Session: 04-36 Combustion Operations

Paper Number: 151747

Performance and Emission Footprint of Decentralized H2/NH3 Gas Turbines With On-Site Ammonia Decomposition and Exhaust Aftertreatment 

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 but has drawbacks in terms of transport efficiency. As a result, hydrogen derivatives are gaining momentum, with ammonia as a prominent energy carrier due to the existing infrastructure. However, NH₃ combustion is associated with significant NO_x emissions, so measures such as decomposition to H₂ or exhaust aftertreatment are required to comply with regulations.

In this study, a physical-based gas turbine performance model and an ammonia decomposition model are used to quantify the operational performance in different operation scenarios. Further, an emission calculation tool for different combustion chamber types (e.g., non-premixed, premixed, sequential) and an exhaust aftertreatment model are used to quantify the operational emissions for variable H₂/NH₃ mixtures. 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 gas turbine power plant is evaluated from a techno-economic point of view, considering performance losses and the cost of auxiliary units. The environmental impact of gas turbines 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 Institute for Power Plant Technology, Steam and Gas Turbines (RWTH Aachen University)

Presenting Author Biography: Research associate at Institute of Power Plant Technology, Steam and Gas Turbines since 12.2021
Work areas: gas turbines, hydrogen, ammonia, future operation scenarios, emissions

Authors:

Christian Gossrau Institute for Power Plant Technology, Steam and Gas Turbines (RWTH Aachen University)
Nils Hendrik Petersen Institute for Power Plant Technology, Steam and Gas Turbines (RWTH Aachen University)
Laurenz May Institute for Power Plant Technology, Steam and Gas Turbines (RWTH Aachen University)
Manfred Wirsum Institute for Power Plant Technology, Steam and Gas Turbines (RWTH Aachen University)