Kawasaki Heavy Industries collaborates with Japan Suiso Energy

The vessel will be built at Kawasaki’s Sakaide Works, Sakaide City, Kagawa Prefecture, Japan. JSE is the project operator for the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) Green Innovation Fund Project*1: Liquefied Hydrogen Supply Chain Commercialization Demonstration which plans to demonstrate by FY2030 the ship-to-base loading/unloading of liquefied hydrogen and perform trials under ocean-going conditions.

In 2021, Kawasaki Heavy Industries constructed the world’s first liquefied hydrogen carrier, the 1250 m³ capacity SUISO FRONTIER. In addition, it established 'Hy touch Kobe', a liquefied hydrogen receiving demonstration terminal. In February 2022, as a member of HySTRA*2, Kawasaki Heavy Industries participated in the first ever successful pilot demonstration*3 of loading/unloading and transportation of liquefied hydrogen between Japan and Australia. Designed and built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries to respond to the global demand for hydrogen anticipated in the 2030’s, the new vessel is a 40 000 m³ capacity liquefied hydrogen carrier that will provide the foundation for the future hydrogen supply chain.

Using this vessel and the Kawasaki LH2 Terminal, a liquefied hydrogen base now under construction at Ogishima, Kawasaki City, JSE will demonstrate performance, safety, durability, reliability, economics, and other elements required for the commercialisation of a global hydrogen supply chain and steadily proceed towards a hydrogen-based society.

The main features of the new vessel are as follows.

1. Equipped with cargo tanks for liquefied hydrogen with a total capacity of around 40 000 m³. Uses a high-performance insulation system to reduce the generation of boil-off gas (BOG) caused by natural heat ingress from the outside, enabling large scale transportation of cryogenic liquefied hydrogen.
2. The electric propulsion system features a hydrogen/oil-based dual-fuel generator engine*4 in addition to a conventional oil-based generator engine. Furthermore, the installation of a hydrogen gas supply system with a compressor and a heat exchanger enables BOG generated from the liquefied hydrogen cargo tanks to be used as a propellant, reducing CO₂ emissions during liquid hydrogen transport.
3. Equipped with a cargo handling system capable of loading and unloading large volumes of liquefied hydrogen. Double-wall vacuum jacketed piping keeps the material at an extremely low temperature for efficient and safe transfer between the onshore facility and the liquefied hydrogen tanks on the vessel.
4. With a shape and draft that consider the low density of liquefied hydrogen, the vessel requires less power and has a high propulsion efficiency.
5. The hydrogen fuel system, fuel supply system, and cargo handling system for liquefied hydrogen and hydrogen gas are risk assessed, and suitable safety measures taken to ensure that the liquefied hydrogen poses no risk to the crew, environment, or structural integrity and soundness of the vessel. By providing a stable supply of large volumes of hydrogen and supporting the decarbonisation of electricity generation, mobility, and industry, the new vessel will help to realise a hydrogen-based society. Kawasaki and JSE will continue to cooperate with diverse businesses to construct a commercial scale, international supply chain for liquefied hydrogen and realise a carbon neutral society by 2050.

Read the article online at: https://www.globalhydrogenreview.com/hydrogen/06012026/kawasaki-heavy-industries-signs-contract-with-japan-suiso-energy/