Kawasaki Heavy Industries has won the coveted Hydrogen Technology of the Year Award at Connecting Green Hydrogen MENA 2024. The Japanese company was recognized for its GPB17MMX, a 100% hydrogen-capable gas turbine with an output of 1.8 MW.
Although the use of hydrogen in a gas turbine does not produce any CO2 emissions, the gas has a faster combustion rate and a higher combustion temperature than natural gas. This leads to increased NOx emissions and faster overheating of the combustion chamber components.
Kawasaki has responded to these challenges with what it claims is the world's first 100% hydrogen-powered dry-low emission (DLE) burner. The turbine uses a patented combination of micromix combustion (MMX) with auxiliary firing. It enables stable and clean combustion of hydrogen and hydrogen mixed fuel with natural gas, which complies with the Clean Air Act (LRG).
In addition, the hydrogen ratio of the system can be freely changed between 50 and 100 % of the volume when burning mixed fuels. This enables flexible operation that can adapt to fluctuations in the gas composition of the hydrogen supply. Kawasaki was already researching a hydrogen gas turbine for an RWE site in Lingen in December 2021.
Kawasaki relies on new DLE micromix combustion chamber
For Kawasaki, the award is recognition for its commercialization of the "world's first" 100% hydrogen-powered gas turbine with a DLE micromix combustion chamber. The company aims to integrate the MMX combustor into all of its gas turbines by 2030.
According to the organizers, "Connecting Green Hydrogen MENA" is the largest hydrogen event in the Middle East. This year it attracted more than 3,000 participants from over 50 countries. Among them were numerous decision-makers from the industry as well as energy ministers and company representatives.
The "Hydrogen Technology of the Year" category recognizes technologies that have had a "positive impact" on the hydrogen industry in one year. This is the second award for Kawasaki's hydrogen technology since the German Gas Industry Innovation Award in 2022.
