MarRI-UK finding: investigating the use of LOHC (liquid organic hydrogen carriers) for offshore service vessels.

Aiming to determine the feasibility of installing a hydrogen-based propulsion and power system on offshore service vessels, Newcastle Marine Service studied the operational profile of the vessel Søløven using LOHC. The main findings are:

• The vessel can deliver its usual operation in a commercial context post conversion of the fuel system.
• The energy balance between LOHC dehydrogenation and fuel cell cooling shows that process integration can improve the efficiency of the on-board hydrogen extraction process.
• The costs of running a vessel with LOHC are lower than maintaining the current diesel engine-based system.
• CAPEX costs are large, however return of initial investment may be attractive through increased prices charged as premium for zero emission operations.

Find out more about the project here