LNG Plus Carbon Capture

A Norwegian consortium has teamed up to develop a new solution for decarbonising maritime transport by capturing and storing CO2 from LNG-fuelled Solid Oxide Fuel Cell (SOFC) powertrains.

The project is called LNGameChanger and is led by maritime technology supplier HAV Group, plus coastal cruise operator Havila Voyages, natural gas company Molgas Norway (formerly Gasnor), and research institution SINTEF.

The potentially game-changing research project was unveiled at a press conference in Ålesund, Norway, held on board Havila Voyages’ coastal cruise ship Havila Capella in March.

“The LNGameChanger project aims to create the basis of a new product in the form of a low-or zero-emission solution for the maritime industry, strongly positioned for a growing LNG market and infrastructure with superior efficiency to alternative solutions. If this objective is achieved, LNG can become not only a transitional fuel, but a permanently viable option in low-emission maritime transport, alongside, for example, hydrogen,” says Gunnar Larsen, CEO of HAV Group.

Given a successful outcome of LNGameChanger, project owner HAV
Group has a clear ambition to further mature the solution towards commercialisation and include it in the company’s growing portfolio of low-and zero-emission solutions to the maritime sector.

The project’s primary objective is to design an innovative, decarbonised maritime LNG-fuelled powertrain combining solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) and high-efficiency onboard CO2 liquefaction and storage, resulting in a CO2-equivalent intensity between the 2045 and 2050 emission limits.

Secondary objectives are to confirm energy efficiency and emission targets for the SOFC powertrain with CO2 capture in stand-alone mode. The project also aims to establish a user case with a vessel design and relevant operational profile to extract load profile characteristics and perform voyage simulations for the vessel in study. The user case may be Havila Voyages’ four coastal cruise ships. The performance of the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) powertrain integrated with the onboard CO2 capture and storage (OCCS) will be determined. It will also evaluate overall space and weight requirements and adaptability for marine applications.