Alfa Laval, a specialist in heat transfer, centrifugal separation and fluid handling, says it is to begin testing an innovative marine fuel cell system in cooperation with Blue World Technologies and other players in the marine industry.
Testing will take place at the Alfa Laval Test & Training Centre in Denmark and will use methanol as fuel, exploring the technology’s potential as a source of marine fossil-free auxiliary power systems.
The project is a joint effort between Alfa Laval and fuel cell maker Blue World Technologies, together with DFDS, Maersk Drilling and Hafnia. The companies aim to develop, test and verify a highly efficient fuel cell solution that would give marine vessels a realistic alternative to combustion-based auxiliary power in the near future. The system will use renewable, carbon-neutral methanol as fuel, enabling clean operations with very limited emissions. The group views methanol as one of the most promising fossil-free fuels available. Testing is expected to be completed within one year.
“We believe that fuel cell systems will have a larger role to play in the future X-to-power landscape. However, there are a number of potential fuel (X) pathways, so we need to have a broad perspective on this area,” said Sameer Kalra, president of Alfa Laval’s Marine division. “This collaboration includes major partners who each bring in unique expertise, and is another example of Alfa Laval’s commitment to developing viable and sustainable X-to-power solutions for our customers.”