18/09/2024 by Mark
In a first for the power industry, Chevron says it has successfully used a 60% hydrogen blend to fuel a SoLoNOx gas turbine, with it generating energy for a number of days.
Such turbines typically take natural gas as fuel, and low-NOx turbines, like the SoLoNOx one in this case, feature advanced technology to minimise NOx emissions from when natural gas is consumed at extreme temperatures. By combining hydrogen, which contains no carbon, with natural gas, it becomes possible to also reduce the carbon emissions from the turbine.
It is the first time such a turbine has been run on a rich hydrogen blend, and Chevron achieved it by working with Caterpillar subsidiary Solar Turbines. Solar Turbines’ vice president for strategic growth and power generation, Aad den Elzen, said about the development:
“Solar Turbines is committed to supporting Chevron’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to help meet climate-related goals. While Solar’s traditional turbine configurations have significant experience running on high-hydrogen blends, running 60% on an existing low-NOx turbine is an important development.”
Chevron, which also makes the Texaco turbine oil, is using the turbine to power oil and gas operations in the field surrounding the plant.
The next stage will be to run the turbine consistently for 180 days. This will allow engineers to monitor the condition of the turbine and assess whether it performs sustainably with the blended fuel in the long term over various seasons, with any findings being incorporated into Solar’s future designs.
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