The world’s first methanol/hydrogen fuel cell towboat, called Hydrogen One, will soon become a reality thanks to current plans.
The ten RIX Industries methanol-to-hydrogen (M2H2) reformer systems that will supply the hydrogen to the fuel cells have been ordered by Maritime Partners, which plans to make the ship available for charter. The hydrogen will be produced from methanol.
The RIX reformers use technology licensed from Element 1 (e1) to produce high-purity hydrogen (99.97%) with no NOx, SOx, or particulate matter, doing away with the difficulties of on-board high-pressure gas or cryogenic liquid hydrogen storage.
With a single reformer, the RIX M2H2 systems can support fuel cell solutions from 10 kW to 140 kW, and they can be combined to support MW applications.
