Feasibility of Zero-Emission Cruise Ships (LH₂ + PEMFC)

This repository contains the MATLAB/Simulink models and data developed for a feasibility study of a zero-emission cruise ship powered by a Hydrogen Tri-Generation System.

Important

Publication Status: The associated journal paper is currently pending publication. A link to the official publication and recommended citation will be added here as soon as it is available.

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🚢 Project Overview

Large cruise ships present a significant decarbonization challenge due to their high power demand for both propulsion and hotel loads. This project evaluates a Hydrogen Tri-Generation System that dynamically integrates:

• ⚡ Electricity: Generated by Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cells (PEMFCs) for propulsion and ship services.
• 🔥 Heating: Recovered from PEMFC waste heat and supplemented by a catalytic hydrogen burner.
• ❄️ Cooling: Recovered from the gasification process of liquid hydrogen (LH₂).

By simultaneously balancing electrical and thermal demands over a 7-day representative cruise, the system achieves high overall efficiency without onboard carbon emissions.

Propulsion Load Estimation

The propulsion power demand profiles were estimated using a resistance and power prediction model based on the Holtrop and Mennen method.

🔗 Propulsion Model Repository: Ship-Propulsion-Power-Simulator

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📂 Repository Structure

Folder	Description
Models/	Core Simulink voyage models and the static PEMFC electrochemical script.
Analysis/	Post-processing utilities and scripts to generate comparison plots.
Data/Inputs/	Velocity profiles and hotel load data (.mat format).
Results/	Pre-computed results included for immediate reproducibility.

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🚀 Getting Started

Prerequisites

• MATLAB (R2020a or newer)
• Simulink
• Simscape / Simscape Electrical

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How to Use

1. Setup

Open MATLAB, navigate to the repository root directory, and add all subfolders to the MATLAB path:

addpath(genpath(pwd));

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2. Option A – Quick Analysis (No Simulation Required)

If you want to reproduce the figures without re-running the full Simulink models, pre-computed results are provided.

• Reproduce voyage-level results:

  run Analysis/LH2Ship_Plots_Compare_Scenarios.m

• Visualize PEM fuel cell characterization:

  run Analysis/PEMFC_Model_Plots.m

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3. Option B – Full Simulation (Run the Models)

To modify assumptions or re-run the full dynamic simulations:

1. Generate PEMFC lookup tables

   run Models/PEMFC_Model.m

2. Load input data

   load('Data/Inputs/LH2Ship_Simulink_Summer_inputdata.mat')

3. Run Simulink model

   • Open and run:

     Models/LH2Ship_Simulink_Summer.slx
     

     or

     Models/LH2Ship_Simulink_Winter.slx
     

4. Post-process results

   run Analysis/LH2Ship_Rename_Workspace.m

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Scope and Limitations

• System-level feasibility and architecture assessment
• No CFD, structural, or naval architecture modeling
• Hydrogen bunkering and boil-off not dynamically resolved
• Not intended for class certification or safety-critical design

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Author

Albert Gil Esmendia