Hydrogen-Methanol Ship propulsion system using on-board pre-combustion carbon capture

Project Information

HyMethShip

Grant agreement ID: 768945

DOI

10.3030/768945

Project closed

EC signature date 23 April 2018

Start date 1 July 2018

End date 31 December 2021

Funded under

• SOCIETAL CHALLENGES - Smart, Green And Integrated Transport

Total cost

€ 9 288 310,00

EU contribution

€ 8 438 110,00

Coordinated by

LEC GMBH
Austria

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - HyMethShip (Hydrogen-Methanol Ship propulsion system using on-board pre-combustion carbon capture)

Reporting period: 2020-01-01 to 2021-12-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Continued population growth and increasing urbanization as well as rising energy demand and goods consumption are reflected in a growing volume of trade. Waterborne transport remains essential to the global economy and while demand for global shipping increases, the sector is under huge pressure to significantly reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as well as air and water pollution.

HyMethShip (Hydrogen-Methanol Ship Propulsion System Using On-board Pre-combustion Carbon Capture) represents a completely new approach to ship propulsion that can be based entirely on renewable energy and offers a solution to the challenges of on-board hydrogen storage. It innovatively combines methanol steam reforming and hydrogen separation in a membrane reactor with a CO2 capture system and a hydrogen-fueled combustion engine in one integrated system.

The results of the environmental, economic, and safety assessment of the HyMethShip system, as well as the onshore trials and demonstration, lead to the following conclusions:
• The HyMethShip system has proven to have the potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions (up to 90%) from ship propulsion, reduce NOx emissions well below regulatory limits, and virtually eliminate SOx and PM emissions from ship propulsion.
• Installing the HyMethShip pre-combustion carbon capture system onboard a ship could significantly reduce the annual cost (up to 30 %) of net-zero carbon ship propulsion.
• The HyMethShip concept is an attractive and operationally feasible solution, especially for medium- and long-range waterborne transport while being economically viable.
• The concept holds considerable potential for further development and patenting of both the overall system and individual components.
• The HyMethShip system is not limited to a specific vessel type and is to be further enhanced for shipboard application.

The consortium partners are determined to further refine and improve the HyMethShip concept with the aim of applying and demonstrating it on board a ship. At present, possible scenarios for project implementation are being worked out with several interested parties, with the concrete target for maiden voyage planned for 2025/2026.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

Final achievements of the HyMethShip project at the system level:
• Significant CO2 emissions reduction - at laboratory scale, an 85% reduction in CO2 emissions was achieved under optimal conditions, while a 75% reduction was demonstrated on the small-scale prototype plant.
• Significant NOx emissions reduction and elimination of SOx and PM - the pollutant emissions measured in the exhaust gas of the full-scale demonstrator engine are well below the IMO Tier III limit for NOx emissions, close to the detection limit for SOx emissions and without significant contents of particulate matter, methane or CO emissions.
• A system efficiency of 49% was achieved on the single-cylinder research engine in high-load operation.
• Propulsion system layout for case study vessel (RoPax ferry), incorporating all relevant HyMethShip system components.
• Confirmation of inherently safe design via risk-based analysis - a Hazard and Operability Study (HAZOP) did not identify any risks associated with the integration and operation of the HyMethShip systems that could not be mitigated or managed.
• Verification of environmental and economic viability - life cycle and life cost assessment proved the HyMethShip system to be less costly than other alternative propulsion systems using carbon-free fuels such as hydrogen and ammonia, including fuel cell-based propulsion systems.

Main achievements related to the development, manufacturing and commissioning of the system components:
• Membrane reactor design and manufacturing of 20 units for the large-scale demonstrator.
• Improved production processes for the ceramic membranes that meet the quality and quantity requirements for large-scale demonstration.
• Engine combustion system with spark ignition and newly developed engine control that operates with hydrogen produced by the membrane reactor.
• Development of a hydrogen direct injection system for hydrogen pressures up to 30 bar.
• Design, assembly and commissioning of the onshore large-scale HyMethShip system demonstrator.

Summary of the exploitation and dissemination of project results:
• HyMethShip concept and project results were presented in total at more than 75 conferences and workshops and have been published in a number of scientific journal articles.
• 2 patents for a new membrane reactor design were granted
• 6 prototypes were built for system components and demonstration, including the engine cylinder head and combustion chamber, hydrogen port and direct injection systems, membrane reactor housing, and small-scale reformer prototype.
• 3 consortium partners have introduced innovations new to the market including H2 direct injection system and improved engine control
• 3 consortium partners have introduced innovations new to the company including improved membrane manufacturing and quality control processes and a new large-scale system test bench
• HyMethShip is a registered European Union Trade Mark

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

The implementation of the HyMethShip system with its innovative combination of a membrane reactor, a carbon capture system and a hydrogen fueled combustion engine on a suitable vessel would go far beyond the state-of-the-art in environment-friendly and sustainable shipping.

The membrane reactor uses a standard catalytic steam reforming process but employs newly developed ceramic membranes for the separation of the product gases. The upscaling process for the production of these membranes and the use outside the laboratory environment had not been done before this project. Development of a next generation membrane technology with further increased hydrogen selectivity is already in progress.

The pre-combustion carbon capture process used for the hydrogen fuel production is applied for the first time in a marine application. Utilization of waste heat from the engine for the methanol steam reforming process and the generation of cooling capacity offers the potential of cost-efficient hydrogen fuel production onboard the vessel.

The captured CO2 is liquefied and stored in the tank system, which could also be used for bunkering of methanol. The physical and chemical properties of the liquid carbon dioxide and the conditions encountered in a full operational cycle, such as flash gas formation and evaporation, require design features of the tank system and operating procedures that go beyond the state-of-the-art and are not available in the market. While the system components are commercially available, the system design and its operation are unique.

HyMethShip concept