Norwegian consortium launches carbon capture project for LNG vessels

A Norwegian consortium has launched the LNGameChanger project to develop new onboard carbon capture and storage (OCCS) of carbon dioxide from LNG-fuelled solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) power trains. Led by maritime technology supplier HAV Group, the partnership includes Havila Voyages, Molgas Norway and research institution SINTEF.

“The LNGameChanger project aims to create the basis of a new product in the form of a low- or zero-emission solution for the maritime industry, strongly positioned for a growing LNG market and infrastructure with superior efficiency to alternative solutions,” said Gunnar Larsen, CEO of HAV Group.

“If this objective is achieved, LNG can become not only a transitional fuel but a permanently viable option in low-emission maritime transport, alongside, for example, hydrogen,” added Larsen.

Instead of converting chemical energy into heat and then into electrical power as diesel generators would, fuel cells can improve the fuel efficiency of ship engines by as much as double by skipping the intermediate step. Meanwhile, carbon capture from fuel cells could be highly efficient, with a ready supply of heat available as well as potentially much more concentrated exhaust gases. The concentration of carbon dioxide within exhaust gas entering the CCS is an excellent indicator of its performance.

Supported by a NOK 5 million grant from the Norwegian Research Council, SINTEF will contribute research to the two-year initiative.