HYMETHSHIP SYSTEM

HyMethShip system innovatively combines a membrane reactor, a CO2 capture system, a storage system for CO2 and methanol as well as a hydrogen-fueled combustion engine into one system. The proposed solution reforms methanol to hydrogen, which is then burned in a conventional reciprocating engine that has been upgraded to operate with multiple fuel types and specially optimized for hydrogen use. The drastic CO2 reduction is the result of using renewable methanol as the energy carrier and implementing pre-combustion CO2 capture and storage on the ship. The renewable methanol fuel bunkered on the ship is ideally produced on-shore from the captured CO2, thus closing the CO2 loop of the ship propulsion system.

The HyMethShip project will undertake risk and safety assessments to ensure that the system fulfills safety requirements for on-board use and that its safety is at least equivalent to that of conventional ship fuel and propulsion systems. It will also take into account the rules and regulations under development for low flashpoint fuels and is expected to contribute to regulatory development in this area.
The cost effectiveness of the system for different ship types, applications and use cases will also be assessed. For medium and long-distance waterborne transportation, the HyMethShip concept is considered to be the best approach available that achieves this level of CO2 reduction and is economically feasible. Developing this solution can help the European shipping industry maintain its global advantage as a producer of technically advanced ships and equipment.

DOWNLOAD THE PRESENTATIONS OF THE FINAL STAKEHOLDER EVENT

CONSORTIUM

The powerful consortium consists of 13 top-class partners from 6 EU member states. It includes 2 universities, a large engines research center, component and plant manufacturers, a shipyard, a shipping company, a classification society and renowned scientific partners. The high share of industry partners represent the complete system and guarantee that the innovations to be developed in the project will be introduced to the market and become established there.

The consortium partners at a glance

Chalmers University of Technology
Colibri
Exmar Marine
Fraunhofer IKTS
INNIO Jenbacher
Graz University of Technology
HOERBIGER Wien
LEC (Project Coordinator)
Lloyd’s Register
MEYER Werft
MUW Screentec
SE.S
SSPA Sweden

ANDREAS WIMMER, LARGE ENGINES COMPETENCE CENTER

The innovation potential and the extent to which the project surpasses the current state of technology is excellent. HyMethShip optimizes and implements technologies that have never been used in shipping to date and have the potential to eliminate sulfur and CO2 emissions.

HARALD KAINZ, GRAZ UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

Through this multi-million euros project, Graz and Graz University of Technology are once again in the limelight as the international center of modern large engine research. At the interface between fundamental and applied research, the LEC and its top-class partners from science and business are taking a quantum leap to the next generation of large engines. This will bring the industry a lot closer to implementing environmentally friendly engine technology.

STEPHAN LAIMINGER , INNIO JENBACHER

The proposed concept is a potential way to store large amounts of renewable energy over a long period of time and to have de facto emission-free ship propulsion. In theory and on a laboratory scale, the concept works. In the next step, a demonstrator will be built to optimize the system and the technological building blocks. The challenge lies in the scaling and interaction of the individual technological components.

PETER STEINRUECK, HOERBIGER WIEN GmbH

On the one hand, all currently imaginable solutions require a completely new system, from the production of the energy carrier, to its distribution, to the fueling process and on-board storage, and finally to energy use. On the other hand, challenging safety issues must be resolved and certified in elaborate approval procedures. A complex ecosystem of partners must recognize sufficient advantages and join forces in a partner network. The HyMethShip consortium shows that this is possible.

Stories

RECAP-HYMETHSHIP FINAL STAKEHOLDER EVENT

Around 100 participants took the opportunity to get to know the results of the HyMethShip project. The event was announced by the project partners to their business contacts and was conducted online.
Registrations came from 18 countries and 4 continents, which shows how far the project has spread.

The business sector from which the audience came was also broad: The majority were researchers, with shipping companies, builders and operators accounting for the next largest share. Engine manufacturers and other industries were also well represented, as were consultants and engineering firms, classification societies and administrations.

Four expert presentations gave authentic and detailed information about all involved technologies, how these are working in combination to ensure an efficient propulsion system and driving the carbon capture and storage components with the waste heat of the engine (Dr. Nicole Wermuth, LEC). The HyMethShip concept was evaluated to be particularly suitable for Passenger and cruise ships on travels up to 600 nautical miles and for bigger ships (tankers and Ro-Ro cargo ships on high sea voyages (Dr. Joannes Ellis, SSPA). Promising are also the results of the environmental and the cost assessments by means of a LCA- and a LCC-study (Dr. Selma Brynolf, CTH) as well as the safety assessment (Dr. Alex Pedgrift, Dr. Abhijit Aul, Lloyds Register).

The tenor of the discussion was that the HyMethShip system could prove its feasibility and represents an attractive way to achieve far-reaching decarbonization of the shipping sector. The elegance of the system is especially reflected in the closing of the carbon cycle which is achieved by incorporating a pre-combustion carbon capture process.

The interest of the participants was high, and was also demonstrated by the fact that all stayed until the end of the event.

 

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Save the Date! International Symposium for Sustainability in Mobility, Transport and Power Generation, Sept 23-24

A comprehensive program with the pioneers and visionaries of the global Mobility, Transport and Power Generation ecosystem will focus on sustainable solutions in these fields. Excellent networking opportunities with an estimated 300 experts, opinion leaders and policymakers from all over the world will round up the two-day programme. As always, a separate section will be devoted to the topic of large engines, focusing on:

  • Efficiency Improvement, Emission Reduction and Overall System Optimization
  • Future Fuels and Decarbonization
  • Intelligent Engine Components and Digitization

The scope of the symposium is to underline the necessity and importance of sustainable solutions in the areas of Mobility, Transport and Power Generation and to network relevant stakeholders towards an emission-free future.

To register visit: www.ivt.tugraz.at/en/conference/registration

The program can be downloaded in PDF format and it is available on the following link: www.ivt.tugraz.at/en/conference/program

Program download

Publications free of charge when using the following Fotocredit: © LEC GmbH

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