Belgian JV Builds Hydrogen-Fuelled Tugboat Engine
BeHydro, a joint venture between Belgian shipping company CMB and engine manufacturer Anglo Belgian Corp (ABC) have developed a 1-MW engine that can run on both diesel and hydrogen, CMB said on September 17.
The technology can be used to manufacture engines up to 10 MW in size. BeHydro has already received its first order, for two 2-MW dual-fuel engines that will be installed on HydroTug, the world's first hydrogen-fired tugboat. The vessel was ordered by the port of Antwerp in September 2019, with a construction time of two years.
BeHydro estimates it can produce 100 hydrogen-diesel engines per year in its first phase. It is also developing a hydrogen-only engine that should be ready in the second quarter of 2021.
"BeHydro reinforces the recently announced EU vision on hydrogen and proves that the energy transition for large-scale applications is possible today," CMB CEO Alexander Saverys said in a statement.
BeHydro's hydrogen engines can be used for coastal and inland shipping, as auxiliary engines for deep-sea vessels and also in trains and electricity generators for hospitals and data centres, he said.
A 1-MW engine can provide electricity to 3,000 families in Belgium and produces 3,500 metric tons less CO2 emissions annually than a diesel engine, according to CMB. It could be used to convert up to 13,600 diesel locomotives in Europe to hydrogen, the company said.
"In theory, any large diesel engine can be replaced by a BeHydro engine. The hydrogen future starts today!" Saverys concluded.
(picture courtesy of CMB)