Technoeconomic feasibility study of the retrofit of a ship with electrically powered propulsion using fuel cells with RES based carbon neutral fuels

Kiouranakis, Konstantinos Ioannis; Κιουρανάκης, Κωνσταντίνος Ιωάννης

dc.contributor.author	Kiouranakis, Konstantinos Ioannis	en
dc.contributor.author	Κιουρανάκης, Κωνσταντίνος Ιωάννης	el
dc.date.accessioned	2021-12-14T10:49:47Z
dc.date.available	2021-12-14T10:49:47Z
dc.identifier.uri	https://dspace.lib.ntua.gr/xmlui/handle/123456789/54170
dc.identifier.uri	http://dx.doi.org/10.26240/heal.ntua.21868
dc.rights	Default License
dc.subject	Αμμωνία	el
dc.subject	Υδρογόνο	el
dc.subject	Κυψέλες καυσίμου	el
dc.subject	Ναυτιλία	el
dc.subject	Βιωσιμότητα	el
dc.subject	Hydrogen	en
dc.subject	Ammonia	en
dc.subject	Shipping	en
dc.subject	Sustainability	en
dc.subject	Fuel Cells	en
dc.title	Technoeconomic feasibility study of the retrofit of a ship with electrically powered propulsion using fuel cells with RES based carbon neutral fuels	en
heal.type	bachelorThesis
heal.classification	Marine engineering	en
heal.classification	Sustainability	en
heal.language	el
heal.language	en
heal.access	campus
heal.recordProvider	ntua	el
heal.publicationDate	2021-07-07
heal.abstract	The primary objective of this diploma thesis is to illuminate the seriousness of climate change and showcase a potential pathway that maritime sector could adopt in order to mitigate its environmental footprint. Bill Gates, in his recent book “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster” stated that we need to bear in mind two numbers, where the first is 51 billion and the other is zero. The former is the total number of greenhouse gases that we emit every year, 51 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, and the latter is the one and only number that we need to set as target for these emissions. Therefore, with regard to maritime sector, we should consider two numbers, the first is 1.3 billion tonnes and the other is zero. This should be the only target that maritime sector needs to aim at. The United Nations conference on climate change in Paris, on 12th of December in 2015, made clear that Earth is faced against climate change, as average temperature is expected to rise by 2 degrees Celsius by the end of this century. Paris Agreement has specified its goal to limit global warming to well below 1.5 degrees Celsius, but energy sector is falling behind its agreed schedule of cutting emissions. Regarding shipping industry, the ever-increasing demand for transportation capacity from global shipping fleet does not allow maritime sector to be optimistic regarding 2050 sustainability targets within its current course. International Maritime Organization has adopted a plethora of regulations implementing a wide range of short-term measures and adopting efficiency indexes in order to optimize design and operation of ships reducing its emissions. Although it has set some targets to reduce CO2 emission by 2050, they are much lower than global decarbonisation targets of zero global carbon footprint by that year. As far as these targets are concerned, decarbonisation seems unrealistic in maritime industry by simply implementing technical and operational modifications. In this context, even though there have been a lot of steps towards cleaner maritime activities, either by increasing the total energy efficiency of the global fleet or by exploiting dual fuel system together with fuels of lower carbon content, such as LNG, it is obscure how this strategy could help shipping reach decarbonisation goals of 50% CO2 reduction by 2050, let alone zero emissions by the same year. The only way to decouple shipping from the pollution issue is by decoupling shipping fleet from these engines and their carbon-based fuels. A shift from fossil fuels to neutral carbon fuels is mandatory for maritime sector to mitigate its environmental footprint. Electrification of ships by utilizing hydrogen technologies, such as fuel cells, should be developed at a faster pace in order for energy sector, including maritime, to take advantage of hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels, such as ammonia. In Chapter 3, there is an extensive analysis regarding fuel cell technologies in order to examine their technical characteristics and conclude which is the most suitable type of FC for application onboard. After evaluating characteristics of all types of fuel cells in market, Polymer Membrane and Solid Oxide Fuel Cell technology are considered as the most promising ones concerning applications in maritime sector. Apparently, fuel cell technology is a key factor for enabling hydrogen fuel to be deployed in such way and show its potentials. Although hydrogen fuel is quite immature at the moment, due to specific technical and economic hurdles, the potential of having a fuel completely green without any carbon content seems perfect in the effort of cutting down emissions from shipping fleet. In Chapter 4, we make an effort to examine the potentials of hydrogen as a future marine fuel that shipping industry can capitalize on. From a sustainable perspective, hydrogen fuel should be entirely emission free not only at the point of use but also during the production stage, mitigating its upstream