Hydrogen One towboat power train passes string test

Hydrogen One methanol-to-hydrogen technology was proved as a complete system in a recent string test

The groundbreaking methanol-to-hydrogen technology to be used in Maritime Partners’ Hydrogen One towboat has completed a successful string test in Gothenburg, Sweden. In the test, all the key components of the vessel’s power train were assembled and tested as a complete system.

The land mark towboat will be powered by a first of its kind system that takes methanol fuel and converts it to hydrogen onboard vessels before using the hydrogen in a fuel cell to generate power. The string test was carried out on land at the headquarters of the PowerCell group, which is supplying the vessel’s fuel cell, in cooperation with e1 Marine and RIX Marine.

Rix Marine methanol-to-hydrogen (M2H2) reformer systems, which use technology licensed from e1, will deliver the hydrogen to the fuel cells. The Rix reformers generate high-purity (99.97%) hydrogen with zero NOx, SOx, or particulate matter, eliminating the complexities of on-board high-pressure gas or cryogenic liquid hydrogen storage.

The string test demonstrated the respective technologies for a 200 kW propulsion chain. PowerCell says this chain can be multiplied and scaled to a megawatt level.

NOT JUST FOR INLAND VESSELS

While the methanol-to-hydrogen power train will debut on a U.S. inland river towboat, the technology unlocks new opportunities for a broad range of hydrogen-powered vessels.

Storing the fuel as methanol is less complex than using hydrogen. The reformer outputs low-pressure hydrogen on demand when needed. This enables a safe installation and highly integrated solutions which have minimal impact on the overall vessel design and does not have to be installed on weather decks. This offers an effective means of using green methanol, produced from renewable energy, to enable a net zero-carbon solution.

“The successful completion of these tests gives future ship owners, integrators and methanol suppliers the confidence they need in this powerful combination of technologies,” said PowerCell Group CEO Richard Berkling. “Fuel cells are some of the most efficient ways to extract energy from fuel, and we are deploying them at a scale never seen before. This can be seen in our project with Torghatten Nord, where we will supply 12,8 MW fuel cells on Norway’s longest ferry route – the largest maritime project to date. This string test demonstrates that whatever the fuel, the new generation of fuel cells is ready to use it.”

“This rigorous test has delivered exciting results thanks to a great deal of collaboration between equipment suppliers, and the results should be a cause for optimism across the industry,” said Robert Schluter, managing director at e1 Marine. “This test demonstrates that a methanol-to-hydrogen power chain is ready and waiting to deliver renewable power to a range of maritime applications.”

Austin Sperry, president and co-founder at Maritime Partners, said: “We too are pleased by the results and system validation, allowing the M/V Hydrogen One to hit the water in 2024.”