Hydrogen generation sailing ship: Conceptual design and feasibility study

Abstract

We examine the concept and feasibility of using an ocean sailing ship as a massive, mobile energy collection device. The ship supports multiple retractable rigid wing sails, large diameter water turbines, and an electric power generator fitted with a water electrolysis plant to generate hydrogen. The hydrogen is subsequently stored in a more stable condensed liquid phase by reacting with toluene to make methyl-cyclo-hexane (MCH) in an on-board reactor. Our results show that the ship is able to both generate and transport low-cost hydrogen-based energy, offering a new avenue toward the eventual replacement of fossil fuels.