BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 21
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
US-based Baker Hughes and Italian Snam have successfully completed testing of the world’s first “hybrid” hydrogen turbine designed for a gas network, Trend reports citing Snam.
The test paves the way to implement adoption of hydrogen blended with natural gas in Snam’s current transmission network infrastructure.
The test marks the first time that a gas infrastructure operator such as Snam has tested this type of turbine for its existing assets. The turbine will be installed by 2021 at Snam’s compressor station of Istrana, in the province of Treviso, Italy. Once installed, the NovaLT12 will not only help to compress and move hydrogen fuel blends through Snam’s transmission network of pipelines, but the turbine will simultaneously use the same fuel to power itself.
Designed by Baker Hughes, the NovaLT is the industry’s first family of high-performance gas turbines inherently designed for hydrogen as well as other lower-carbon fuels. The turbines are capable of burning methane gas and hydrogen blends from as little as 5 percent to as much as 100 percent hydrogen. Developed using state of the art high performance computational methods and manufacturing technologies such as additive, the NovaLT family of turbines is suitable for a variety of applications, including industrial cogeneration, pipeline, and offshore. Compared to other technologies in its class, the NovaLT provides lower consumption, wider operational flexibility, lower maintenance intervals, and emissions as low as single digit ppm.
The successful test follows a few days after the launch of the European Commission’s Hydrogen Strategy.
The EU hydrogen strategy will explore how clean hydrogen can help reduce the EU economy’s carbon emissions in a cost-effective way. It is in line with the EU’s goal – set out in the European Green Deal – to be climate-neutral by 2050. It should also help the EU recover from COVID-19’s economic impact.
The strategy will explore ways to strengthen the production and use of clean hydrogen, focusing in particular on mainstreaming renewable hydrogen.
---
Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn