NEREHYDES aims to investigate the possibility to retrofit a ferry connecting Sicily to nearby Aeolian islands, targeting minimization of waste heat (WH) on board by integrating PEM Fuel Cell (PEMFC) and metal hydride (MH) H2 storage systems, as well as to use the WH, stored, for ship services.
The goal of the H2 driven system is to operate mostly as auxiliary power unit (APU) in port/urban areas sailing periods as well as for hoteling services in harbor during passenger boarding procedures, reducing emissions in coastal and urban areas. In addition, the integration of a TES system greatly reduces the electricity loads of the gensets, particularly in hoteling, thus producing some of the required services (e.g. heating and cooling H&C).
At this purpose, the project has two main objectives: 1) to realize a pre-feasibility study of a hybrid PEMFC+MH equipped ferry integrated with TES for optimal H&C management on board (particularly hoteling) 2) to develop an integration and control strategy that guarantees the exploitation of WHR for the management of MH storage discharging.
TPG role
UNIGE will support the techno-economic assessment of H2 based and other low emissions solutions for maritime applications. For this purpose, the software HELM, developed by TPG-UNIGE and supported by a large database of currently available market solutions for energy generation (ICE, mGT, PEMFC, SOFC) and storage (batteries, hydrogen, LNG, methanol, ammonia, MDO), will be used.
Starting from dynamic models developed in TecBIA Project (where TPG-UNIGE Developed a control strategy for the full propulsion of the vessel), TPG-UNIGE will also develop a control system for the PEMFC-MH system management installed onboard throughout a model-based approach and tested the dynamic behavior for different operating conditions for the vessel (e.g. maneuvering, navigation in port, hoteling, boarding-unboarding of passengers).