Session: 04-31 Emissions I

Paper Number: 125595

125595 - Reduction of the Emission Footprint of Gas Turbines in Future Energy System Scenarios Through Optimized Hydrogen Admixture Strategies 

Within the energy sector, the mitigation of climate change necessitates a paradigm change towards the replacement of conventional with sustainable power generation technologies and more comprehensive environmental impact considerations of the energy supply system. Due to the inherent volatility of renewable power generation technologies, gas turbines as dispatchable technology must be considered to maintain grid stability. As a potentially CO₂-free energy carrier, hydrogen is a promising fuel for future gas-based power generation and gas turbine manufacturers are working on suitable combustor technologies. However, as surplus electricity from renewable sources is still scarce and electrolyser capacities are still in the process of being ramped up, the availability of large quantities of CO₂-free H₂ remains unclear in the near future. In addition, gas turbines are expected to operate for fewer hours per year with more starts and stops, so operation in part-load will become more important. Next to CO₂, other pollutants such as NO_x and emissions due to incomplete combustion (e.g., UHC, CO, CH₂O, PM) are formed differently under part-load. Therefore, optimizing natural gas substitution based on available H₂ quantities and load profiles can improve the overall emission footprint beyond just reducing CO₂ emissions.

In this study, a physical-based gas turbine performance model and an emission calculation tool are used to quantify the operational emissions for variable H₂ admixture rates. The tools are calibrated to represent a state-of-the-art industrial gas turbine using publicly available performance and emission data. Different load demand scenarios are derived from forecasts and from actual load profiles of gas power plants. The availability of H₂ in the near future is derived from forecasts, and respective quantities are attributed to different part-loads to optimize the overall emission behaviour. The environmental impact of gas turbined is assessed by converting emissions into different environmental impact categories to holistically assess the emission footprint of gas-fired power plants in future scenarios.

Presenting Author: Christian Goßrau RWTH Aachen University (Institute of Power Plant Technology, Steam and Gas Turbines)

Presenting Author Biography: 2021: Energy Engineering M.Sc. at RWTH Aachen University
since 2021: Research Associate and PhD. Student at RWTH Aachen University (Institute of Power Plant Technology, Steam and Gas Turbines)

Authors:

Christian Goßrau RWTH Aachen University (Institute of Power Plant Technology, Steam and Gas Turbines)
Nils Hendrik Petersen RWTH Aachen University (Institute of Power Plant Technology, Steam and Gas Turbines)
Manfred Wirsum RWTH Aachen University (Institute of Power Plant Technology, Steam and Gas Turbines)