Periodic Reporting for period 2 - HYFLEXPOWER (HYdrogen as a FLEXible energy storage for a fully renewable European POWER system)
Berichtszeitraum: 2021-11-01 bis 2022-10-31
The goal of HYFLEXPOWER is the first-ever demonstration (at TRL7) of a fully integrated power-to-H2-to-power industrial scale installation in a real-world power plant application. The project will update and enhance an existing power plant within an industrial facility in Saillat-sur-Vienne, France. It will include the integration of energy conversion (power-to-H2) in the demonstration plant using excess energy from RES and necessary storage capabilities. The Siemens Energy SGT-400 gas turbine will be upgraded to operate with different natural gas / H2 fuel mixtures. A key objective is the operation at full load and production of 12 MW electrical energy with high-hydrogen fuel mixtures of up to 100% H2 for carbon-free power generation. Finally, the development of an economic assessment for this Power-to-H2-to-Power pilot plant demonstration will be conducted to show the economic benefits of this application. The project will have an exploratory role for all European actors and will collect, evaluate, and disseminate the results of the test and the technology that will emerge.
The development of a power-to-H2-to-power advanced plant concept at the Engie Solutions-operated combined heat and power plant demonstration site in in Saillat-sur-Vienne was successfully performed. It includes the integration of hydrogen conversion, storage, and gas turbine re-electrification technologies, and safety systems in compliance with all safety regulations. All necessary authorisation to operate the demonstrator plant with hydrogen were obtained. The electrolyser has been designed, manufactured, pre-commissioned and delivered along with the associated deoxygenation (DeOxo) unit at the demonstration site as scheduled. With respect to the Centrax-packaged Siemens Energy SGT-400 gas turbine, the package upgrades, manufacturing, delivery, installation, and commissioning of the test core engine were carried out successfully. The update and integration of the power plant with the new power-to-H2-to-power demonstrator components including the electrolyser, hydrogen compressor, hydrogen storage and fuel mixing station was completed.
The HYFLEXPOWER partners performed successfully the first pilot plant demonstration campaign to achieve the major milestone of the second reporting period: The implementation and demonstration of the power-to-H2-to-power advanced plant concept with different natural gas/hydrogen blends up to 30 vol.% H2 in the gas turbine. After completion of testing the core engine was successfully re-swapped ahead of the production season at the end of September 2022.
Siemens Energy is developing an advanced combustion technology burner specifically designed for operation with natural gas/hydrogen blends up to 100% H2 in DLE (dry low emission) operation mode. After several successfully completed combustion rig test campaigns at the Siemens Energy Clean Energy Center (CEC), the final combustion technology design for the HYFLEXPOWER engine test was downselected. The test campaigns included the demonstration of operation with natural gas, 100% H2 and different natural gas/hydrogen blends at real engine operation conditions. The achieved operational boundary conditions at baseload and at low load, the measured metal temperatures, and NOx emissions, as well as the observed flashback behaviour during forced flashback limit tests, are within the expectations and support meeting the overall objectives of the HYFLEXPOWER project. 100% H2 HYFLEXPOWER engine hardware manufacturing is currently ongoing. The combustion system development is supported by research partners UDE, DLR and ULUND, which are developing optical diagnostic techniques for application during the single burner combustion rig tests. Reporting period 2 was focusing on the assembly and application of the techniques to the combustion rig at CEC. In parallel, UCL successfully upgraded their lab facility infrastructure in preparation of future thermoacoustic investigations with hydrogen, including the design of a laboratory scale jet burner, capable of 100% hydrogen combustion (as well as methane/hydrogen mixtures). In addition, a Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) system is being set-up for fuel-air mixture characterisation.
Technical and thermodynamics information have been gathered and the simulations of several possible scenarios, including an upscaled power plant have been completed. Some work has been done to explore the basic design parameters for both small- and large-scale CHP plants with the inclusion of different levels of hydrogen blend in the fuel. A preliminary evaluation of the economic feasibility of the HYFLEXPOWER pilot unit in both small and large scale was conducted by assessing the LCOH and LCOE of the overall P-to-H2-to-CHP unit. The preliminary environmental performance of the HYFLEXPOWER pilot unit has been already performed. The effect of various hydrogen substitution ratios and electrolyser capacity factors on the direct and specific CO2 and NOx emissions for both small- and large-scale CHP units was assessed.
Sound management processes and infrastructure have been maintained by the Coordination Team consisting of Siemens Energy and ARTTIC, allowing the monitoring of project progress and enabling good communication within the Consortium, and with the European Commission. Awareness for the possible role of advanced thermal power plants in the energy transition was created through various channels. Project news were disseminated through publications in articles, and presentations by project partners. The project’s Advisory Group consisting of external experts from public authorities, end users, and safety experts was maintained to discuss HYFLEXPOWER and its role in the energy transition.
The HYFLEXPOWER partners performed successfully the first pilot plant demonstration campaign to achieve the major milestone of the second reporting period: The implementation and demonstration of the power-to-H2-to-power advanced plant concept with different natural gas/hydrogen blends up to 30 vol.% H2 in the gas turbine. After completion of testing the core engine was successfully re-swapped ahead of the production season at the end of September 2022.
