CR927 battery accelerate the possibility of achieving zero-emission ship targets

Global technology company ABB and independent research institute SINTEFOcean are conducting groundbreaking research to test the feasibility of fuel cells as a primary marine propulsion energy source.

The new research project aims to get the scale of fuel cells needed to power commercial and passenger ships.

The experiment will be developed at SINTEFOcean's laboratory in Trondheim, and the test will use two 30kW fuel cells to simulate the operation and control of a complete ship power system in a megawatt-class propulsion device.

In a scaled-down laboratory environment, ABB's software will be used together with SINTEFOceans ship simulator capabilities to simulate and replay different load curves and diesel/battery/fuel cell combinations.

The trial will explore more than just the technicalities of scaling up and optimizing the fuel cell/battery combination. Another key goal is to establish how to enhance the control of the fuel cell device and energy storage, and how to optimize the efficiency, reliability and life of the fuel cell stack.

"SINTEF is contributing to the hydrogen (H2) supply and infrastructure, while having a test lab provides ABB and SINTEF Ocean with the opportunity to increase internal capabilities for the integration, control and safety of fuel cell technology in marine applications," explained Anders Valland, Research Manager for Marine Energy Systems at SINTEF.

"Fuel cell technology is maturing rapidly and these trials are expected to provide a platform for the development of fuel cells to take their place in the maritime sector, where they can compete with fossil fuels." Jostein Bogen, Product Manager for Energy Storage and Fuel Cells at ABB Marine & Ports, added: "Finding the unknowns in a controlled environment and dealing with them, rather than risking surprises on board, will be at the heart of these trials."

Kristoffer D?nnestad, R&D Engineer at ABB Marine & Ports in Trondheim, said his team is looking to develop decisive and practical solutions for fuel cell technology for main propulsion, and these studies will not only focus on fuel flow and fuel handling, but also on what the hydrogen refueling infrastructure will look like.

ABB is a leader in sustainable marine electric vehicles, with business covering electric vehicle power, protection, control and installation, and is closely involved in ferry projects that deploy battery power over short distances or hybrid power plants to optimize ship efficiency.

Jostein Bogen expects that from 2026, battery power will be key to meeting Norway's "zero ship emissions" goal in the fjords. But for now, deep-sea shipping does not have to wait until 2050 to achieve combustion-free power generation, supply heat and clean water, and use renewable energy to produce hydrogen for fuel cells and store energy for batteries to achieve cleanliness of the entire chain.

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