LH2 vessel project tests marine fuel cells powered by liquid hydrogen
The project demonstrated the smooth operation of Ballard’s fuel cell system supplied by Charts’ liquid hydrogen supply system.
The LH2 vessel demonstration project partners completed a series of performance and functionality demonstrations of a 200kW fuel cell module using liquid hydrogen as the fuel source from a Chart liquid onboard hydrogen (HLH2) vehicle fuel system.
LH2 vessel project partners include Ballard Power Systems Europe, Chart Industries Aalborg, University, Danish Gas Technology Centre (DGC), Man Cryo and Odense Maritime Technology A/S (OMT).
The module used for testing was Ballard’s DNV-type approved fuel cell, FCwaveTM, which has been designed for and with the marine industry. The demonstration proves that heavy-duty applications such as marine vessels powered by Ballard fuel cells will be able to effectively employ Chart liquid hydrogen systems as a fuel.
The tests were conducted at Chart’s Liquid Hydrogen Test facility in New Prague, Minnesota, US, and overseen by a team of test and design engineers from Ballard’s Marine Centre of Excellence in Denmark. The data gathered will be presented in a project deliverable for the LH2 Vessel project funded by the Danish Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Programme (EUDP).
The next milestone will be to identify applications in which liquid hydrogen has the potential to unlock long-distance opportunities within marine, truck, coach bus, off-road, and rail. Chart and Ballard will work to identify potential future demonstration projects for marine, in addition to the aforementioned heavy-duty applications.
The LH2Vessel project has received 8.33 million DKK in funding from the Danish Energy Technology Development and Demonstration Programme (EUDP).
Peter Blach, System Designer, Ballard, said, “During testing at Chart, we had the pleasure of demonstrating the seamless integration between Chart’s liquid hydrogen storage and vaporizer system and Ballard’s 200kW FCwaveTM module.”
John Messeder, Chart Industries H2 Test Site Manager, said, “It was impressive to witness firsthand the FCwaveTM creating clean, efficient electricity from our hydrogen source.”
