KBR to provide cracking tech for new South Korean project

By Julian Atchison on October 11, 2023

New H2ACTSM tech to be deployed in Daesan

Successful tests of up to 60% hydrogen co-firing were carried out by Hanwha Impact using its Frame 7E 80-MW-class gas turbine in Daesan, South Korea. Source: Hanwha.
Click to learn more. Successful tests of up to 60% hydrogen co-firing were carried out by Hanwha Impact using its Frame 7E 80-MW-class gas turbine in Daesan, South Korea. Source: Hanwha.

Hanwha Impact has awarded KBR a license and engineering design contract for a commercial ammonia cracking unit in Daesan. Daesan Port is a key petrochemical, refining and industrial complex south of Incheon. KBR’s new H2ACTSM technology will be deployed at the new facility, capable of delivering 200 tonnes of hydrogen per day. The hydrogen will be used as fuel for power generation in Daesan, and Hanwha has already reported successful tests of up to 60% hydrogen co-firing in one of its onsite gas turbines.

We are honored to be selected by Hanwha for this flagship project, which will accelerate the realization of their decarbonization targets and play a vital role in Korea’s national sustainability objectives. KBR’s breakthrough ammonia cracking technology, H2ACT, delivers a reliable and holistic solution for large-scale, efficient, and sustainable hydrogen production.

Doug Kelly, President, Technology, KBR in his organisation’s official press release, 18 Sept 2023

KBR’s ammonia cracking technology, H2ACTSM, represents a holistic solution for large-scale, efficient, and sustainable hydrogen production. Leveraging already proven technology elements from KBR, H2ACTSM can deliver a single-train capacity of 1,200 tonnes per day of hydrogen.

Hanwha: full hydrogen value chain to be developed

In June, Hanwha announced it had retrofitted & tested an LNG-fired gas turbine to operate on 60% hydrogen fuel, reducing carbon emissions and resulting in NOx emissions of 6ppm (without the use of mitigation systems). While this hybrid solution is meant to extend the lifespan of existing gas-fired assets, Hanwha reports that its goal is to develop 100% hydrogen-fired turbines.

Hanwha’s next step is to develop a full hydrogen value chain based on renewable energy & ammonia. Via the work of various Hanwha subsidiaries, plans include electrolyser manufacture, ammonia production plants, ammonia-powered vessels, and – of course – commercialised ammonia cracking.

Hanwha Corporation plans to establish competitive ammonia manufacturing and supply facilities both domestically and globally through cooperation with businesses in North America, Australia, and the Middle East…Hanwha Impact is also conducting R&D and working with diverse partners in service of its goal of commercializing ammonia cracking by 2027…

Hanwha Ocean will also play a key role in the transportation of hydrogen with its hydrogen and ammonia carriers and green ships that run on an eco-friendly propulsion system based on ammonia, methanol, and hydrogen. The company has earned Approval in Principle (AiP) from the British Lloyd’s Register classification society and the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for its ammonia-propelled carriers.

Role of Hanwha subsidiaries in the new initiative, from Hanwha’s official press release, 25 Sept 2023

As part of the initiative, subsidiary Hanwha Solutions is also developing next-generation anion exchange membrane electrolysis technology.