REGASIFICATION OF CRYOGENIC FUELS IN HYBRID SHIP POWER SYSTEMS WITH PROTON EXCHANGE MEMBRANE FUEL CELLS

Volodymyr Korobko, Anatoliy Shevtsov

Abstract


Due to tightening of environmental regulations for maritime transport, there is growing interest in hybrid ship power systems (HSPSs), which combine heat engines, electrochemical generators, battery energy storage systems, and equipment for the conversion, storage, and distribution of electrical energy. The use of low-carbon and carbon-free fuels reduces carbon oxide emissions; however, it does not completely eliminate the formation of other combustion products. Therefore, a promising approach is the integration of different principles of fuel energy conversion, in particular electrochemical and thermal conversion, with waste heat recovery.

The subject of this study is the utilization of waste heat from low-temperature proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEM FCs) in cryogenic fuel regasification systems within HSPSs. For PEM FCs, the temperature of waste heat carriers is typically 330–360 K, whereas the temperature of the heat sink is determined by the type of cryogenic fuel and varies from 20 K for liquid hydrogen (LH₂) to 240 K for liquefied ammonia (LNH₃).

The aim of the study is to determine optimal system configurations for utilizing PEM FC waste heat, considering the temperature potential of cryogenic fuels during regasification. The research objectives include analyzing the temperature levels of the heat source and the cryogenic heat sink, comparing the regasification conditions of different fuels, assessing the feasibility of using low-temperature thermoacoustic engines in a waste heat recovery system (WHRS), and determining the potential increase in HSPS efficiency.

The research methods are based on thermodynamic analysis of heat transfer processes, computational assessment of heat flows during cryogenic fuel regasification, and comparative analysis of waste-heat recovery configurations.

The results show that the significant temperature difference between PEM FC waste heat and the cryogenic fuel creates the necessary conditions for integrating fuel regasification with waste heat recovery. It was established that using of low-temperature thermoacoustic engines can increase the economic efficiency of HSPSs by 8–15%, depending on the temperature difference between the waste heat source and the cryogenic medium.

The scientific novelty of the study lies in substantiating the use of the temperature potential of cryogenic fuels as a low-temperature heat sink for PEM FC waste heat recovery. The practical novelty consists in identifying promising configurations for integrating cryogenic fuel regasification, PEM FCs, and WHRSs within hybrid ship power systems. It is shown that such systems are most effective in HSPSs using liquefied ammonia as fuel.


Keywords


waste heat recovery, cryogenic fuel, liquefied gas, hydrogen, ammonia, thermoacoustic engines, efficiency

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.32620/aktt.2026.4sup1.14