Japan has completed the world's first tanker capable of carrying liquid hydrogen. The vehicle is already undergoing a testing phase and arrived on the 20th of this month at the Port of Hastings

The world's first liquid hydrogen tanker is preparing to make its first test voyage with cargo from Japan to Australia. The cargo boat was named Suiso Frontier and will transport hydrogen produced by j HESC, supported by Japan and Australia. The tanker was developed by the Japanese company Kawasake Heavy Industries and will be managed by Shell/STASCO. The vehicle was already ready to enter the testing phase about a year ago but, due to the pandemic, the tests had to be postponed.

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Liquid hydrogen tanker makes its first voyage

The Japanese-made vehicle arrived on the 20th of this month at the Port of Hastings, in Vitória, after a journey that took about 16 days initially scheduled due to unpredictable weather on the high seas.

Within a week, the boat will return to Japan, this time loaded with hydrogen, on a trip that should take about two weeks. The liquid hydrogen, which will be transported by the tanker, was generated from the reaction of a type of coal, known as lignite, with oxygen and steam, under high pressure and temperatures. Soon after, it was cooled to stay in the liquefied state, which is a great advantage since its volume reduces to 1/800, being transported in the Japanese tanker at a temperature of minus 253°C.

Production target: 225 tons of hydrogen per year

A j HESC was created to help Japan and Australia use renewable energy and reduce their emissions. The mission is to produce about 225 tons of hydrogen annually, an energy that many believe will help decarbonize industries that depend on coal, oil and gas.

Recently, the Australian government granted 12,7 million euros for the j to test a project to capture and store the CO2 released in the process of creating hydrogen using coal, so that a product that is neutral in emissions can be created.

Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (KSOE) estimates that this tanker technology will be strongest in 2025, and aims for a major advance in fuel supply, touted by some as an important source of clean energy. The company's announcement comes amid growing interest from several companies to launch hydrogen as a cleaner fuel alternative.

Hydrogen shows great potential in all sectors

Do you think it is innovative to transport liquid hydrogen by means of ships? What if I told you that there is a company planning to build hypersonic aircraft with the fuel? Hypersonix, an Australian company focused on building engines for hypersonic aircraft, recently announced that it had found the best material for its Spartan hydrogen engine.

Its thruster will be capable of accelerating the company's Delta-Velos model at a speed greater than Mach 5. Although the engine is still a concept, the Australian is creating several partnerships with universities, Boeing, BOC, and also with Siemens, which will supply the fluid dynamics computational simulation systems.