Expleo has developed a closed-loop fuel solution for global shipping that delivers a 92% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions (GHGe) and OPEX savings of £1.4m a year, per vessel.
The solution was defined during Expleo’s feasibility study into clean power propulsion systems, funded through the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Clean Marine Demonstration Competition (CMDC).
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Expleo modelled its ‘system-of-systems’ solution on the multi-tasking Bibby Wavemaster 1, a vessel used to service offshore wind farms.
According to Jonathan Taylor, VP of Marine, Expleo, the solution uses solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC), technology which, although highly efficient and well suited to use in marine environments, releases a high concentration of CO2.
To achieve the desired reduction in GHGe, we partnered SOFC with a novel carbon capture and storage system, enabling a vessel to use its captured CO2 and green hydrogen to synthesise e-methanol. The green hydrogen in the solution can be produced at offshore wind farms, from surplus electrical energy or supplied in-port – ensuring the closed-loop remains as sustainable as possible
The company added that it managed to demonstrate a 92% reduction in GHGe in the model vessel.
Expleo’s innovation also delivers significant operational savings, showing OPEX reductions of £1.4m a year, per ship and a projected payback period of around four years on a retrofit, for the vessel used in the model.
