H2Tech - Q2 2021 - 16

MARINE APPLICATIONS
increase the efficiency of the vessel, and
minimize noise and vibration to improve
the habitability of the vessel for the crew.
Additional benefits can be realized by
zero-emissions cold ironing, as well as integration of all the auxiliary systems of the
vessel for purely electric operation.
For vessels other than liquefied H2 carriers, H2 storage onboard will require 4.6
times larger volume compared to very-lowsulfur fuel oil, which poses design and operational constraints. The operating profile
of such vessels must be tailored to trade
routes that offer access to H2 bunkering.
The International Council on Clean
Transportation (ICCT) recently completed a study on green H2 bunkering
infrastructure for trans-Pacific container
shipping that offers zero-carbon lifecycle
emissions. It investigated the potential to
develop liquefied H2 storage and bunkering infrastructure at multiple locations
from the west coast of the U.S. and Canada and the Aleutian Islands, all the way
to Japan, South Korea and China. By analyzing 2015 operations, they found that
the associated ports would need to supply

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Q2 2021 | H2-Tech.com

730,000 tpy of H2 to fuel all the container
ships trading in this corridor. This number
corresponds to about 1% of the H2 used in
the industrial sector worldwide in 2019.
The ICCT study was based on using
2,500-m3 cryogenic spherical tanks for
onsite H2 storage. Based on the bunkering
needs of different ports along the Pacific
Rim, the study estimated the required
amount of tanks to range from three in
east South Korea to 39 in San Pedro Bay,
corresponding to less than 1% of the area
used in the port in every case.
Such studies prove the technical feasibility of H2 as cargo and marine fuel and
pave the way to strategic planning for
developing the required infrastructure
across the globe. While the cost of bunkering facilities is expected to be higher
than that of LNG facilities, primarily
because of the higher cryogenic storage
requirement of liquid H2 and the material required for tanks, pipes and seals,
the main cost components are the storage
and bunker vessels, which must be scaled
based on the number of ships serviced.
Onsite availability of H2 would be needed

for small ports, given the lower flows and
high cost of dedicated H2 pipelines. However, ship and infrastructure costs are a
relatively small fraction of total shipping
costs over a typical 15 yr-20 yr life span,
with the fuel cost being the primary factor.
The economic feasibility of H2 as fuel
is supported by its wide applicability
across different sectors, such as green H2
production from renewable energy and
subsequent production of green ammonia, methanol or other hydrocarbon fuels.
The direct use of H2 for distributed generation, combined heat and power, aviation,
marine and automotive applications, all
the way to green steel production, will also
lead to economies of scale that will make
green H2 economically attractive.
SOTIRIOS MAMALIS is Manager,
Sustainability-Fuels and Technology
at the American Bureau of Shipping
(ABS). In this role, he explores fuels
and technologies that can contribute
to the decarbonization of the marine
and offshore fleet. Dr. Mamalis has
a background on power generation and propulsion
systems using conventional and alternative fuels.
He holds a PhD in mechanical engineering from the
University of Michigan.

2/18/21 2:01 PM

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H2Tech - Q2 2021

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