Objectives
and Ambition
The proliferation of Hydrogen, as one of the primary fuels in achieving decarbonization, necessitates addressing key enabling technologies and fundamental issues concerning storage and transportation.
Transport plays a key role both in the cohesion of the European Union and in its growth through trade with the rest of the world. Thus, it has been of fundamental importance for economic growth, employment, and equality. However, as transport is a key component of our daily life, the carbon footprint of our transport activities has grown. According to EIB (Transport Lending Policy 2022), “the negative climate, environmental, safety and congestion externalities of transport as well as its unequal availability to users have reached unacceptable levels.” Decarbonization efforts culminated in the clear commitment of the recent European Green Deal Strategy, which seeks for a 90% reduction in emissions by 2050 through the introduction of more sustainable, affordable, accessible, healthier, and cleaner alternatives. The decarbonization policies clearly offer an opportunity for fundamental challenges in various sectors. Both industry and governments have shown interest in decarbonization projects.
One fuel that is central to these policies is Hydrogen (H₂). For the development of an H₂-based economy, a key enabling technology and the fundamental problem to be addressed is its storage and transportation. H₂ has the highest energy per mass of any fuel but its low ambient temperature density results in a low energy per unit volume, therefore, requiring the development of advanced storage methods that will allow the storage and transportation (for energy generation as well) over longer distances from places where they can be produced at a significantly reduced cost, to regions where they are mostly needed. The most efficient way of transportation of H₂ is in liquid form (i.e., in -253 °C and in a reduction in volume by approximately 800 times over its gaseous phase).
In the above framework the overall goal of LH2CRAFT is to develop a next generation sustainable, commercially attractive, and safe technology for long-term storage and long-distance transportation of LH₂ on ships;
to be realised by developing new design solutions for storage at a temperature of 20 K and demonstrating it on a 180 m³ containment system.
Two societal objectives will be served: society’s needs and EU’s strong global maritime leadership with major impacts on EU´s innovation-driven industry providing highly skilled jobs, efficient technological solutions, and international regulatory standards.
LH2CRAFT key objectives
Safe, cost and energy efficient storage and transportation of large LH₂ quantities over longer distances
Develop an LH₂ cargo containment system (CCS) for shipping, exceeding currently demonstrated sizes
Design modular and scalable LH₂ storage to large dimensions, similar to those of existing LNG carriers
Achieve AiP for CCS concept and general approval by major IACS classification societies
Demonstrate the CCS via the detailed design, construction, and testing of a reduced size prototype
Develop a safe preliminary integrated ship design and carry out the corresponding cost estimation
LH2CRAFT aspires to be a beacon project for H2 transportation vessels
Ambition
LH2CRAFT has the ambition to develop a next generation sustainable, commercially attractive, and safe containment technology for long-term storage and transportation of LH₂
on ships. It aims at developing an innovative containment system of membrane-type that will be available for all commercial vessels carrying H₂ as cargo (or even as fuel in certain applications) over longer distances and in large volumes (in liquid form). This process will be realized by developing innovative design solutions that aim in achieving a large storage capacity of liquid H₂ (e.g., 200,000 m³) at a temperature of 20 K and demonstrating it on an approx. 180 m³ containment system.
Impact
LH2CRAFT results in strengthening the competitiveness, growth and sustainability of European companies and research organizations based also on experiences gained from the extensive shipbuilding activity in South Korea, transferring thus useful design and practical know-how and extending it further.
LH2CRAFT aims to globalize the core technologies and technology enablers it develops, while offering distinct advantages to Europe’s SMEs, vessel designers, engineering firms, ship owners, operators, and other industrial users. Our vision is to facilitate widespread commercialization, fostering innovation and empowering various stakeholders in the maritime industry.
LH2CRAFT plays a crucial role in developing class guidelines to establish large H₂-based vertical supply chains. By fostering collaboration between industry, research, and end users, we ensure excellence in Europe. Drawing from existing EU knowledge and practical experience from Far East shipbuilding, we boost the EU shipping industry’s competitiveness and open up new H2-based transportation markets in various sectors. Our broader goal encompasses creating a common understanding among participating Class Bodies regarding guidelines and exploring alternative solutions, such as different types of CCS and utilizing LH2 as both fuel and cargo. These considerations form an integral part of our enhanced scope in WP2.
