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Hydrogen as a fuel

Discussion in 'General Yachting Discussion' started by olderboater, Apr 15, 2021.

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  1. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Upon reading Carl's post on hydrogen fuel cells, I wanted to point out that Honda has a fuel cell offering on it's Clarity, available only in areas of California where fueling is available. Toyota has a Mirai. Hyundai offers the Nexo and they were actually the first to introduce a fuel cell car in the US. There are now 9961 fuel cell cars on the road in California and 48 buses. There are 45 hydrogen stations with plans to triple that.

    So, hydrogen powered boats are not an unachievable vision. When and where are the questions.
  2. Fishtigua

    Fishtigua Senior Member

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    About time too. Electric powered vessels are a joke. If the industry would invest in the infrastructure, hydrogen, from seawater, is a no-brainer. For a dayboat, perfect.

    I've worked on a couple of yachts with a 9/10,000 mile range, can't see that happening soon on alternative power yet.

    Edit to add:- We had enough voids in the hull to add more tanks in the hull to give us 20,000 miles of juice by not fitting the mini-submarine.
    Last edited: Apr 15, 2021
  3. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I don't think the world needs another Hindenburg. LNG is more feasible and safer and easier to find on the water and some freighters are already very successful running it.
  4. BRyachts

    BRyachts Member

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    Usually the only ships using LNG for fuel are the actual LNG bulk carriers, they burn the bleed off from the cargo tanks.
    It also takes special training and licensing to crew one of those vessels, your standard unlimited license won't cut it.
  5. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    Well, lots of reasons the Hindenburg doesn't apply. You can read them on the Honda site.
  6. YachtForums

    YachtForums Administrator

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    Thank you for opening a discussion on the subject, OB. Just to clarify, this feature was written by one of our most respected senior members who is putting forth a monumental initiative that deserved exposure to the caliber of readers YF attracts. This is a project of specific interest to me. Prior to launching YF, I was actively engaged in the fuel cell sector.

    I'm hoping a productive discussion might prompt a further initiative; someone stepping up, paving the way, doing the right thing. I would love to see a new build become a statement to technology, not just a status statement.
    wwch, d_meister and Ken Bracewell like this.
  7. Ken Bracewell

    Ken Bracewell Senior Member

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    Feadship has been working toward alternatives, and has come a long way in Hybrid tech. I can tell you from personal conversations start Henk DeVries is very excited and interested in this goal.
  8. CaptPKilbride

    CaptPKilbride Senior Member

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    This is changing.

    In the Gulf of Mexico, Offshore Supply Vessels are bunkering and consuming LNG. And have been doing so for quite some time.
    http://harveygulf.com/go-green/

    An LNG ATB has been built and is in operation, and I believe another one is on the way.

    Crowley has LNG powered container ships.

    Carnival Cruise Lines has LNG powered cruise ships.

    I know there is a Tankerman PIC endorsement for Liquid Gases, it is obatained with a cargo class and documentation of loads and discharges. Is there other special training and licensing beyond that?
  9. BRyachts

    BRyachts Member

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    I don't know what the newest regs are, I'm retired now and out of the loop.

    But years ago when I did my training for my ocean going engineering licenses LNG class licenses were a step above the standard steam and motor licenses and required a whole new step of training over and above.
  10. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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    National requires what they call "Propulsion Cross-over." Motor, Steam and Gas Turbine. Requires 120 days on the new propulsion.

    STCW, assessments are required for the mode of propulsion. All at equal levels but all have their own assessments.
  11. yr2030

    yr2030 Senior Member

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    I have been working aboard a Sanmar LNG tug for about a year. It's far superior to conventional diesels. Much cleaner burning. Have been operating from the Canaries to Iceland without much refueling.

    https://www.eia.gov/dnav/ng/hist/n9133us3m.htm
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2021
  12. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Is finding places to refuel an issue? Does refueling take the same amount of time as with Diesel? Any difference in range?
  13. chesapeake46

    chesapeake46 Senior Member

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    And add to these questions, does the tug have the same torque and power as diesel or better ?
  14. olderboater

    olderboater Senior Member

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  15. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    I'm familiar with LNG replacing gasoline in vehicles, but generally you only get 80% of the power that you did with gasoline. Many fleets have been using LNG for a decade now, such as UPS as mentioned, Waste Management etc. Just curious how that relates to diesel conversion etc. Also it's a little different when the vehicles pull into the same depot everynight and the fueling station is right there.
  16. yr2030

    yr2030 Senior Member

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    More power and better economy. There are plenty of tank farms in the EU and Asia.
    https://www.ceer.eu/documents/104400/-/-/7229ee03-adcb-349d-7866-f8e8907e7278

    Everything you need to know is found here:
    http://sanmartugboat.com/tugboat/lng-tugboat-lng-powered-escort-tugs/

    UPS uses CNG - and only on their day trip trucks - 300 mi each way.
    https://www.ttnews.com/articles/ups-invests-450-million-cng-trucks-stations

    We are never on board when they fuel - mainly at night. Only the engineers are on board. When you're dealing with a commodity that requires -162C (-260F) you want to make sure it's a safe enviornment.

    The future is LNG and 2030 is the deadline
    Last edited: Apr 17, 2021
  17. yr2030

    yr2030 Senior Member

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    Cummins partnered with Westport years ago to offer truck fleet operators an option
  18. yr2030

    yr2030 Senior Member

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  19. Natuzzi

    Natuzzi Member

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    I listened to the interview with Peter Lurssen the other day, and he seems strongly convinced that the LNG is not the future in recreational yachting, mainly because of the inconvenience with refueling if I understood correctly.
  20. CaptPKilbride

    CaptPKilbride Senior Member

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    I enjoyed watching the hour long Lurssen Live program that was uploaded onto youtube.
    Of particular interest and value is how they segmented the time line at the bottom of the screen. Each different topic is identified for easy access to the particular part of the broadcast that you are interested in viewing.