Development and Atmospheric Testing of a High Hydrogen FlameSheet™ Combustor for the OP16 Gas Turbine

Abstract

Gas turbines with a combustion system for hydrogen operation offer a low carbon solution to support the stability of the energy grid. This provides a solution capturing the needs for energy storage, in the form of hydrogen, and flexible power generation. Fuel flexibility is a key requirement to reduce the operational risks in case hydrogen is not available, whereby hydrogen can be combined with other conventional or alternative fuels. A key issue to achieve 100% hydrogen combustion with low emissions is to prevent flashback. To address the challenges, a project consortium was set-up consisting of gas turbine equipment manufacturers, academia and end-users. The major objective is to develop a cost-effective, ultra-low emissions (sub 9 ppm NOx and CO) combustion system for gas turbines in the 1–300 MW output range, including the 1.85 MWe OPRA OP16 gas turbine. At the center of this innovative high-technology project is the patented and novel aerodynamic trapped vortex FlameSheet™ combustion technology platform. Burner concepts based on an aerodynamically trapped vortex flame stabilization have a higher resistance towards flame blowout than conventional swirl stabilized burners. This paper will present the results of the first phase of the project, whereby atmospheric testing of the upgraded FlameSheet™ combustor has been performed operating on natural gas, hydrogen and mixtures thereof. The optimized combustor configurations demonstrated a wide load range on 100% hydrogen, and these results will be presented.

Techno-Economic Comparison of Electricity Storage Options in a Fully Renewable Energy System

“…Direct combustion of hydrogen in a combined-cycle gas turbine installation can provide a carbon-neutral and flexible storage solution while profiting from the maturity of the gas turbine industry [32,33]. However, while great efforts have been made in advancing the hydrogen readiness of gas turbines, the availability and cost of hydrogen are still a major bottleneck [34].…”

“…Instead of constructing an entirely new gas turbine, it may be possible to retrofit a hydrogen burner in an existing gas turbine. This technology is currently in development and is expected to be ready for deployment before electrolyzer capacity catches up to speed [33]. This option is attractive for gas turbines relatively close to a salt cavern suited for hydrogen storage, as it dramatically cuts down on capital expenditure versus a new power plant.…”