Page 33: of Marine News Magazine (July 2022)

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Feature

Alternative Fuels tor to power reefers on the dock and on interisland barges, • Refueling was quick and judged safe but just as it uses diesel equipment. pressurized valves didn’t always work.

A fuel cell uses hydrogen (or hydrogen-rich fuel) and • Sandia recommended assigning a staff person oxygen to create electricity. A polymer membrane is posi- to operate and maintain the fuel cell until the tioned between the incoming H and O2. The membrane technology “becomes as trouble-free as its allows the positively charged protons to pass through but diesel counterpart.” not the negatively charged electrons which must ? ow These technical issues were not viewed as insurmount- around the membrane, forming an electrical current. able, and the report concluded, “Projections for full-usage

If pure hydrogen is used as a fuel, fuel cells emit only deployments indicate that cost reductions in fuel cell tech- heat and water, eliminating concerns about air pollutants nology, balance of plant items and hydrogen fuel can result or greenhouse gases. in cost parity with diesel generation.”

Sandia concluded that H generation can reduce mari- Reductions with fuel cell costs were viewed as most like- time related emissions across many applications, e.g., for ly to happen soon. After all, fuel cells have been around port equipment, auxiliary power for vessels and vessel pro- for decades, and next-step improvements would be to a pulsion, among other uses. familiar platform.

Still, there were problems—but after all, this was a re- The tougher challenges were the same issues being con- search project. For example: fronted today, ? ve years later: the cost of the hydrogen and • Inconsistent start-up; storage (for this project the H was provided free, courtesy • The cells used more deionized water than expected – of the Air Force).

an “unanticipated inconvenience;” Additionally, Sandia described challenges beyond the • Hot weather degraded performance; generator. Labor, logistics and legal matters impacted “the

All American Marine 34 | MN July 2022