Project Summary
This small-scale proto-production unit provides a physical concept of the liquid hydrogen bunkering facility concept. This project aims to develop the control and instrumentation system, and to test the facility using liquid helium or liquid hydrogen.
Project Achievements
Activities • Design review and technical specification of liquid hydrogen facility, optimising for safety, performance and cost. • Procurement of critical liquid hydrogen components and instrumentation for system monitoring (e.g. cryogenic couplings, hoses, temperature sensors, and flowmeter). • Development of a safety-critical PLC control system to ensure safe and functional operation of the bunkering facility.
Conclusions
• TRIG2021 was invaluable in helping the project to move forwards to the next stage. The impact of the programme extended far beyond financial support of £30k. • TRIG2021 helped to create new opportunities such as video production, pitching, and networking without administrative burden. • Unitrove was able to accelerate development and procure critical pieces of equipment, which otherwise would have been unaffordable.
Next Steps
Unitrove is looking to push the development towards a live pilot project for implementation of the liquid hydrogen ship-fuelling facility. Unitrove will be collaborating with cohort member, ACUA Ocean, which is developing an autonomous liquid hydrogen powered ship. The two companies have been awarded a CMDC2 grant as part of a Unitrove-led consortium and will collaborate in the next CMDC3 competition.
