Hydrogen Fueling and GT Demand Changes Impact Insights Through Modeling

Gas Turbine fleet operation is likely to see significant change over the coming years. An increase fluctuating load demand due the increase in Variable Renewable Energy (VRE) and an increase in low carbon fuels usage such as hydrogen is possible for much of the fleet. A simulation study has been initiated based on the energy source and demand changes to which gas turbines will be subject. The impact of these changes is a function of policy, technology, capacity, and regulations. To evaluate these changes a gas turbine model which simulates the gas turbine major components, and the fuel delivery system is utilized. The fidelity of the model was determined based on a compromise between the need to model the thermodynamic and system design details which accurately simulate transient effects of supply and demand variations for the study purposes and minimizing computational demands of the model to enable fast simulation of multiple cases for evaluation. The model boundary conditions are varied to evaluate the impact of multiple scenarios in varying fuel supply and power demand to assess the system response, identify potential issues, and evaluate potential solutions to those issues. The model is used to predict the demand on and demands of the gas turbine and subsequently how those demands will result changes to the operation of the power plant. Issues that are tracked in the model include potential transients in combustion temperature, hydrogen blend, and load demand. Traditional control methods for meeting fuel supply, temperature, and power requirements are then compared to a model predictive control methodology. These results serve as a first step in analyzing the new operation that existing gas turbines may be subject, what issues may arise with nominal system control, and some potential solutions to those issues with system control updates.