Session: 04-18: Combustor design IV

Paper Number: 103574

103574 - Sgt5-4000f Gas Turbine Hydrogen Capability – High Pressure Combustion Rig Tests 

The Siemens Energy heavy duty gas turbine SGT5-4000F was introduced in 1997. The SGT5-4000F fleet consists of more than 350 units in operation with ~20Mio accumulated operating hours. Gas turbines will play an important role in the future energy mix with a growing but volatile share of renewable energy sources, because of both their unique grid stabilization capabilities and the ability to burn hydrogen or other green fuels. 

Since its introduction, the gas turbine and the combustion system were improved in several evolutionary steps to enhance the engine performance and meet increasingly challenging emission requirements, which were traditionally defined as NO_x and CO emissions. The rise of CO₂ emission allowance prices turns the focus of further developments towards minimizing the CO₂-footprint of both the installed fleet and new units.

In addition to further efficiency enhancements, the transformation of fuel gas from pure natural gas to mixtures of hydrogen and natural gas is an obvious path to achieve the desired CO₂-reduction. Likely scenarios foresee hydrogen contents in the fuel gas of up to 30%vol in the near future and mid-term operation in the range of 30%vol to >50%vol H₂. This appears to be feasible with the existing SGT5-4000F combustion architecture.

Combustion tests with hydrogen mixtures with varying H₂ content have been performed at the Siemens Energy Clean Energy center (CEC) under realistic thermodynamic boundary conditions in a single burner high pressure test rig. Limitations of the H₂ capability of a given combustion system are typically defined by either significantly increased NO_x emissions, overheating issues or deteriorating combustion stability (combustion dynamics). The fleet’s relevant burner variants operating in the fleet as well as burner upgrades have been tested on their maximum H₂ capability with regards to these limitations.

This paper provides an overview of the test results, provides an outlook on the resulting anticipated hydrogen capabilities of the SGT5-4000F fleet and outlines the next steps in the SGT5-4000F hydrogen program.

Presenting Author: Lutz Blaette Siemens Energy

Presenting Author Biography: MA from University of Aachen (RWTH) in Aerospace eng. (2007)
Ph.D. from University of Tennessee (UTSI) in Aerospace eng. (2011)
Joined Siemens Energy in (2011)
Combustion Aero Design (2013-Present)

Authors:

Lutz Blaette Siemens Energy
Udo Schmitz Siemens Energy
Holger Streb Siemens Energy
Daniel Vogtmann Siemens Energy