A feasibility study has proven it is possible to fuel a fleet of tugboats with green hydrogen in a UKport, but government funding would be required to make this a reality
Serco worked with Rux Energy and other companies, in a UK government innovation study, to consider the technical and commercial viability of powering three of its tugboats supporting naval ship docking and manoeuvres in the Port of Portsmouth in southern England.
According to Rux Energy head of strategy Marius Bosch, this study demonstrated its technical viability and its potential commercial application over the 30-year lifespan of tugs.
“Our feasibility study shows this would work on a total-cost-of-ownership basis and would be more cost effective than diesel,” hesaid at a technical presentation in London, UK.
Renewable energy would need to be secured from a port-based solar farm or an electrolyser, and pressurised hydrogen storage would be needed to enable three tugs to run on dual-fuel or purely hydrogen engines, enabling ’charge and discharge’ and refuellingall year.
“We haveshown it works for three tugs using technology we have developed,” said Mr Bosch.
An electrolyser of around 4.0 MW would need to be installed, of which 3.4 MW would be required on a daily basis to ensure “there is enough for the entire year.”A solar facility of 100 m by 70 m could produce enough energy to run the electrolyser in a room of around 50 m by 25 m.
Mr Boschtold Rivierapower from an offshore windfarm or port-based windfarm could also be a source for this renewable electricity.
Hydrogen would be stored in Rux metal organic framework tanks, which use an iron salt-based powdered material as “a sponge for hydrogen”, at around 30-bar pressure, which would be “sustainable and cost-effective”, he added.
Rux has developed and successfully tested a tank of this type as a prototype and plans tomanufacture tanks to store 900-1,000 kg of hydrogen.
