Shell and Alfa Laval to develop GCU

Shell International Trading and Shipping Company Limited and Alfa Laval have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to develop a gas combustion unit (GCU) suitable for liquid hydrogen carriers. The GCU is an essential safety component for the transport of hydrogen by sea.

The system is designed to combust hydrogen boil-off gas from a ship’s storage tank. Since the venting of cargo is restricted, the unit provides a way of controlling tank pressure and temperature when boil-off gas poses risks that could exceed a tank’s safety margins.

David Jung, Alfa Laval Business Development manager, explained: “With its boiling point of -253°C, hydrogen is expected to have a higher boil-off rate than methane, which will make having a GCU or similar means of boil-off gas handling crucial on hydrogen carriers.”

“In addition,” he continued, “hydrogen is light, highly flammable, and easy ignitable. Safety will be paramount when transporting it on board, so there are critical safety considerations when designing the GCU system ... Global hydrogen demand is expected to grow many times larger than it is today, and liquid hydrogen carriers at sea will be a vital link in the world’s decarbonised fuel chain.”

Commenting on the MoU on behalf of Shell, the energy company’s general manager of Shipping Technology, said: “Renewable hydrogen will likely be a key fuel in tomorrow’s decarbonisation mix, but accessibility will determine its impact. By enabling safe ocean transport of liquid hydrogen, we can help speed up the global transition to clean energy and Shell’s target to become a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050. Alfa Laval shares our ambition and is our choice of partner.”

Alfa Laval plans to develop the GCU for Approval in Principle from an IACS classification society. The company will then build a prototype for testing and ultimate type approval.