Hydrogen Handling — Deferred to Phase 2+
Hydrogen Handling & Transfer — Deferred to Phase 2+
Status: Not Required for Phase 1
Phase 1 uses all syngas energy to power the ship. No hydrogen is exported, stored, or transferred. This eliminates:
- Hydrogen compression/liquefaction equipment
- On-board hydrogen storage tanks (explosive risk next to plasma reactor)
- Ship-to-ship hydrogen transfer (extremely dangerous — widest flammability range of any gas, 4–75%)
- Hydrogen carrier logistics
Why It Was Deferred
1. Safety — hydrogen has invisible flames, embrittles metals, and has the widest flammability range of any fuel. Storing it on the same vessel as 5,000°C plasma torches is an unnecessary risk for Phase 1. 2. Complexity — hydrogen extraction from syngas requires PSA (pressure swing adsorption) equipment. One more system to build, certify, and maintain. 3. Logistics — transporting hydrogen from the GPGP to shore adds a major logistics chain that doesn't need to exist if the ship powers itself. 4. Economics — at 5–10 TPD, hydrogen production is ~300–600 kg/day. At $10/kg, that's $3,000–6,000/day — meaningful but not worth the infrastructure cost and safety risk in Phase 1.
Phase 2+ Considerations
If/when hydrogen export is revisited:
| Option | Safety | Infrastructure | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compressed H₂ tanker | Dangerous — ship-to-ship transfer of explosive gas | Requires compression to 350–700 bar | Not recommended |
| Convert to ammonia (NH₃) | Safer — liquid at -33°C, shipped globally | Requires Haber-Bosch reactor on-board | Best option if exporting |
| Convert to methanol (CH₃OH) | Safest — liquid at room temperature | Requires methanol synthesis reactor | Good option, simpler than ammonia |
| Don't export | Safest | None | Phase 1 recommendation |