Methanol powered zero-carbon vessel design study

海洋和航空行业目前是脱碳和清洁能源面临的一些最大挑战。在陆地上，随着对车辆充电的投资，以及车辆技术和效率的进步，减少碳排放有一条明确的路径。在水上和空中，由于距离遥远，不利的海洋/航空环境，以及明显缺乏可用的充电基础设施，挑战要大得多。这一挑战意味着，飞机和船只必须携带足够的燃料-能源来维持其旅程，而没有能力加油或充电。尽管在开发电动或柴油-电力混合动力船舶方面取得了进展，但如果我们要成功地减少航运的碳排放，答案就在(目前的)电池技术之外。即使是最好的锂离子电池的能量密度也比柴油低约100倍，对于任何需要在低碳预算或零碳预算下行驶合理距离的船只来说，这都是一个重大的重量问题。甲醇及其通过重整技术转化为氢气为海洋工业提供了脱碳的机会。氢气在储存和安全方面面临巨大挑战，而甲醇可以在标准大气条件下安全有效地储存。甲醇也可以从可持续的生物质中以几乎零碳排放的方式生产。甲醇重整技术目前在商业上是可用的，但它们在商业容器设计中基本上没有经过测试。现有的设备带来了困难的挑战，包括但不限于：重量、几何形状、碳捕获、有效的工程和高效的能源转换。在这项研究中，我们将探索使用商业上可用的甲醇重整器和燃料电池技术作为休闲和商业船只的动力。如果英国要继续在全球脱碳挑战中发挥主导作用，那么我们必须提高我们在海洋行业开发绿色甲醇的能力。这项研究的结果将是一种小型(38-40英尺)铝制海上概念船的详细设计，可以用于休闲和商业海洋行业。这艘船将为设计和建造更大的船只铺平道路，例如为英国和国外不断扩大的海上风能行业设计和建造船员转移船。这项工作将促进我们在英国政府四个大挑战领域中的两个领域的理解和商业开发：清洁增长和机动性的未来。

The marine and aviation industries currently present some of the greatest challenges to decarbonisation and clean energy. On land, with the investment in vehicle charging, and advancement of vehicle technology and efficiency, there is a clear path to reducing carbon emissions. On water and in the air there is a significantly greater challenge due to the long distances, adverse marine / aviation environment, and obvious lack of available charging infrastructure. This challenge means that aircraft and ships have to carry enough fuel-energy for the duration of their journey, without the ability to refuel or recharge.Whilst there has been progress in developing electric, or hybrid diesel-electric ships, if we are to successfully reduce carbon emissions from shipping, the answer lies beyond (current) battery technology. The energy density of even the best Li-ion batteries is approximately 100x less than diesel, presenting a significant weight issue for any vessel needing to travel a reasonable distance on a low, or zero carbon budget.Methanol and its conversion to hydrogen via reforming technology present opportunities to decarbonise the marine industry. Whereas hydrogen presents significant challenges around storage and safety, methanol can be stored safely and effectively in standard atmospheric conditions. Methanol can also be produced with virtually zero carbon emissions, from sustainable biomass.Methanol reforming technologies are currently available commercially; however they have been largely untested in commercial vessel design. The available equipment provides difficult challenges including, but not limited to: weight, geometry, carbon capture, effective engineering, and efficient conversion to energy.In this study we will explore using commercially available methanol reformers and fuel-cell technology as a powerplant for leisure and commercial vessels. If the UK is to continue to play a lead role in the global challenges of decarbonisation then we must progress our ability to exploit green methanol in the marine industry.The result of this study will be a detailed design for a small (38-40 foot) aluminium offshore concept craft, which can be used across the leisure and commercial marine industry. This vessel will pave the way for designing and building larger vessels such as Crew Transfer Vessels for the expanding offshore wind industry in the UK and beyond.This work will progress our understanding and commercial exploitation in two of the four UK Government "Grand Challenge" areas: Clean Growth, and Future of Mobility.