanwhile a UK company, Steamology, is developing steam-powered hydrogen electricity,with a highly compact steam generator based on compressed hydrogen and oxygen gas.
Watch this space
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COMMERCIAL MARINE
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If the availability and storage issues can be overcome, the benefits of hydrogen could be significant. As well as being a zero-emission technology, the fuel cells generate pure water as a waste product, which ships could use on board in their drinking water system. They also generate heat, which could be used to warm the vessel. And since there’s no combustion involved, the fuel cell reactor is completely silent. As a result, Bruinsma thinks that we are likely to see more developments in the pipeline. “Two years ago, nobody was looking at hydrogen and maritime, but now we’re two years down the road and everybody’s talking about how we’re going to solve this puzzle,” he says. “It starts with large investments in electrolysers, creating clean, green hydrogen that you can then liquefy. So that is coming up. I think the first investments are planned, or more than plans.” Bruinsma thinks inland shipping, which requires less fuel overall, could be a good prime mover. The same applies to shorter-range vessels. However, he doesn’t think this will translate into a rapid shift towards hydrogen fuel. “We won’t be retrofitting every ship towards hydrogen, because it’s not feasible to have that amount available,” he says. “You’ll have some early adopters who want to make hydrogen happen. But there’ll be some who say, OK, well, we’ll go with LNG for the next few years and wait it out. There will be ships that will be sailing on ammonia or methanol, because that suits their business better. I would also say there’s room for electric batteries – if you can fuel your ship entirely with batteries, don’t bother thinking about something else.”
This mix is likely to persist for some time to come. The next few years look set to be a transitional, experimental period, in which different shipping companies try different fuels and work out for themselves which suits their purposes. “There’s so much going on at the moment that it’s very hard to predict, and it really depends on who you’re asking,” says Bruinsma. “We’re still in that sort of chaos, looking at alternatives. And probably in five to ten years’ time we’ll be able to pinpoint this and say, well, these are the clear winners.” ●
World Cruise Industry Review /
www.worldcruiseindustryreview.com
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