Wärtsilä working with Hycamite on onboard production of hydrogen from LNG

Wärtsilä is working with Hycamite on a solution for the onboard production of hydrogen from LNG that will include solid carbon capture and storage.

Wärtsilä has entered into a joint development agreement with Hycamite TCD Technologies, a privately-owned Finnish company developing a technology for producing clean hydrogen and solid carbon from methane. The agreement will see the two companies work together to enable the cost-effective production of hydrogen from LNG onboard marine vessels. According to Wärtsilä, the concept design will be ready by mid 2023 and a prototype testing unit will be ready in the second half of 2024.

The concept will allow existing LNG infrastructure to be utilized in combination with Wärtsilä’s LNGPac Fuel Gas Supply System to produce hydrogen onboard.

By using hydrogen produced onboard and blending it with LNG, the current range of fuel flexible Wärtsilä dual-fuel (DF) engines can be used to reduce the vessel’s overall carbon dioxide and methane slip emissions. Alternatively, the hydrogen can also be used in fuel cells onboard.

The by-product from the process is solid carbon that, unlike carbon-dioxide (CO2) produced as a by-product, can more easily be stored and managed onboard. The carbon produced consists of high-grade allotropes, like industrial graphite and carbon nanotubes, offering a possible additional revenue stream.

“We are investing in the development of viable future marine fuel technologies and solutions that can accelerate the efforts to decarbonize shipping operations” says Mathias Jansson, director, fuel gas supply systems, at Wärtsilä. “This collaboration with Hycamite is an important step forward towards meeting our corporate targets. Our gas engines can already operate with mixtures of hydrogen and LNG. The ability to produce the H2 onboard opens up exciting new opportunities. This solution overcomes the lack of an existing hydrogen supply infrastructure. It also supports reducing the safety risks around storing and handling of liquid hydrogen and enables a gradual decrease of the vessels’ environmental impact,

“We are delighted to be partnering with an established technology leader such as Wärtsilä. They bring a vast depth of knowledge and experience in marine fuel gas supply systems, and by working together, we can make the availability and onboard storage of hydrogen a realistic option for the marine industry,” says Laura Rahikka, founder and CEO of Hycamite.

The technology can in principle be applied for all vessels operating with LNG fuel. When using bioLNG, says Wärtsilä, this solution even enables on-board power generation with a negative carbon footprint.