Abstract
This study is focused on the possible application of hydrogen-fed PEM fuel cells on board ships. For this purpose, a test plant including a 100 kW generator suitable for marine application and a power converter including a supercapacitor-based energy storage system has been designed, built and experimentally characterised. The plant design integrates standard industrial components suitable for marine applications that include the technologies with the highest degree of maturity currently available on the market. Fuel Cell generator and power converter have been specifically designed by manufacturers to fit the specific plant needs. The experimental characterisation of the plant has been focused on the evaluation of the efficiency of the single components and of the overall system. Results shows a PEM fuel cell efficiency of 48% (when all auxiliaries are included) and an overall plant efficiency, including power conditioning, of about 45%. From load variation response tests, the fuel cell response time was maximum 2 seconds without supercapacitors and increased up to 20 seconds with supercapacitors connected, reducing the stress on the fuel cell generator. Experimental results confirm that PEM fuel cells, when supported by a suitably sized energy storage system, represent a viable technical solution for zero-emission power generation on board ships.
Highlights
International maritime transport accounts for about 2 % to 3 % of global Green House Gas (GHG) emissions
Applications of marine-ready Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) fuel cell based systems have been limited to niche vessels, like inland small passenger vessels or naval submarines, and in literature, very little experimental data is available especially regarding experimental characterization of marine-ready systems for seagoing vessel or cruise ships
In order to widen the knowledge on PEM fuel cell based generators suitable for such applications, a 100 kWel PEM fuel cell test plant including a power DC/AC converter with a supercapacitors energy storage system, has been designed, built and experimentally characterized in order to ease the approval process for on board installation and the integration with the ship electrical system
Summary
International maritime transport accounts for about 2 % to 3 % of global Green House Gas (GHG) emissions. Considering the state of the art of the regulatory framework and the most recent literature available, the authors tested a marineready power generation plant following test methods and procedures which are currently not used for marine applications, bringing a useful contribution to the possible wider employment of PEM fuel cells and hydrogen on board ships. The investigated test plant, shown, consists of: x a 200 bar g, 16 cylinders storage system of about 128 Nm3 of hydrogen capacity; x a 100 kWel PEM fuel cell generator (2 strings in parallel, each composed of 6 stacks in series, 1152 cells in total); x a DC/AC power converter including a supercapacitor-based energy storage; x an electronic load bank; x a fuel cell dry cooler; x an electric board and a control system. X fuel cell polarization curve plotting; x system start-up and shut-down characterization; x discharge water quality test; x fuel cell electric load response analysis; x load cycle test; x DC/AC converter characterization
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