Using the Fuel Flexibility of Industrial Gas Turbines to Reduce CO2 Emissions
(Room Nile 3)
20 Sep 17
2:00 PM
-
3:30 PM
Tracks:
Track C - Optimizing Plant Operation
The power generation industry has a major role to play in reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, and carbon dioxide ( CO2) in particular. There are two fundamental ways to reduce CO2 emissions from power generation: improved conversion efficiency of fuel into electrical energy, and switching to fuels with lower carbon contents. Gas turbine generator sets, whether in open cycle, combined cycle or cogeneration configuration, offer some of the highest efficiencies possible across a wide range of power outputs. With natural gas, the fossil fuel with the lowest carbon content, as the primary fuel, they produce among the lowest CO2 emissions per kWh generated. It is though possible to decarbonise power generation further by making use of the fuel flexibility of the gas turbine, by fully or partially displacing the natural gas used, or by switching to lower carbon fuels such as propane or LPG in place of diesel and fuel oils. In a number of industries, an off-gas containing hydrocarbons is produced which is often flared, creating CO2 emissions. These off-gases can be used to generate power locally in decentralised power plants, displacing the need to import power from centralised fossil fuel power plant and thus decreasing global CO2 emissions. Alternatively, ‘surplus’ renewable power generation can be used to create hydrogen, which can be stored and used as a gas turbine fuel when renewable power generation is low, displacing all or a percentage of the fossil fuel used. As hydrogen is a zero carbon fuel, it offers the opportunity for gas turbines to produce zero carbon electricity. This paper examines the potential to use a wide range of unconventional low carbon fuels and hydrogen in industrial gas turbines, and reviews operational experience gained in various industries and the future potential developments for further decarbonisation of power generation.