A Norwegian tech firm looking to use benzyl toluene as a clean energy carrier has secured approval in principle for a key piece of technology needed to power vessels.
Hydrogenious Maritime has gained the AiP from DNV for the release unit, which is needed to remove hydrogen from its carrier liquid, also known as a liquid organic hydrogen carrier (LOHC).
The company is part of a Norwegian government funding project, HyNjord, which aims to begin land-based demonstrations in 2025.
HyNjord, launched in 2021 has NOK 26m ($2.4m) in state funding and is also backed by Norwegian energy giant Equinor.
The project aims to show that hydrogen can be shipped within hydrogenated benzyl toluene, which can be bunkered as safely as marine diesel or gas oil.
The hydrogenated liquid is then passed through the release unit on board a vessel, where a catalyst separates the hydrogen from the carrier liquid.
The hydrogen is then used in a fuel cell to generate power and the carrier is stored to be re-hydrogenated when the vessel returns to port.
Hydrogenious Maritime is a joint venture between Norwegian shipowner Ostensjo Rederi and German tech firm Hydrogenious LOHC.
The plans are to eventually install the equipment in containers on board Ostensjo’s platform supply vessel Edda Ferd to gain about 5,000 hours of testing over nine months.
Initial plans and funding were to include tests using solid oxide fuel cells from Alma Clean Power, but with the technology not maturing enough, the project will now use more readily available PEM fuel cells from Stockholm-listed Powercell.
Benzyl toluene is a commercially available, synthetically produced thermal oil. When hydrogenated, there is no separate hydrogen molecule in the liquid.
In this condition, the liquid can be stored and transported at ambient temperatures and pressure, and has a flashpoint significantly higher than diesel.
