Siemens Researching Hydrogen Gas Turbines
Siemens Corporate Technology (CT) is conducting research into clean combustion processes for future hydrogen-fired gas turbines. The gas, which is obtained from renewable resources could be used in these turbines to generate electricity.
Siemens Corporate Technology (CT) is conducting research into clean combustion processes for future hydrogen-fired gas turbines. The gas, which is obtained from renewable resources could be used in these turbines to generate electricity. The Siemens researchers are working with the Russian National Research Nuclear University (MePhl) to identify combustion processes that produce the lowest possible amounts of nitrogen oxides. They are also attempting to use new methods to keep the flame, which compared to natural gas flames is extremely hot, as small as possible to protect the turbine blading against the temperatures.
The idea of combusting hydrogen with oxygen to obtain water and extract a large amount of energy with zero environmental pollution is still a long way off at the moment. The production of pure oxygen is too costly and the combustion temperatures of 3,200 degrees Celsius are too high for the turbine blading used in the power plants. Natural gas, which burns at approximately 1,950 degrees Celsius, already requires air cooling of the blading. Siemens CT in Munich is therefore also conducting research into heat-resistant ceramics for use in turbines.
The first generation of future hydrogen-fired gas turbines will therefore combust the gas with air. Just like in conventional gas-fired power plants, however, this process produces nitrogen oxides, which cause smog and acid rain. Emissions rise with the temperature, but so does the efficiency of the combustion process. The researchers are now simulating combustion processes to identify burner concepts that generate the lowest possible emissions at the highest possible combustion temperatures.
One important lever is the flame, which propagates extremely quickly in hydrogen. The smaller and more stable the researchers can keep the flame, the fewer the nitrogen oxides that are produced. Trials with a recently developed swirl burner have already shown significantly reduced emissions. A patent has since been granted for another method that uses the enhanced mixing of air and hydrogen to reduce the size of the flame.
This reduces emissions while at the same time keeping the hot flame as far away as possible from the combustion chamber and the turbine blading. Siemens CT in Moscow is a world leader for the simulation of combustion processes. A research combustion chamber for hydrogen is being built at MePhl for additional experiments.
