RINA Touts Decarbonisation Benefits of Hydrogen-LNG Combination

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Tuesday April 25, 2023

Classification society RINA sees potential for LNG to be combined with hydrogen as means of reducing ships' carbon emissions.

The firm has been working extensively on onboard hydrogen recovery from LNG as a means of 'pre-combustion carbon capture' in recent months, Giosuè Vezzuto, its executive vice president for marine, told Ship & Bunker on the sidelines of the IBIA Mediterranean Energy and Shipping Conference in Genoa last week.

The technology involves reforming hydrogen from LNG on board the ship, using the hydrogen as an energy source and storing the remaining CO2 for removal at port.

"If you have an LNG-fuelled ship, you can produce hydrogen on board using a steam gas reformer," Vezzuto said.

"Producing it on board will allow you to blend the hydrogen with the LNG and burn it, reducing the emissions and increasing the efficiency. 

"The hydrogen can also be used in a fuel cell -- and, by the way, you are completely decoupled from the logistic chain of the hydrogen; you don't need to store the hydrogen.

"The CO2 can be liquiefied, and then has to be sent ashore.

"This is a concept we have been working on a lot in the last few months, and I think it's gaining traction."

Ship & Bunker News Team
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