emissions. Current production of hydrogen is still based on fossil fuels though steam reforming process. In order for hydrogen to be considered truly carbon neutral, production stage should be emission free as well. In this context, in Chapter 4, we endeavor to analyze the ways that maritime sector can exploit green hydrogen produced by electrolysis of water powered by renewable energy sources. There is a deep belief among experts in shipping industry that it is impossible to meet decarbonisation targets by simply following a single fuel pathway. Especially in cases of immature fuels (e.g., hydrogen), where upscaling of their network infrastructure takes a considerable amount of time. Therefore, due to immaturity of hydrogen combined with the fact that reducing emissions is urgent, the ultimate plan of introducing all potential green fuels is probably the best solution we have right now. Hydrogen-based fuels, such as ammonia, are capable of narrowing this gap and in Chapter 5 we are exploring its potentials as a future marine fuel. Both hydrogen and ammonia fuels are linked to some technical barriers that shipping industry needs to overcome in order to make the most out of them. Ammonia, compared to hydrogen, has the advantage of its network infrastructure that is already developed in order to satisfy agriculture industry’s needs for fertilizers. This is exactly the reason that maritime sector could capitalize on ammonia, either by using it in conventional ICEs or in hydrogen technologies of fuel cells. However, ammonia meets the same production obstacle of upstream emission and in Chapter 5 there is also a discussion of possible ways to overcome such obstacles. It is widely believed in maritime sector that a strategy of upscaling both hydrogen and ammonia along with fuel cell technology is able to help shipping meet its high decarbonisation goals. Meeting our decarbonisation targets requires for the energy sector to make sacrifices. Fuel cell technology’ deployment on ships together with hydrogen and hydrogen-based fuels needs to accelerate, while the first ships is crucial to be electrified by using such hydrogen technologies at the soonest possible. Building or retrofitting first zero emission ships is of paramount importance to start now. Smaller ships, such as Passenger ferry ships, have a relatively small total fuel demand making them able not to face the energy density barriers that such fuels add. In Chapter 6, a design methodology is followed by comprehending the regulations around fuel cell technology in shipping industry, while there is an introduction of the case study and the Target Ship that we will investigate regarding technoeconomic viability of fuel cell technology onboard today. After acquiring all the essential information concerning fuel cell technology together with hydrogen fuels and being introduced with our Target Ship, is crucial for us to proceed to the primary reason of this diploma thesis, which is the techno-economic feasibility study. In the next Chapter, Chapter 7, the three proposed alternative scenarios are analyzed regarding their technical configuration. All three proposed energy system configurations are based on fuel cell technology: 1st) LH2-PEMFC, 2nd) LNH3-PEMFC, 3rd) LNH3-SOFC. More precisely, the first and third proposed scenario utilize fuels of hydrogen and ammonia directly fed to their fuel cells. The former, hydrogen to PEMFC and the latter, ammonia to SOFC. The second case is based on ammonia as hydrogen carrier, as it includes an ammonia cracking unit for breaking ammonia at point of use in order to take advantage of its hydrogen content and feed PEMFC. Furthermore, there is a discussion regarding all parts of the proposed alternative systems, including ESS, ammonia cracking unit and the necessary electrical system that need to be installed. As far as the power demands are concerned, all alternative proposed systems provide ship with electrical energy for all its energy needs, both propulsion and hotel loads, fed by fuel cells. After specifying the technology configuration of each system proposed, it is imperative for an economic analysis to be launched in order to illuminate which scenario may be more economically viable for the owner of the Target ship to proceed on, in order to transform it into a zero-emission one. Within this framework, a Life Cycle Cost analysis is conducted for all three proposed retrofitting scenarios in order for the case study to conclude which scenario is the most techno-economic feasible for an onboard application. Although there are a lot of key parameters regarding technical aspect requiring for further investigation, the ultimate goal of this diploma thesis by conducting such case study is to get a clearer view over the most potential hydrogen technologies in maritime sector today.	en
heal.advisorName	Lyridis, Dimitrios V.	en
heal.committeeMemberName	Kaiktsis, Lambros	en
heal.committeeMemberName	Prousalidis, Ioannis	en
heal.academicPublisher	Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο. Σχολή Ναυπηγών Μηχανολόγων Μηχανικών. Τομέας Μελέτης Πλοίου και Θαλάσσιων Μεταφορών. Εργαστήριο Θαλασσίων Μεταφορών	el
heal.academicPublisherID	ntua
heal.numberOfPages	196 σ.	el
heal.fullTextAvailability	false