The well-balanced and complementary consortium consists of 14 partners from 9 different countries, including 3 major classification societies/ IACS members (ABS, RINA, BV), 4 technical universities (TUD, NTUA, UOS, UPAT), 4 industry partners (HD KSOE, GBD, ACT, HYD), 1 research organization (TWI) and 2 network associ- ations (WEGEMT, EASN).
They will bring high technological excellence in design and materials, innovation, standardization and training capabilities, while their long experience in business scenarios and innovation management will benefit LH2CRAFT objectives. The consortium is ideally placed for delivering an innovative and scalable LH2 storage system, because it forms a “value chain” of great synergy and optimal work breakdown between the partners. To ensure coordination between the involved parts, execution of the defined tasks, communication with stakeholders and the society, and finally the growth of the members, LH2CRAFT organization consists of a decision-making body that promotes the participation of all partners. Moreover, management and administrative coordination will be carried out by HYD and TUD, respectively, which have extensive experience of participating in or coordinating EU R&D projects, adding significant value to the achievement of LH2CRAFT objectives. To this end, most of the 14 partners have been energetically involved in EU funded projects, some having served as coordinators.
All partners will bring their experience in the fields of shipping, naval architecture and marine engineering, tank manufacturing, safety and risk assessment, marine classification and material science. Specifically:
HYD: The Coordinator, HYD an experienced project manager, also the coordinator of the NH3CRAFT, and technical coordinator of CYNERGY (EU funded), to coordinate activities via an efficient management structure. HYD with a long standing at the forefront of R&D in the maritime and chemical industries and through their experience in large scale project management will be the appropriate company to combine all technologies and research executed in the project into an applicable and realistic concept for large scale containment and storage of LH2 over long haul routes.
RINA: one of the major classification societies and a founding member of the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS). It provides a wide range of services, such as testing, certification, quality control, expediting and third-party inspection, involved in research projects related to sustainability, environmental regulations, alterna- tive fuels and digital technologies. RINA will provide extensive knowledge of the maritime International Regulatory and Standards Framework and the certification will help the efforts in promoting H2 as a marine fuel.
ABS: one of the largest classification societies and member of IACS, with vast experience in design, construction, testing and/or classification and certification of solutions in marine/offshore related areas, including cargo contain- ment systems, will review and issue AiP for the proposed LH2 CCS concept and Handling and Distribution Systems, and General Approval for the proposed LH2 Containment System.
BV: a major Classification Society and member of IACS with a very significant experience in most alternative fueled ships and liquefied gas carriers, especially membrane-type. BV will support in the regulatory context and rules for gas (and H2) propulsion and transportation and offer understanding of the associated risks and safety challenges.
TWI: Backed by over 40 years of research, provides advice, consultancy, research and development and specialist testing facilities to the maritime industry and its supply chain. For new technological solutions, TWI will provide risk-based approaches and toolsets from an asset integrity management perspective, applying class-leading expertise and decades of experience to advise and implement cost-effective asset integrity management strategies.
UOS: One of latest largest department in Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering. Specialized in ship power systems and alternative marine fuels and cargos. Safety evaluation of the onboard LH2 CCS for cargo leakage, fire/ex- plosion. Risk assessment models/safety guidelines for handling LH2 cargo; lifecycle and cost assessment; support for auxiliary system design and Class AiP approval.
TUD: University of Excellence in materials science and research in Germany. TUD participates with three depart- ments, European Project Center (EPC) is key player for administration and project management, Institute of Light- weight Engineering and Polymer Technology (ILK) for insulation materials and multi-material design, Bitzer-Chair of Refrigeration, Cryogenics and Compressor Technology (IET) on cryogenics and production of LHe and LH2.
NTUA: Participating with the Shipbuilding Technology Laboratory, the Laboratory for Maritime Transport, the La- boratory of Marine Engineering and the Laboratory of Applied Thermodynamics, NTUA contributes to many aspects of the project, from structural studies, structural and insulation materials testing, auxiliaries systems design and techno-economic evaluations of the proposed CCS.
HD KSOE: Mother company of three Korean shipbuilding companies of HHI, HMD, and HSHI, all of which are a total solution provider for all the maritime transportations. KSOE, as a substantial leader in LH2 CCS development in the subject project, has developed its own LNG Cargo Containment System (CCS) based on its experience of designing, building and commissioning numerous LNG carriers. KSOE has co-developed the safety standards for hydrogen storage tanks for ships, which can be applied to the structural analysis of the large scale LH2 containment system. Specifically, KSOE will provide experience and know-how from previous R&D projects gained from material review for hydrogen storage regarding steel types and plywood under cryogenic conditions. A dedicated research team at KSOE will support the consortium for structural and thermal analysis of cargo containment system. KSOE invests.
GBD: More than 25 years of experience in shipbuilding and presence around the world. Core business of Gabadi is among others the construction and maintenance of LNG tanks with CCS systems (LNG carriers, LNG fueled ships and onshore tanks.) World leader in LNG tank maintenance during 2014, 2015 and 2016, with qualified operators on each specific stage of the process, and construction of different prototypes at different scales.
UPAT: Participates with the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, UPAT has an extensive back- ground in materials testing and design of complex mechanical systems for various sectors with a.o. the aeronautics sector and recent focus in sustainable engineering. UPAT supports the Knowledge-Hub as a knowledge and technol- ogy transfer tool for novel materials and technologies to apply in the maritime sector.
EASN: is the Association of the European Academia active in Aeronautics research and represented in Consortium through EASN-TIS. EASN-TIS is a Belgium based SME strongly involved in aeronautics and air transport related research projects by identifying and bringing together the most relevant and appropriate partners for research activi- ties of common interest. EASN will support in the Knowledge Hub to enable open innovation through knowledge and technology transfer between maritime and aeronautics sectors.
WEGEMT: A European association of the largest network of maritime universities in 16 countries formed in 1978 and updating and extending the skills of practicing engineers and postgraduate students in marine technology and related sciences. WEGEMT is responsible for the dissemination and communication activities.
ACT: is one of the main providers in NDT service inspections and the risks management. ACT is involved in the LNG carriers inspection since 1971 on different designs technology (a.o. Mark I and III, SC1 types in addition to LNG Storage) and brings this expertise in the consortium for the prototype testing for leak test and final vacuum test.
