Hydrogen Turbines: What They Are, What They Are for, and Why They Are Key to the Environment

Hydrogen turbines are emerging as a promising technology capable of transforming the global energy landscape. This type of turbine, which uses hydrogen as a fuel to generate electricity, represents an innovative solution to the challenges of climate change and the growing demand for clean and renewable energy sources.

Unlike fossil fuels, hydrogen offers clean combustion, releasing only water as a by-product, making it a key player in the transition to a low-carbon economy.

What is a hydrogen turbine?

A hydrogen turbine is a device that converts the chemical energy of hydrogen into mechanical energy and subsequently into electrical energy through a generator. It works on the principle of combustion of hydrogen with oxygen to produce water vapor at high pressure and temperature, which then drives the turbine blades, thus generating electricity. This process is characterized by its ability to generate energy with minimal emissions, with water vapor being the only direct by-product, representing a clean and sustainable energy option compared to fossil fuel-based energy sources.

The idea of using hydrogen as an energy source is not new, but its application in turbines for electricity generation has gained momentum in recent decades, driven by the urgent need to find sustainable alternatives to fossil fuels. The evolution of hydrogen turbines can be traced from the earliest experiments and theories on hydrogen combustion to the development of advanced technologies that enable their efficient and large-scale use.

In the early stages, the focus was more on basic research and understanding the properties of hydrogen, including its potential high energy efficiency and the challenges associated with its handling and combustion. As gas turbine technology evolved, so did the interest in adapting these machines to use hydrogen as fuel. Technical challenges, such as hydrogen’s high rate of combustion, its wide flammability range, and the high temperatures reached during combustion, required innovations in turbine design and control systems.

Significant advances began to materialize in the 21st century, when pressure to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy sustainability became a global imperative. Research and development intensified, focusing on improving the efficiency of hydrogen turbines, managing NOx (nitrogen oxides) emissions, and adapting existing infrastructure for hydrogen use. Pilot projects and commercial demonstrations began to show the viability of this technology, not only in terms of environmental performance but also in terms of its integration into the power grid and its ability to provide a reliable and flexible energy source.

Today, hydrogen turbines are at the forefront of the energy transition, benefiting from innovations in the production of green hydrogen (hydrogen produced from renewable sources) and advances in storage and distribution technologies. As technology continues to mature and economies of scale begin to drive down costs, hydrogen turbines are expected to play an increasingly crucial role in the global effort to achieve a sustainable, low-carbon energy future.

How a hydrogen turbine works

Its operation, while sharing basic principles with traditional natural gas turbines, is distinguished by unique characteristics associated with the use of hydrogen as a fuel. Below, we explore the operating principles, key components, and fundamental differences with natural gas turbines.

As I said before, a hydrogen turbine operates on the principle of converting the chemical energy of hydrogen into mechanical energy and then into electrical energy. This process begins with the mixture of hydrogen and oxygen (usually from the air), which is fed into the combustion chamber of the turbine. When ignited, this combustible mixture releases a large amount of energy in the form of heat, rapidly expanding the gases that then flow through the turbine’s blades at high speed, propelling it to spin. This rotary motion is transferred to a generator, which converts the mechanical energy into electricity.

In this tweet from the FLEX4H2 project we have an animation that helps to understand it:

Here are the key components of a hydrogen turbine

• Combustion chamber: This is where hydrogen is mixed with oxygen and burned to generate high-temperature, high-pressure gases.
• Turbine Vanes: Designed to capture the energy of the expanded hot gases, driving the turbine to spin.
• Generator: Coupled to the turbine, it converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.
• Control System: It regulates the fuel-air mixture, turbine speed, and electricity generation to optimize the efficiency and safety of operation.
• Auxiliary systems: They include cooling, lubrication and filtration systems, essential for turbine maintenance and operational efficiency.

The project FLEX4H2

The image in this article is that of the FLEX4H2 project, a project that represents an innovative and strategic initiative designed to advance hydrogen turbine technology, underlining the commitment of the European Union and Switzerland to the energy transition towards cleaner and more sustainable sources. This project seeks to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of a gas turbine that can operate efficiently on 100% hydrogen, marking a milestone on the path to decarbonizing large-scale power generation.

The main objective of the FLEX4H2 project is to demonstrate that gas turbines can operate flexibly with up to 100% hydrogen mixture, thus providing a viable and sustainable energy solution that can be integrated into existing infrastructure. This project seeks to overcome the technical challenges associated with hydrogen combustion, including the management of high temperatures and combustion rates, as well as the minimization of harmful emissions such as nitrogen oxides (NOx) that I mentioned earlier.

To achieve its ambitious goals, the FLEX4H2 project involves a number of key stages, including:

• Technological development: Improvement of gas turbine components, such as the combustion chamber, to accommodate the unique properties of hydrogen and ensure efficient and safe operation.
• Testing & Validation: Conducting extensive testing with different hydrogen blends to assess turbine performance, efficiency and emissions, adjusting systems to optimize their operation.
• Full-scale demonstration: Implementation of the technology in a real-world operating environment to demonstrate its feasibility, flexibility and environmental benefits, marking a crucial step towards commercialization.

Within this project we have the GT36 turbine, an innovation by Ansaldo Energia of Italy that has been commissioned in Germany running exclusively on 100% hydrogen. This turbine belongs to the H class, distinguished by its sophistication and ability to achieve extraordinarily high operating efficiency and temperatures.

Capable of generating more than 560 MW of power, the GT36 has the capacity to power around 500,000 homes. They achieve this thanks to the design of their combustion chamber, which integrates two complementary systems to achieve high operating temperatures, while keeping emissions to a minimum without the need for diluents.

This turbine has also proven to be capable of a smooth transition from natural gas to green hydrogen, thus demonstrating crucial operational versatility for the energy transition and representing a significant step forward in Europe’s efforts to combat climate change.

Until now, the turbines installed by Ansaldo could operate with a mixture containing up to 40% hydrogen. With funding of €8.7 million, the FLEX4H2 project aims to complete the development of a technology that completely dispenses with hydrocarbons and operates solely on hydrogen over the next three years.

SOURCE: Muy Interesante

Original Article in Spanish:

Turbinas de hidrógeno: qué son, para qué sirven y por qué son clave para el medio ambiente (muyinteresante.com)

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