LH2CRAFT economic & technological outcomes and impacts
LH2CRAFT has a direct outcome and impact on the Partners and the field, and will deliver:
- New products: Core technologies to be further developed to products from companies HD KSOE, HYD and GBD.
- New services to clients: HYD, RINA, ABS, TWI based upon consultancy in design and operation services. GBD will be recognized as a knowledgeable outfitter qualified for system installation developed within the project.
- New business processes: HYD will acquire experience on design, organization and supervision tasks for H₂ storage and containment and for the design of liquified H₂ carriers, a design to be disseminated and communicated to the shipping transportation.
- Higher efficiency: shipping and stakeholders in the H₂ value chain will benefit by the efficient transportation.
- Decreased development costs: the concept will be the base for reduced development and commercialization costs for the new technologies for LH₂ transportation.
- Integrated ship design for liquified H₂ carriers will be developed to be adopted by the industry.
- Provide solutions similar to existing LNG carrier designs or adaptable to them.
- Increased profits: Towards the climate neutrality by 2050, it is not clear whether taxation rates on HFO will be increased or significant tax advantages for alternative fuels will be granted. In any case, the reduction in transportation costs leads to increased profits as well as to reduced final energy cost to the end-user industries.
- New guidelines and best practices: ABS, RINA and BV offering regulatory testing and certification, plan approval and lifecycle compliance assessment will also lead the classification industry to better understanding of the risks and requirements associated with LH₂ transportation.
- Know-how & technology transfer: TUD, ILK, UOS, NTUA to SMEs, contributing to new job generation and production sustainability of Europe. UOS developing and updating academic courses or modules in Zero Carbon technologies and safety handling of hazardous gases or other low-flashpoint fuels for marine sectors.
- Know-how & technology transfer from Asian shipbuilding to EU companies means increase of EU competitiveness based on the existing background without the need to expensive research from scratch.
- Closer cooperation between the EU and East Asian countries with the aim of an efficient H₂ market due to lower transportation costs benefiting the society in general.
- European leadership in H₂ transportation and LH₂ carrier ship design, creating a higher economic and competitive advantage for EU companies, as well as potential exploitation of the design by EU shipyards.
- Higher safety: A risk assessment approach to comprehensively evaluate the safety of the solution for demonstrator and desktop studies which will save the assessing time and provide high quality evaluation to the marine industry (including shipyards, ship owners, ship operators etc.).
- Initiation of a whole new market for the transportation of H₂ over very long distances, create thus trading of H₂ as a new commodity exploiting the arbitrage between cheaper production and supply in some countries.
- A new clean H₂-based economy will flourish both creating new jobs and skill requirements and transforming the society to a clean, emission free environment.
- Establishment of a Knowledge Hub for open innovation and cross-sector knowledge and technology transfer will enable people of different abilities to participate in the solutions created.
Work Package
structure
The work plan is structured in four thematic pillars including 11 Work Packages. All 14 partners cooperate together to achieve 8 milestones, succeed at 39 deliverables, and interrelate with numerous inputs and outputs between the WPs.
Impact pillar includes the WP Project Management, Dissemination and Technical Rules, which focus interrelated work of the partners, the outer presentation of the results and the impact on the community and provide the technical rules for the next generation of liquid H₂-fuelled ships.
Design & Engineering pillar focuses on system and subsystems designing. Based on a system engineering approach provides the core technologies for a safe storage and supply of H₂.
Demonstration pillar delivers the physical demonstration, which prove the core technologies and the tools to accelerate the storage and handling and distribution for H₂-powered vessels.
Sustainability and Scalability pillar evaluates the financial sustainability, the performance and the scalability potential of the developed solutions for H₂-fuelled ships. Within the same pillar, procedures and design guidelines are developed to ensure the safe operation of fuel storage and supply subsystems.