Siemens Energy is developing an advanced combustion technology burner specifically designed for operation with natural gas/hydrogen blends up to 100% H2 in DLE (dry low emission) operation mode. After several successfully completed combustion rig test campaigns at the Siemens Energy Clean Energy Center (CEC), the final combustion technology design for the HYFLEXPOWER engine test was downselected. The test campaigns included the demonstration of operation with natural gas, 100% H2 and different natural gas/hydrogen blends at real engine operation conditions. The achieved operational boundary conditions at baseload and at low load, the measured metal temperatures, and NOx emissions, as well as the observed flashback behaviour during forced flashback limit tests, are within the expectations and support meeting the overall objectives of the HYFLEXPOWER project. 100% H2 HYFLEXPOWER engine hardware manufacturing is currently ongoing. The combustion system development is supported by research partners UDE, DLR and ULUND, which are developing optical diagnostic techniques for application during the single burner combustion rig tests. Reporting period 2 was focusing on the assembly and application of the techniques to the combustion rig at CEC. In parallel, UCL successfully upgraded their lab facility infrastructure in preparation of future thermoacoustic investigations with hydrogen, including the design of a laboratory scale jet burner, capable of 100% hydrogen combustion (as well as methane/hydrogen mixtures). In addition, a Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) system is being set-up for fuel-air mixture characterisation.
Technical and thermodynamics information have been gathered and the simulations of several possible scenarios, including an upscaled power plant have been completed. Some work has been done to explore the basic design parameters for both small- and large-scale CHP plants with the inclusion of different levels of hydrogen blend in the fuel. A preliminary evaluation of the economic feasibility of the HYFLEXPOWER pilot unit in both small and large scale was conducted by assessing the LCOH and LCOE of the overall P-to-H2-to-CHP unit. The preliminary environmental performance of the HYFLEXPOWER pilot unit has been already performed. The effect of various hydrogen substitution ratios and electrolyser capacity factors on the direct and specific CO2 and NOx emissions for both small- and large-scale CHP units was assessed.
Sound management processes and infrastructure have been maintained by the Coordination Team consisting of Siemens Energy and ARTTIC, allowing the monitoring of project progress and enabling good communication within the Consortium, and with the European Commission. Awareness for the possible role of advanced thermal power plants in the energy transition was created through various channels. Project news were disseminated through publications in articles, and presentations by project partners. The project’s Advisory Group consisting of external experts from public authorities, end users, and safety experts was maintained to discuss HYFLEXPOWER and its role in the energy transition.
The progress and results obtained so far give confidence that the project will reach the objectives as indicated in the grant agreement.
In the next reporting period significant progress beyond the state of art will be made within the combustor development and 2023 pilot plant demonstration campaign. The demonstration campaign will establish the first industrial-scale power-to-X-to-power demonstration with an advanced turbine with up to 100% hydrogen. The next steps are the manufacturing, installation, and validation of the down selected 100% hydrogen combustion technology in the SGT-400 engine. It will lay also the foundation for subsequent adaptation and application to the entire Siemens Energy gas turbine portfolio. Hence, the new hydrogen combustion system will be a key technology to allow gas turbines to be operated with hydrogen, to support the important decarbonization targets, and to limit global warming. Regarding the 2023 test campaign, the focus will be on the optimization of the flexible operational envelope of the tested hydrogen gas turbine combustion technology from 0% up to 100% hydrogen, as well as further investigation of alternative design concepts. The work conducted regarding economic, environmental, and social assessment by NTUA aims at defining the windows of operation that will allow for the most efficient and sustainable system performance, extracting information on its economic and environmental profile that will be useful for designing the strategy for extensive market uptake of the technologies developed within the project. The social impacts of the wide deployment of the developed technologies will also be subsequently investigated in a dedicated task.
In the next reporting period significant progress beyond the state of art will be made within the combustor development and 2023 pilot plant demonstration campaign. The demonstration campaign will establish the first industrial-scale power-to-X-to-power demonstration with an advanced turbine with up to 100% hydrogen. The next steps are the manufacturing, installation, and validation of the down selected 100% hydrogen combustion technology in the SGT-400 engine. It will lay also the foundation for subsequent adaptation and application to the entire Siemens Energy gas turbine portfolio. Hence, the new hydrogen combustion system will be a key technology to allow gas turbines to be operated with hydrogen, to support the important decarbonization targets, and to limit global warming. Regarding the 2023 test campaign, the focus will be on the optimization of the flexible operational envelope of the tested hydrogen gas turbine combustion technology from 0% up to 100% hydrogen, as well as further investigation of alternative design concepts. The work conducted regarding economic, environmental, and social assessment by NTUA aims at defining the windows of operation that will allow for the most efficient and sustainable system performance, extracting information on its economic and environmental profile that will be useful for designing the strategy for extensive market uptake of the technologies developed within the project. The social impacts of the wide deployment of the developed technologies will also be subsequently investigated in a dedicated task.