Layman Report ZEMSHIPS ZERO-EMISSION SHIPS LIFE06 ENV/DE/465

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1 Layman Report ZEMSHIPS ZERO-EMISSION SHIPS LIFE06 ENV/DE/465

2 The EU funded LIFE06 project ZEMSHIPS was launched with 9 partners in November 2006, with the goal of realising a passenger ship with fuel cell propulsion. All the project partners were motivated by the idea of an "Alster steamer" that glides across Lake Alster with zero emissions and low noise level. ATG Alster Touristik GmbH, a subsidiary of the public transport company Hamburger Hochbahn AG, is responsible for design and construction of the ship s hull and operation of the Alsterwasser. The Hamburg Ministry of Urban Development and Environment (BSU) is the initiator and coordinator of the project its responsibilities include protection of ecologically sensitive waters in the city. Germanischer Lloyd is an independent ship classification company, and was responsible for expert reports on and certification of the fuel cell ship. It drew up the world s first guidelines for fuel cell ships. Proton Motor Fuel Cell GmbH, a specialist in fuel cell and hybrid systems, is responsible for development, manufacture, installation and maintenance of the fuel cell propulsion system. Linde, the world s leading company in hydrogen facility construction, is responsible for building and operating the forward-looking ZEMSHIPS hydrogen infrastructure. Linde is setting new standards with the new compressor technology used in this project. The Czech Nuclear Research Institute UJV developed a mathematical model for ship propulsion and a monitoring system, to keep a check on operation of the fuel cell. Hamburger Hochbahn AG, the public transport operator in Hamburg, has a strong track record in work with fuel cell technology. It is responsible for the press and public relations work in this project. The Hamburg University of Applied Sciences is monitoring the project with comprehensive data collection and scientific analysis of operation of the fuel cell ship. ETC, a partner from the Czech Republic, withdrew from the project after a short period; the intended tasks such as design of the website and commissioning of a socio-economic study were taken over by BSU and Hamburger Hochbahn AG.

3 Goal of the project The goal of the project is to build a ship with environment friendly hydrogen-powered fuel cell propulsion, in order to try out this technology in practice and prepare the way for its wider application in ships. Up to now, the maritime use of fuel cell technology has been limited to military submarines, auxiliary equipment, and very small surface vessels. There were no technical regulations for its use in shipbuilding, and the necessary hydrogen infrastructure was not in place. The project is to give a targeted reduction of emissions in the city centre area, because the area of operations is Lake Alster an ecologically very sensitive area, located right at the heart of Hamburg, a major city with a population of more than 1.7 million. The conditions are ideal for testing the new technology, with a network of waterways, with existing river bus services, and with links to the port industries. It is hoped that realisation of the ZEMSHIPS project will encourage imitation by other major European cities which have similar structures and are willing to invest in infrastructure.

4 Functioning principle of the fuel cell How is electricity produced in the fuel cell? The fuel cell basically operates by "reversed electrolysis" with hydrogen and oxygen combining to form water. This process, also known as "cold combustion", produces electrical energy. What is decisive for the functioning capability of the cell is an extremely fine membrane, which permits separation of the hydrogen side from the oxygen side of the fuel cell. This membrane allows the protons to pass only in one direction to the oxygen side. That causes the creation of an electrical voltage in the cell. Fuel cell propulsion without pollutant emissions The only emissions from fuel cell operation are water, which is released as pure water vapour. There is no emission of carbon dioxide or any other pollutants. Low noise emission Avoiding the use of a combustion engine means that fuel cell propulsion causes substantially lower noise emissions. And it significantly reduces vibrations. The fuel cell The fuel cell system "PM A 50 Maritime", with peak output of 48 kw, was developed by Proton Motor especially for applications on ships. The liquid cooled PEM fuel cell (PEM = Proton Exchange Membrane) is adapted to the typical installation situation in ships. The fuel cell stacks are installed optimally together, with all the important peripheral systems such as cooling and air supply incorporated in a single compact assembly. That means the system can be integrated in other ship types as well, without the need for special adaptation. The electrochemical process in the fuel cell takes place totally without emission of pollutants. Integration of the fuel cell in a hybrid system means that the energy delivered by the fuel cell can be buffered in a battery array. It supplies the electric motor with energy, depending on load. Demand controlled energy management via batteries ensures that there is always enough energy at peak load times, such as mooring and casting off. That reduces the workload of the fuel cells and thus optimises their service life. The project is a milestone in fuel cell technology, and underlines the role of hydrogen as an alternative energy carrier.

