The certification validates the pumps’ fundamental design, structural integrity, and performance specifications before individual units are installed aboard liquefied hydrogen carriers.

Under the conventional Individual Approval process, a marine inspector must witness and certify each manufactured unit during shipboard installation. Type Approval instead provides advance validation of the underlying design and manufacturing specifications.

Ebara Elliott Energy (EEE) conducted long-term performance and durability trials using liquid hydrogen at −253°C. The company said the tests were intended to demonstrate pump operation under representative cryogenic conditions.

The trials took place at the Ebara group’s newly established large-scale liquid hydrogen test facility at the Futtsu Plant in Japan. EEE said the facility addressed the previous lack of testing infrastructure required for structural certification of this equipment.

Shane Reph, Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer of Ebara Elliott Energy, said: “Acquiring the world’s first Type Approval for an LH2 cargo pump completely eliminates a critical risk for the global hydrogen transport economy. By validating our technology on land under real-world operating conditions, we give maritime developers complete confidence from the design stage onward. This upfront proof guarantees equipment reliability while eliminating the costly rework and operational risks that typically plague shipboard pre-commissioning.”

The company plans to expand its certified pump portfolio to cover a wider range of flow rates and differential heads for maritime applications.

Source:   Hydrogentechworld