11-12-2025 - Lecture Hall D

PhD presentation

Building a maritime PEM fuel cell lab

Annabel Broer

Within the SH2IPDRIVE project, we’re exploring hydrogen as alternative maritime fuel. My research focusses on PEM fuel cells – the devices converting the chemical energy stored in the hydrogen bonds into electricity. How will the maritime environment impact the durability of these devices?
We have focused on the impact of air contaminants – mainly air salinity. We conducted measurements on board a sea-going vessel and have been designing our own PEM fuel cell lab since the start of my PhD in April 2022.
In this presentation I aim to give you an idea of what it means to develop a lab, be honest about challenges it involves and what I’ve learned from the process.

11-12-2025 - Lecture Hall D

PhD presentation

Experimental thermodynamic analysis of premixed marine engines

Konstantinos Kiouranakis

Defossilizing maritime transport requires replacing diesel with sustainable fuels while preserving the power density, efficiency, and robustness of marine engines. Methanol is a strong candidate due to its liquid state, good combustion properties, and scalable renewable production. However, its low reactivity necessitates reconfigures engine concepts, with premixed strategies as practical solutions for both retrofits and new designs.
This PhD research addresses key knowledge gaps in understanding premixed methanol combustion for marine engines. Using in-cylinder pressure analysis as the central diagnostic tool, experimental thermodynamic frameworks are developed to connect combustion phenomena with whole-engine performance.
The framework is applied to two complementary testbeds: a multi-cylinder lean-burn spark ignition (LBSI) and a single-cylinder premixed dual-fuel (PRDF) compression ignition engine. In the LBSI platform, the framework is applied to natural-gas fuel experiments to demonstrate its diagnostic utility, and provide insights as well as prepare for methanol use. In the PRDF testbed, the framework is applied to methanol-diesel PRDF operation, providing insights beyond conventional heat release analysis. A combined quantitative-qualitative approach is introduced, including a morphology-based heat release assessment that links heat release shape to the underlying combustion mechanisms. The analysis reveals distinct combustions across operating conditions and provides with a clearer understanding of methanol’s limitations and opportunities for high methanol-ratio and high-efficiency operation in marine engines.
Overall, the research delivers an integrated experimental and analytical foundation for better understanding premixed methanol combustion in marine engines, providing with tools and insights to support the energy transition in maritime.