Design and Simulation of a Green Hydrogen-Based Propulsion System for Colombian Navy Marine Vessels
Abstract
This study develops and evaluates a green hydrogen-based electric propulsion architecture for small and medium maritime vessels, targeting the decarbonization of Colombian Navy operations while preserving autonomy and performance comparable to gasoline propulsion. The objective is to design and simulate a propulsion system powered by a proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) and using supercapacitors for onboard energy storage in place of conventional batteries. A systematic engineering workflow was applied: the energy demand of a reference gasoline vessel was quantified, gasoline and hydrogen were compared on an equivalent usable-energy basis, hydrogen storage and component sizing were derived analytically, and a complete PEMFC powertrain was simulated in MATLAB/Simscape under a representative maritime drive cycle and compared against theoretical calculations. For a baseline of 600 gallons of gasoline, the required energy was 24,420 kWh (17,094 kWh at 70% efficiency). The equivalent hydrogen mass was 733.33 kg H₂ (513.33 kg at 70%), requiring 1.65 m³ storage volume versus 2.27 m³ for gasoline (18% reduction) and 733.3 kg fuel mass versus 1704 kg (57% reduction). A cost comparison indicated higher fuel cost for hydrogen (USD 2794) than gasoline (USD 2155). Simulations reproduced expected PEMFC behavior under the drive cycle, with stable temperature below 80°C and load-dependent current–voltage–power responses. The novelty is the integrated replacement of battery-based storage with supercapacitors in a hydrogen PEMFC maritime propulsion system, enabling high power density and rapid transient response for realistic marine operation.
Keywords: Green hydrogen, Marine propulsion, PEM fuel cell, Supercapacitors, Energy efficiency, MATLAB/Simscape; Decarbonization.
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