Fuel Cells On Cruise Ships – The Future?

The problem is that pure hydrogen is extremely dangerous in the truest sense of the word – it is explosive. A tank with pure hydrogen would be a bomb without a detonator, but not less dangerous. For this reason, a trick must be employed: The pure hydrogen is mixed with methanol. This mixture is much less dangerous and can therefore be stored and transported more conveniently. But be careful: methanol enriched with hydrogen does not burn as easily as pure hydrogen, but its vapors are unfortunately toxic. This is precisely the point where the expertise of the specialists at ROBUR INDUSTRIEMONTAGEN is called for: pipelines that are one hundred percent leak-proof and sound an alarm in the event of any leakage whatsoever. For this purpose, 90 meters of extremely secure pipes with tubular casing were laid in September 2021 on the ship which was anchored near Tenerife in the open sea. These pipes now connect the methane-hydrogen tanks with the fuel cells. Logistically and organizationally, this was quite a challenge, which the colleagues mastered with confidence. The methanol-powered fuel cell system has also already received an “Approval in Principle” (a kind of „general operating permit”) from the classification society DNV GL (a “MOT” for ships). This sets the course for further testing The “fuel cell” technology itself is not new. For more than 15 years submarines have been running electrically based on fuel cells. New and still at the very beginning of development is the industrial production of the necessary hydrogen. This is obtained with the aid of electrolysis, in which water is “broken down” into hydrogen and oxygen. A chemical process that unfortunately also requires a lot of energy. For a positive climate balance so-called “green hydrogen” is needed, i.e., hydrogen that has been produced using renewable energies. Such “green hydrogen” is currently still in short supply, but research, development and the establishment of production capacities are in full swing in many places. On the AIDAnova, this technology will therefore initially “only” be used for power and heat generation. This already saves a lot of CO2 because the diesel engines, which otherwise produce the necessary electricity via generators, are relived. However, fuel cells are not yet suitable for powering large ships. At least not as long as “green hydrogen” is available in correspondingly large quantities. Irrespective of this, ROBUR is pleased to be able to contribute to the sustainable energy transition and the targeted climate neutrality with its expertise.