Hydrogen Gas Turbine
Hydrogen gas turbines work on the same principle as conventional natural gas turbines but involve significant modifications to enable hydrogen utilisation. Hydrogen has very low volumetric energy density, about four times less than natural gas, hence the fuel intake systems need to be adapted to enable higher volumetric flows to provide the same energy. Hydrogen also requires mixing with compressed air before combustion, requiring modifications to the compression system.
The exhaust system also requires modification, as water is produced as a byproduct of hydrogen combustion. Hydrogen gas turbines provide an opportunity to be integrated with renewable green hydrogen electrolysis, allowing for immediate utilisation of the produced hydrogen. Along with zero carbon combustion, hydrogen gas turbines also offer the versatility of fuel flexibility, allowing for a steady phase-out of natural gas by blending increasing concentrations of hydrogen. Leveraging these advantages, hydrogen gas turbines have the potential to take-over traditional natural gas turbines for power generation applications, as the world moves towards a sustainable energy future.
With increasing efforts globally towards a low carbon future, hydrogen gas turbine market is currently sized at £32B in 2023, and a potential increase up to £48B by 2033 (future market insights). This comes at the back of decades of industry experience in the gas turbine sector, with many of those skills transferable to hydrogen gas turbines. Yet, hydrogen gas turbines are plagued by similar challenges faced by hydrogen engines, such as high NOx emissions, questions about material compatibility in high cycling conditions, high cost of green hydrogen, and lack of a reliable hydrogen T&S network.
Challenges Revealed Through Literature Review
- High NOx emissions
- Flashback
- Premature creep and thermal fatigue effects
- Flame instability and pressure fluctuations
- Hydrogen embrittlement
- Material Selection for High-Temperature Hydrogen Environment: Hydrogen combustion creates high-temperature and high-pressure environments, challenging blade materials due to hydrogen combustion temperatures typically being higher than traditional fuels, which can lead to thermal expansion and oxidation of blade materials.
- Blade Design and Structure: Blades need to be designed to accommodate the complex flow field of high-speed hydrogen flow and maintain structural stability and durability in high-temperature, high-pressure environments, posing challenges for blade shape, cooling systems, and material selection.
- High-Frequency Vibration and Fatigue Damage: High-frequency vibrations and fatigue loads generated during hydrogen gas turbine operation may cause fatigue damage to blades, necessitating durable blade structures and materials.
- High-Temperature Hydrogen Corrosion and Oxidation: High-temperature and high-pressure environments generated by hydrogen combustion pose stringent requirements on turbine component materials as hydrogen combustion may cause material oxidation and corrosion.
- Matching Thermal Expansion Coefficients: High-temperature hydrogen combustion environments demand materials with matching thermal expansion coefficients to avoid mechanical stresses and failure due to mismatched thermal expansion.
- Mechanical Properties and Durability: Hydrogen combustion environments challenge material mechanical properties and durability due to high temperatures and pressures that may reduce material strength and durability.
- Hydrogen Combustion Stability: The characteristics of hydrogen combustion make it prone to flame stability issues during ignition and combustion, potentially leading to flame instability and blow-off.
- Emission Control: Although hydrogen combustion mainly produces water vapor, it can still generate nitrogen oxides (NOx) at high temperatures and pressures, requiring combustion control to reduce emissions.
- Combustion Efficiency: Burners need to be designed to achieve efficient hydrogen combustion to improve combustion efficiency and reduce fuel consumption.
Academic Capability Mapping
Word cloud
The word-cloud of the primary and secondary keywords is presented for the Hydrogen Gas Turbine technology. These keywords were used as the input to Scopus for the purpose of the Academic Capability Mapping. The analysis underscores key research areas like dual-fuel operation and combustion characteristics of hydrogen.
Documents by Country
The number of papers published worldwide pertaining to Hydrogen Gas Turbine since the year 2000, divided into three decades. Only the top 10 countries are displayed. The UK is number 4 in Hydrogen Gas Turbine research globally. The UK has had a historic dominance in combustion technologies, and furthering academic research will be key in establishing the UK as a global leader in hydrogen combustion.
Documents by Author (2000 – 2025)
Prominent UK academics and their affiliation is showcased. The y-axis represents the H-index of the authors, while the x-axis illustrates the number of papers published. It can be clearly seen that the UK’s top researchers are competitive against global researchers in the field of Hydrogen Gas Turbines.
Documents by Affiliation
The number of papers published by affiliation in the UK since the year 2000 are showcased. Cardiff University leads the way with the most publications, closely followed by Cranfield University. The figure specifically highlights the top 10 UK institutions in the field of Hydrogen Gas Turbines, providing a definite ranking list of universities with excellent expertise in the Hydrogen Gas Turbine technology.
Hydrogen Gas Turbine – Delphi Survey Analysis
Participant Identifiers
Participant Industry Collaboration
Participant Confidence Level
Participant Country Affiliation
Key Performance Indicators
Key technical target predictions were provided by the participants, expected to be achieved by 2030.
Challenges
The participants were provided with several options and were asked to rank these options from 0 (least critical) to 6 (most critical). They were also provided with a text option to suggest additional challenges.
Combustion Characteristic
Further Research
NOx Reduction
Gas turbine System Integration
- Distributed energy supply
- Port infrastructure energy demand
- Supply line operational flexibility
- Hydrogen production technologies
- Hydrogen storage and distribution technologies
- Electricity grid behaviour
- AC-DC Adaptor