Hydrogen to render Gotland’s ferry service fossil-free
“At present, there are no large hydrogen-powered ferries anywhere in the world,” says Björn Samuelsson. Photo: Daniel Olsson
In the near future, we will be able to travel to and from Gotland on hydrogen-powered ferries. Researcher Björn Samuelsson at the Department of Civil and Industrial Engineering is leading a research project to develop a system for producing, distributing, storing and handling hydrogen, primarily for shipping. The focus is on Gotland traffic.
“I think we will be able to see the use of hydrogen on a larger scale in Gotland transport in 10–12 years. This would enable us to have a fossil-free ferry service to and from Gotland, which would be a great example for the rest of the world’s shipping industries,” notes Samuelsson on the Tredje örat (Third Ear) podcast.
“At present, there are no large hydrogen-powered ferries anywhere in the world,” he continues. “So there is a whole concept, a new system to be developed. This is being done in close collaboration with Gotland Company, which is planning to switch its fleet of ships to hydrogen. But there are many challenges along the way.”
How to refuel the ships
The biggest technical difficulty, according to Björn Samuelsson, is how to refuel the ships. The quantities of hydrogen involved are not small – in fact, 800 cubic metres will be pumped into the ferries while they are in the harbour. The actual refuelling should take a maximum of 45 minutes to maintain the current passenger capacity, which is not entirely uncomplicated when hydrogen is involved.
“Hydrogen has an odd property that makes it hot when we push gas into a container. As the pressure increases, the temperature rises. At the same time, another process begins when hydrogen expands. This also generates heat, which distinguishes it from other gases. This has to be solved in some way, either by using materials that are more heat-resistant, or by cooling it down before we refuel on board or perhaps that we cool it down on board the ship,” explains Samuelsson.
Locally produced hydrogen
The research team is now planning a larger project focusing on studying how to fill the ferry with hydrogen.
“The largest facilities available today are refuelling 200 kilograms of hydrogen per hour; there is such a facility in Germany that is used for trains. We have to find a solution that can handle 20,000 kilos per hour,” he continues.
The hydrogen could be produced locally on Gotland. The easiest way to produce hydrogen, he emphasises, is to split water, which is a chemical compound of hydrogen and oxygen.
“Doing that requires energy. Given that we are actually permitted to build these large offshore wind farms, we will have good access to electricity around Gotland,” he notes.
Several major challenges
However, he points out, there are three other major challenges that research is not solving. The first is political, where politicians need to ensure that there is a good supply of new, green, renewable electricity.
The second challenge he sees is the need for new laws and regulations, especially when it comes to handling large amounts of hydrogen in public environments, such as a harbour. The way the ships must be constructed and the rules that should apply on board are also two areas that he believes need regulation.
The third challenge identified by Samuelsson is economic or financial. He believes that there needs to be some form of guaranteed price for hydrogen fuel to make refuelling profitable.
Åsa Malmberg and Daniel Olsson