HYFLEXPOWER Project: Demonstration of an Industrial Power-to-H2-to-Power Advanced Plant Concept With Up to 100% H2 in an SGT-400 Gas Turbine

Hydrogen, when produced with renewable energy and used in a gas turbine can become a key enabler towards decarbonization. The HYFLEXPOWER project is the first such demonstration of a fully integrated industrial power-to-H2-to power pilot installation of an existing cogeneration plant with a dry low emissions (DLE) Siemens Energy SGT-400 gas turbine at a paper recycling factory in France. This paper provides a comprehensive summary of successful development, installation, and operation of the power-to-H2-to-power application in this plant. In 2022 and 2023, test campaigns in the SGT-400 gas turbine with 100% H2 as well as with natural gas and blends in between were conducted successfully. Initial testing in 2022 with a modified combustor design enabled the industrial gas turbine to operate up to 30 vol% hydrogen. Additional development of H2 combustion technology, upgrades of gas turbine control methods and improvements in the hydrogen-natural gas mixing were done and implemented at site. In 2023, the team successfully demonstrated operation with 0–100% hydrogen blends in natural gas. The paper will present gas turbine testing conducted with natural gas at Siemens Energy factory in Lincoln (UK) and both test campaign results at the site in France including emissions and metal temperatures with hydrogen addition.