The SAFeCRAFT project is dedicated to advancing the safety and adoption of Sustainable Alternative Fuels (SAFs) in maritime transport. By integrating, validating, and demonstrating SAFs on board oceangoing vessels, the project seeks to address critical challenges regarding their safety, technological maturity, and economic viability.
One of the SAFeCRAFT specific outcomes is demonstrator retrofit of an H2 GenSet onboard a 180,000 DWT Capesize Bulk Carrier. This GenSet will use liquid/gaseous hydrogen for the vessel’s auxiliary/propulsion power needs, thus reducing the Carrier’s carbon footprint during the operations.
In Task 3.2 of the SAFeCRAFT project, led by NTUA, the Conceptual Design of H2 Based Alternative System draws from specific previous outcomes of a sister project, LH2CRAFT. The latter has already developed the next generation of sustainable, commercially attractive and long-term storage and long-distance transportation of Liquid Hydrogen for commercial vessels. Although, in this case only H2-fueled vessels will be considered, and the study will be focused on four different ship’s types.
- Hydrogen Storage and Bunkering Technologies
LH2CRAFT developed a prototype tank that satisfies LH2 insulation requirements, IMO regulations and Classification Society guidelines. The basic insulation unit structure includes liquid and gas tight barriers to prevent leakage and safely store LH2, insulation materials to improve transportation efficiency and fastening members to hold such barriers and insulation materials on the hull structure. A similar tank will be used for the SAFeCRAFT demonstrator vessel. Similar control and monitoring systems will also be used for the SAFeCRAFT demonstrator, as they have reliably detected and managed the rate of hydrogen boil-off in the LH2CRAFT demonstrator.
- System Integration Protocols
The system integration efforts that took place during LH2CRAFT resulted the development of hydrogen fuel system installation guidelines. These give guidance on placing tanks in locations that minimize risk to the crew and vessel operations, as well as on the integration of piping systems that can handle the extreme cold of liquid hydrogen while maintaining structural integrity under maritime operating conditions. These guidelines are now carried over to the SAFeCRAFT demonstrator so that the layout and assembly of hydrogen fuel components doesn’t conflict with existing systems and meets accessibility standards for maintenance and emergency handling.
- Safety and Risk Assessment
LH2CRAFT developed comprehensive risk assessments for hydrogen storage and bunkering in maritime environments, including dynamic simulations of potential leak scenarios and their impacts on ship safety. These risk assessments helped establish emergency response strategies not just for the LH2CRAFT project, but for the SAFeCRAFT project as well. Leak detection systems, automated shut-off valves, and emergency venting systems have been designed to handle the larger volumes of hydrogen expected on the SAFeCRAFT demonstrator vessel.
- Regulatory Compliance and Certification
Drawing on experience gained in LH2CRAFT, relevant documentation will be developed and tests ensuring the Approval in Principle by classification societies will be conducted. As with all cutting-edge projects, SAFeCRAFT will go beyond LH2CRAFT as the real-world demonstrator will contribute to the development of guidelines for hydrogen-fuelled vessels.
By leveraging the above expertise gained by LH2CRAFT, SAFeCRAFT’s Task 3.2 achieves technical viability and regulatory compliance faster, thus pushing forward the adoption of SAFs in the maritime industry. Crucial outcome of subject Task will provide the necessary input in order to carry out a thorough Engineering study in the later tasks.
