To summarize, this paper has shown, first, that hydrogen is certainly an acceptable, very clean fuel. Second, it has shown that it can be used at low levels in existing fielded systems, and some low NOx gas turbines exist in the field today that can operate with H2 levels of up to 50% , cofired with natural gas. Furthermore, systems have been developed to operate with pure hydrogen. The key development challenge for the future is low NOx, fuel flexible systems, that can be readily operated with a range of fuel compositions, ranging from pure H2 to pure natural gas. Figure 3 below summarizes the hydrogen readiness, R&D needs, and NOx compliance of these various technologies. All of these will enable the combustion technology of the future — low NOx, wide operability range, fuel flexible combustion systems capable of operating up to 100% hydrogen.
Article Publish Date