A China-based firm has achieved a groundbreaking feat by successfully igniting the world’s first 30MW-class pure hydrogen gas turbine.
Called Jupiter I, the gas turbine is jointly developed by the Mingyang Group and several other companies and scientific research teams.
The turbine, which offers a key solution for renewable energy storage, converts hydrogen from storage tanks back into electricity during peak hours.
Converting excess electricity into hydrogen for storage
The major challenge with renewable energy is the substantial waste that occurs during off-peak hours. Converting excess electricity into hydrogen for storage and then back to electricity at peak times is a viable solution, according to the company.
Wang Yongzhi, general manager of Mingyang Hydrogen Gas Turbine Technology, stated that using hydrogen for power generation achieves a carbon-free process known as power-to-hydrogen-back-to-power.
However, he noted that slow and inefficient conversion during peak demand periods can also lead to under-utilization, highlighting the need for high-capacity gas turbines.
Technical difficulties of hydrogen combustion
The development team successfully overcame three major technical challenges associated with hydrogen combustion: “easy backfire, strong oscillation, and high emissions.” They achieved this through iterative aerodynamic and thermal design, coupled with innovative structural design of the micro-premixed combustion chamber. This resulted in a pure hydrogen gas turbine combustion chamber design and control technology with independent intellectual property rights.
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A 30MW pure hydrogen gas turbine unit can effectively solve the problem of power abandonment in wind and solar energy projects with an installed capacity of 1 million kilowatts, and improve the economy of the “Shagohuang” new energy project and the stability of power transmission in the power grid, according to STdaily.
The implementation of this pure hydrogen gas turbine demonstration project has the potential to significantly drive the diversification and clean transformation of China’s energy structure, positioning the country as a leader in hydrogen energy development and application.
Jupiter I can resolve the challenge of electricity wastage
“The machine can use more than 30,000 cubic meters of hydrogen in an hour, which, when calculated annually, is equivalent to a power generation of 500 million kWh of electricity being stored in hydrogen,” said Wang.
Wang also maintained that Jupiter I can resolve the challenge of electricity wastage in the one-million-kW wind and solar energy projects, overcoming the limitations in hydrogen storage and transportation.
It’s also being claimed that pure hydrogen gas turbines are crucial for addressing the issue of abandoned electricity from clean energy projects in western China’s deserts, Gobi and wastelands, thus enabling large-scale, long-term energy storage.
“The new invention could play a significant role in China’s renewable power system and have broad market prospects globally, especially in regions rich in clean energy resources,” added Wang.
It’s also being claimed that the scale of the Jupiter I is staggering. The image provided by Mingyang shows a fuel consumption rate of 443.45t/h (tons per hour) through its ten firing chambers. To put that into perspective, the Hindenburg airship, infamous for being filled with hydrogen before its catastrophic demise, was filled with roughly 18 metric tons of hydrogen. The Jupiter One generator moves enough hydrogen to fill the Hindenburg about 25 times per hour, reported New Atlas.
