A Modular Fuel Cell‐Dual‐Battery Hybrid Power System for a Small Yacht: Design and Sea‐Trial Validation

ABSTRACT

Hydrogen fuel cell technologies are promising power sources for marine propulsion owing to their high efficiency and low emissions. However, their practical application on small‐scale vessels presents severe challenges due to fragmented onboard space and rapid load fluctuations under complex marine conditions. Herein, a modular layout and a triple‐hybrid power architecture are proposed to enable the efficient integration and stable dynamic operation of the fuel cell system, and are validated through sea trials on an 8‐m small yacht. A distributed modular framework was first developed, dispersing a 40 kW proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) system and a 10 kWh primary lithium‐ion battery within the yacht's bulkheads. Then, a high‐rate lithium‐ion battery was introduced as a dedicated power buffer, forming a triple‐hybrid architecture that physically decouples transient power regulation from long‐term energy management. Experimental results demonstrate that the triple‐hybrid architecture instantaneously absorbs surplus transient power of up to 11.5 kW, greatly suppresses DC‐link voltage spikes, eliminates voltage‐protection shutdowns, and maintains stable system operation under highly dynamic marine conditions. This work provides a scaled technical dynamic prototype and empirical data for integrating zero‐emission hydrogen fuel cells into space‐constrained small vessels.