This is a NAVAL POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL MONTEREY CA report procured by the Pentagon and made available for public release. It has been reproduced in the best form available to the Pentagon. It is not spiral-bound, but rather assembled with Velobinding in a soft, white linen cover. The Storming Media report number is A844313. The abstract provided by the Pentagon follows: This investigation studied the impact of using fuel cells as the primary power source in a ship design. Three different fuel cells were modeled: Phosphoric Acid, Proton Exchange Membrane, and Molten Carbonate. These models were compared against a baseline design containing a more conventional powerplant. The models were built and optimized using the 'Advanced Surface Ship Evaluation Tool' (ASSET/MONOSC). Specifically, payload, endurance, sustained speed, and hull depth were held constant, while length, beam, and draft were optimized to provide a balanced design. Full load displacement and required fuel load were compared against the baseline values. Conclusions concerning the potential value of a fuel cell powerplant were drawn.
