Image: Maritime Partners
Plans to make the world’s first methanol/hydrogen gasoline cell-powered towboat — Hydrogen One —a actuality are transferring ahead. The vessel might be powered by hydrogen generated from methanol and Maritime Partners, which goals to have the vessel accessible for constitution, has now ordered the ten RIX Industries methanol-to-hydrogen (M2H2) reformer programs that may ship the hydrogen to the gasoline cells.
The RIX reformers incorporate expertise licensed from Element 1 (e1) to generate high-purity (99.97%) hydrogen with zero NOx, SOx, or particulate matter, eliminating the complexities of on-board high-pressure fuel or cryogenic liquid hydrogen storage.
“Sustainability in workboat operations, specifically the inland brown water sector, is a priority for the industry,” stated Austin Sperry, president of Maritime Partners. “By deploying RIX M2H2 reformers to power the fuel cells – on-demand, when needed – on our groundbreaking Hydrogen One vessel, Maritime Partners is sending a clear message that cleaner energy emissions can be achieved via convenient, manageable, and available hydrogen processes.”
The RIX M2H2 programs are able to supporting gasoline cell options from 10 kW to 140 kW with a single reformer and might be aggregated to help MW purposes.
“The methanol-to-hydrogen process is changing the dynamics of vessel propulsion. On-board hydrogen generation is a reality, decoding the longstanding challenges of high-pressure storage and cryogenic temperature requirements,” stated Bryan Reid, chief gross sales officer at RIX Industries. “Maritime Partners recognizes this breakthrough and, with our M2H2 Series reformers, will be primed to take full advantage of the wide availability of portside methanol – meeting not only Hydrogen One’s propulsion needs but also looming environmental mandates to offset dangerous emissions.”
