The Assessment of Fuel Cell for a 100-Seat Ferry Power Application

Efforts from the ship industry should be made to reduce the deteriorating air environment in coastal areas. The application of fuel cells like Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell (PEMFC) in the small or medium ships operating on coastal areas can significantly reduce emissions. This paper analyzes the applicability of various fuel cells for small or medium vessels and uses computation method to assess the fuel cell systems for the 100-seat case ferry. Comparisons have been made between the diesel power system and the fuel cell system, and the results show that PEMFC system has significant advantages in thermal efficiency, emissions, and operation. Fuel cell system will become one of the best power solutions with the improvement of fuel cell technologies.