Representatives of the Polytechnic have launched an inflatable boat with a hydrogen-powered electric engine on Bega.

The initiative is part of a larger project in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency. The team led by prof. Corneliu Craciunescu, from UPT, initially created a hydrogen bicycle and car, thanks to funding from Norwegian funds. The vessel powered by a hydrogen electric motor is a project financed with the Polytechnic's own funds.

The system was designed under the supervision of H2planet engineering staff which selected components for the UPT's team: a PEM fuel-cell up to 1000W, air cooled stack H-1000, and a metal hydride cansiter, MyH2 2000, one of most sold metal hydrides canister around the world and compatible gas and power management accessories.

"We wanted to expand the range of hydrogen applications tested at the Polytechnic, which we could offer to the society in which we live, for information purposes.

It is a good time that, among many political discussions, there are also discussions on technical solutions.

It is a boat that uses hydrogen as fuel. The solution is not very different from the one we applied when creating the bicycle or the car. After some preliminary tests we arrived at the official launch of this boat in the water. The simple fact that we are able to demonstrate the use of this solution on a boat is part of the popularization of the use of hydrogen,” said university professor Corneliu Craciunescu, corresponding member of the Romanian Academy of Technical Sciences.

"The main idea was to familiarize the students with the notions related to the promotion and use of alternative energies, with an emphasis on hydrogen-based energy, to use it as a demonstration project for the students of the Faculty of Mechanics of UPT, and the satisfaction was all the greater as we also had Erasmus students interested in hydrogen-based propulsion. The role of a technical university is to provide technical solutions of interest to the community, and from this point of view, I think we have reached our goal", declared Prof. Univ. Dr. Eng. Corneliu Craciunescu, project coordinator.

Teaching staff from the Department of Materials and Manufacturing Engineering (IMF), of the Faculty of Mechanics, and from the Department of Applied Chemistry and Inorganic Compounds and Environmental Engineering (CAICAM), of the Faculty of Chemical Engineering, Biotechnologies, contributed to the creation of the hydrogen-powered boat and Environmental Protection.