| Hydrogen
It is hoped that the plant, with an output of 34 MWe, employing a Kawasaki L30A gas turbine/ GPB300 genset, could become operational in mid-2024.
In order to become climate-neutral by 2040, RWE is planning to switch its gas-fired power plants from natural gas to hydrogen over time. Via the H2GT-Lingen project, RWE hopes to gain experience of operating a hydrogen-fired turbine and will fuel it with green hydrogen produced from electrolysers powered by renewable electricity.
The Kawasaki gas turbine provides a high degree of fuel flexibility. It can operate with 100% hydrogen, 100% natural gas and with any combination between. This “flexibility will be indispensable”, the partners say, as during the initial phase the amount of hydrogen available will fluctuate over time, until continuous 100% hydrogen operation becomes possible, with ramp-up of the hydrogen economy. Kawasaki has developed two different types of combustion systems to achieve 100% hydrogen operation. One is based on a diffusion flame combustor, the other on a dry-low-emission (DLE) combustor.
To start with, the diffusion flame combustor will be used for the H2GT-Lingen project, employing water injection to achieve low emissions.
In a subsequent phase, the installed diffusion flame combustor will be replaced with a Kawasaki Micro-Mix DLE combustor (MMX-combustor). Using hydrogen in conventional DLE combustors increases NOx
emissions and
heightens the risk of flashbacks. Hence established gas turbine DLE combustion systems cannot be directly used. The development of DLE hydrogen combustion technologies is thus essential for pure hydrogen (100 vol%) combustion and Kawasaki has therefore developed its MMX-DLE combustor innovation. The hydrogen combustors it has developed were successfully tested at 1 MW scale in 2018 as part of a demonstration H2
power plant project in
Kobe, Japan. The H2GT-Lingen project thus aims to scale up what it sees as “proven technology principles.”
The rapid global expansion of renewables over the past few decades has led to new challenges for conventional power generation systems and during the transition period, gas turbine technologies will play a vital role in stabilising power supply, say RWE/Kawasaki
Accordingly, in the course of the H2GT-Lingen project a range of gas turbine loads, from 30% to 100%, will be investigated to address operational flexibility issues.
The Lingen site is playing a key role in RWE’s hydrogen strategy: as part of the GET H2 project, the company plans to build a 100 MW electrolysis plant there by 2024, which will produce green hydrogen using offshore wind power from the North Sea. The capacity of this electrolyser facility is to be expanded to 300 MW by 2026 and to 2 GW by 2030.
The aim of the GET H2 project is to work with national and European partners to create the critical mass needed to kick-start the development of a supra-regional European hydrogen infrastructure and develop a strong European hydrogen market, says RWE.
H class: hydrogen ready In Italy, Edison, Eni and Ansaldo Energia have recently announced the launch of a feasibility study looking at the production of green and/or blue hydrogen and blending it with natural gas for use in Edison’s GT36 based 780 MW Porto Marghera combined cycle plant, which is due to enter commercial operation within the second half of 2022.
Eni, which aspires to become Italy’s key player in decarbonised hydrogen, says it is developing a “Hydrogen Valley” in Porto Marghera, with investment throughout the supply chain, “from the production of biofuels to hydrogen for sustainable mobility and, thanks to the agreement with Edison and Ansaldo Energia, also for electricity generation.”
According to Claudio Nucci, chief operating officer of Ansaldo Energia, the GT36 H class gas turbine at Porto Marghera is “already prearranged for hydrogen combustion.” GE makes similar assertions for its HA gas turbines. Two 9HA.01 machines recently ordered by Chinese state-owned power utility Guangdong Energy Group for its Guangdong Huizhou combined cycle power plant in Guangdong province, due to be operational in 2023, are “expected to burn up to 10% by volume of hydrogen blended with natural gas upon start of operation”, with potential for an increased level in the future. They will be the first gas turbines to burn hydrogen blended with natural gas in mainland China, says GE, noting that “China is committed to the coal-to- gas transition and implementing its policy to reduce coal’s share to under 58% of the energy mix.”
The new Guangdong project marks the first localized 9HA.01 manufactured in mainland China by the heavy-duty gas turbine joint venture between GE and Harbin Electric established in 2019. The JV aims to support natural gas and hydrogen-blend fuelled power plants in China. In addition, Harbin Electric is providing the steam turbine technology, generators and balance-of- plant equipment for the Guangdong Huizhou power plant.
GE says its H class gas turbine portfolio “currently has the capability to burn up to 50% by volume of hydrogen when blended with natural gas”, a capability enabled by the DLN2.6e combustion system that is standard on current 9HA.01/9HA.02/7HA.03 gas turbines offerings. The technology in this combustion system was developed as part of the US Department of Energy’s High Hydrogen Turbine program, and enabled combustion of high hydrogen without diluent. This technology has enabled the DLN 2.6e combustion system to operate on blends of natural gas and hydrogen, and GE says it has a technology roadmap to achieve 100% hydrogen with this platform.
Above: Guangdong Huizhou combined cycle power plant: will be ready to operate on hydrogen from the outset (photo: Guangdong Energy Group)
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