Techno-Economic Feasibility and Business Case for the Offshore Green FPSO
Towards a Net-Zero Green Hydrogen Supply Chain
P.A. Kaczmarek (TU Delft - Civil Engineering & Geosciences)
Jeroen Pruijn – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Ship Design, Production and Operations)
E.B.H.J. van Hassel – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Ship Design, Production and Operations)
Jan Anne Annema – Graduation committee member (TU Delft - Transport and Logistics)
J.J. de Wilde – Graduation committee member (Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN))
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Abstract
Green hydrogen has the potential to contribute in decarbonization efforts and achieving a net-zero emission economy by 2050. This report investigates the potential for production of green hydrogen offshore, using a Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel. The aim is to determine a techno-economically feasible strategy for deploying this Green FPSO (GFPSO) and in turn its holistic hydrogen supply chain. State of the art literature is reviewed to define the knowledge gap to address and delineate the scope of the research. This is encapsulated by the main research question: "What strategy could be used to deploy a GFPSO supply chain and ensure techno-economically feasible outcomes?". To answer this question, a methodology is devised involving the breakdown of the strategy into key decisions, the outline of the criteria by which the strategy can be scored against, and the formulation of an MILP model. The model encapsulates the supply chain from energy generation, hydrogen production, storage, and transport to destination. Technical and economic parameters are implemented in a North Sea business case context, assuming 4 scenarios which represent how each implemnentation strategy varies. This comes down to the configuration of energy vector of gaseous hydrogen (GH2), liquid hydrogen (LH2), and ammonia (NH3), as well as the transport mode of either shipping vessels or a pipiline, used to deliver the medium from production to demand location. Based on the MILP model result, the optimal locations in the discretized region for energy generation within each scenario, as well as comparison across scenarios using the calculated levelised cost of hydrogen (LCOH) in [€/kg].
The results of the study reveal LCOH values of 4.05-6.52[€/kg] for the time period of 2020-2050. The lowest cost was observed in the GH2 pipeline configuration, followed by NH3 shipping. The pipeline configuration required implementation closer to shore, while the shipping configuration correlates with the location of highest energy availability in the weather data. The greatest portion of the overall costs in all scenarios originated from wind turbines used for energy generation. Conversion process costs formed another significant component of the total costs in the scenarios involving NH3 and LH2. Sufficient reduction of these conversion costs could enable a more competitive performance from the corresponding configurations. Based on the criteria framework, the strategy utilizing GH2 pipeline supply chain configuration performs best in terms of LCOH, CO2 emissions, and access, while NH3 shipping performs better in Commercial Readiness Index (CRI), Technological Readiness Index (TRL), Ease of Implementation (EoI), and in existing regulations. The significance of these strengths and weaknesses will vary depending on the weight attributed to the importance of the criterion by the decision making entity.