Ricardo’s multi-stack fuel cell module has reportedly reached 393kW of net electric power as part of the Sustainable Hydrogen Powered Shipping’s (sHYpS) Horizon Europe-backed Project.
The British engineering firm announced that the fuel cell achieved full power within three months of its initial start-up testing.
Ricardo’s virtual engineering toolchain was used throughout the procedure. This tool reduces physical prototyping costs and risks, accelerates development timelines, and provides a “deeper understanding” of system behaviours under diverse conditions.
Ricardo can provide a 3MW containerised solution using the fuel cells, with DC-DC power conversion on board without sacrificing efficiency or durability.
When scaled up to incorporate multiple fuel cell modules within two containers, a client can deliver 6MW of power – enough to power a 50,000-tonne, 1,000-passenger cruise ship.
The sHYpS initiative is co-funded by the EU under Horizon Europe and includes a consortium of members representing five European countries, including the UK, Italy, France, Czechia, Germany and Norway. UK participants are supported by UK Research and Innovation funding.
“This is a pivotal moment for hydrogen technology,” claimed Andy Ennever, Ricardo Global Head of Fuel Cells, “By reaching this milestone and completing a full transient ship operation test cycle, our multi-stack hydrogen fuel cell technology demonstrates hydrogen’s potential as a clean energy source.
“It also showcases Ricardo’s expertise in designing and engineering the fuel cell module entirely in-house within the timeframe set out by Horizon Europe and achieving sustained maximum power after just three months of development after the initial switch-on.”
Last May, Ricardo expanded its marine fuel cell capabilities at its Climatic Fuel Cell Test facility in Shoreham-by-Sea and began testing its multi-stack fuel cell technology.
Read more:Ricardo expands marine fuel cell capabilities at UK facility
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