Session: Poster Session

Paper Number: 163447

Generic Design of a Sequential Combustion System for H2 / Nh3 Gas Turbines 

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 emission calculation tool are used to quantify the operational emissions for variable H₂/NH₃ mixtures. The gas turbine performance model is calibrated to represent a state-of-the-art industrial gas turbine using publicly available performance and emission data. The sequential combustion model is generically designed for lowest environmental impact at nominal load conditions, taking into account geometric and operational data from the literature. Furthermore, the emission formation at variable load and flexible fuel composition is evaluated for the off-design operation of the sequential combustion system. The load and fuel flexible emission formation is compared with different combustor types (e.g. non-premixed, premixed) to holistically assess the emission footprint of H₂/NH₃ gas turbine power plants in future scenarios.

Presenting Author: Christian Goßrau RWTH Aachen University (IKDG)

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 RWTH Aachen University (IKDG)
Jonathan Sternfeld RWTH Aachen University (IKDG)
Manfred Wirsum RWTH Aachen University (IKDG)