Feasibility of Zero-Emission Cruise Ships: A Novel Hydrogen Tri-Generation System for Propulsion and Hotel Loads

Abstract

The decarbonization of large cruise ships is challenged by their extreme and tightly coupled electrical, thermal, and cooling demands. This study investigates a liquid hydrogen (LH2)-based tri-generation system for cruise ships that simultaneously supplies electricity, heat, and cooling. Key novelties include the use of LH2 as the onboard energy carrier for large cruise ships, the recovery of cooling energy from LH2, a dynamic control strategy that synergistically modulates PEM fuel cell utilization to regulate downstream catalytic burner heat generation and balance heat and electricity generation and demand, and the first full-scale cruise-ship model of such a system, including hydrogen consumption and onboard storage sizing. A dynamic system-level model is applied to a representative 7-day voyage of a large cruise ship. The results show that the proposed system can meet combined peak demands of approximately 61 MW while achieving overall system efficiencies approaching 75%. Compared to traditional marine diesel-based power plants, the LH2-based tri-generation configuration improves system efficiency by more than 20 percentage points. Total hydrogen consumption is estimated at approximately 240 t, which can be reduced by about 20% through shore-to-ship power, yielding a system volume comparable to that of a conventional diesel-based power plant. These results demonstrate the technical feasibility and system-level advantages of LH2-based tri-generation for zero-emission cruise ships.

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