5 The ship The ship carries 100 passengers, and has a length of about 25 metres, beam width 5 metres, and draught of about 1.3 metres. Its cruising speed is about 15 km/h. It was named FCS Alsterwasser in August 2008 (a play on words with Hamburg's Lake Alster and "Alsterwasser" in the sense of shandy, i.e. beer with lemonade). The operator of the ship is Alster Touristik AG (ATG). The Alsterwasser is one of 18 ships in its fleet. Batteries and energy management Hydrogen tanks / 350 bar Proton Motor fuel cell system Electric motor as ship's propulsion system Bow thruster Technical features: 12 hydrogen tanks for a total of 50 kg hydrogen 1 fuel cell system with 50 kw output Buffer battery lead/gel, 560 V, 360 Ah The ship also has an electrically powered bow thruster. When high power is needed, for example for a mooring manoeuvre, both motors can be powered by the fuel cell and the battery. The design of the ship s hull faced the builder with new challenges. The installation height of the fuel cell, including hydrogen tanks and batteries, required more height than in a normal ship, so the only way for the boat to pass under low bridges was a lowering and raising system for the ship s roof, i.e. a roof lifting design. Safety aspects also had a major influence on ship design. The gas is stored at a pressure of 350 bar, in order to store 50 kg of the gaseous hydrogen (GH2) on board in the tanks of the FCS Alsterwasser.

6 Filling station Innovative technology is also used for the infrastructure. Linde, the company responsible for design, manufacture and commissioning of the hydrogen filling station, used a new method for the project ionic compression. This method makes it possible to get the gaseous hydrogen to a pressure of 450 bar without mechanical piston compression. The new ionic compression method gives clear benefits compared with conventional piston compression apart from high efficiency and the necessary pumping capacity for the large refuelling quantities, this also gives greater purity of the hydrogen gas. Undesired pollution, as can easily arise with compression by metal pistons, can be completely avoided by "cleaner" isothermal compression. Another point which is also important for operation of the ship is easy, simple operation of the refuelling system. It takes only 30 minutes to refuel the FCS Alsterwasser with up to 50 kg of the compressed hydrogen (CGH2). The ZEMSHIPS filling station is located near Hamburg s city centre, directly on a side arm of Lake Alster, on the metro operating site owned by the Hamburg public transport company. Transit of the Alsterwasser from its mooring place to the fuel station takes about 30 min.

7 Timeline Project start: November 2006 Keel laying of new ship: December 2007 Completion of fuel station: April 2008 Naming of Alsterwasser: August 2008 Start of routine operation: April 2009 End of funded project: April 2010 Results The technical safety requirements and concepts for the hydrogen and fuel cell technology on board were elaborated by Germanischer Lloyd as the ship certifier. A large number of administrative obstacles had to be dealt with in order to get the project going. The path prepared now serves as the basis for future ships. Naturally the costs of building a prototype are considerable. But if it is possible to take recourse to series manufactured products in this market in the future, which will substantially reduce costs. The EU made a contribution of EUR 2.4 million to the total ZEMSHIPS costs of EUR 5.8 million. As hydrogen is an energy carrier, and not an energy resource, its costs are dependent on how it is produced. Environment friendly manufacture of hydrogen from glycerine will probably be possible from summer In order for fuel cell technology as a whole to be marketable, the costs of hydrogen will have to be reduced in the long run. Scientific issues in connection with the project have been examined by two universities. The Hamburg University of Applied Sciences has addressed energy efficiency. It was not possible to collect the measurement data on the Alsterwasser in such a way as to get a clear separation of the consumers, and thus clear analysis of the energy transmission path. But data capture was sufficiently reliable and delivered consistent data, in good quality and quantity. Only 30% of the energy of the hydrogen used in fact reached the drive shaft. Technical improvements were incorporated in April 2010, but they have not yet been scientifically evaluated.

8 The socio-economic study conducted by Hamburg University puts its focus on target-group appropriate product development and marketing strategy for the use of fuel cell technology in Hamburg and Europe. The rate of dissemination of fuel cell technology is dependent on the number of innovative projects which act as an initial boost for the use of the new fuel cell technology. The study analyses the greatest European market potential for the cities of London and Amsterdam. A cooperative project with Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, showed that passengers take a positive and receptive attitude to the new technology in their wishes and ideas. A market analysis is important before the use of fuel cell technology. But the most important finding of the project is that it is possible to operate a passenger ship with zero emissions. The ship has already carried 14,000 passengers. The response from passengers and crew has been entirely positive. Particularly positive points were the absence of exhaust fumes and the way the ship glides silently through the water. The ZEMSHIPS project can be directly transferred to all areas where passenger ships of this size are operated. Dissemination of information A large number of interested companies, professional associations and experts have been informed about the Zero Emission Ship via a range of different media, such as leaflets, newsletters, data sheets, specialist articles, websites, trade show stands, and various presentations at specialist conferences. The greatest response was achieved by the regularly updated website and presentation of the project at trade shows and conferences. The ZEMSHIPS project was followed attentively by the general public, and there was continuous reporting on it in the media. Conclusions from the project The project has demonstrated that the operation of a fuel cell powered passenger ship is possible in normal line operation. It has also shown improvement potentials, which can be implemented in further operation of the ship. This project is successful, not only technically in its successful use of fuel cell propulsion to power a ship, but also for the conservation of sensitive ecological niches in a big city.