B Raised to Zero
The Bzero project (B RAISED TO ZERO), which confirms Baglietto’s vision and its strong commitment towards increasingly sustainable and eco-friendly yachting. The first B in Baglietto’s value system (in addition to the 8Bs recently presented), and perhaps the most important, marks a strong, decisive commitment to achieving zero emissions.
The BZERO system involves the implementation of a hydrogen production module which, using filtered and deionised seawater, produces hydrogen with 5.0 degree of purity at a maximum pressure of 35 bar through a system of AEM-type electrolysers ( for a total power of about 55 kW). The electrolysers are primarily powered by energy from renewable sources (photovoltaic panels) and/or the electricity grid with the aim of producing as much “green” hydrogen as possible.
The pressurised hydrogen produced is stored in solid form at low pressure and room temperature in metal hydride cylinders (MH storage). The process of storing and releasing the hydrogen from the hydrides is managed by a thermal management system that heats (during discharge) and cools (during recharge) the metal hydrides. The thermal energy required is obtained from the heat produced by the PEM type Fuel Cell module (approx. 185 kW) which uses hydrogen as fuel for the production of electrical current with zero pollutant and noise emissions. The power produced is controlled by a DC/DC converter on a central 700 V DC bus of the kind already tested on Baglietto’s hybrid technology yachts. A set of lithium ion batteries is connected to the same bus in parallel with the Fuel Cell, to absorb peaks and abrupt changes in the user’s demand for energy. The prototype will be used to develop on-board operating procedures, to optimise technical aspects and to obtain the appropriate nautical certifications needed for the system to be used on board and to recharge the hydrogen tanks independently and/or from an external source (making up for the lack of infrastructure on the one hand and/or speeding up refuelling times on the other).
Great attention is of course paid to safety and inspection issues, which will be guaranteed by the RINA Classification Society; RINA will follow and validate every single implementation phase of the process until the final certification of the system.
The project, whose primary objective is to increase the electric cruising range of vessels in zero-emission mode, involves integrating hydrogen fuel cell technology on a hybrid or diesel-electric platform on board Baglietto yachts. Baglietto, the project leader, will be flanked by six internationally renowned partners, all with design & development teams based in Italy: ARCO FC, BLUENERGY REVOLUTION, ENAPTER, H2BOAT, RINA e SIEMENS ENERGY will work together to produce a fully functional 1:1 scale prototype in the Baglietto shipyard by 2022, which will then be applied to the yachts to be delivered in 2025.
BAGLIETTO SOCIAL
