Site items in: Ammonia Combustion

Ammonia Turbine Power Generation with Reduced NOx
Article

A common concern with ammonia fuel is that NOx emissions will be too high to control. However, in new research from Turkey, USA, and Japan, presented at this year's NH3 Fuel Conference in September 2016, two things became clear. First, NOx emissions can be reduced to less than 10ppm by employing good engineering design and exploiting the chemical properties of ammonia, which plays a dual role as both the fuel and the emissions-cleanup agent. Second, the deployment of ammonia-fueled turbines for power generation is not only feasible, but actively being developed, with demonstration units running today and improved demonstration projects currently in development.

Presentation

NH3 is a carbon-free fuel, so it has the potential to reduce CO2 emission from the power plant when used as a fuel. However, NH3 has combustion characteristics different from conventional hydrocarbon fuels. The N atom in the ammonia molecule causes high NOx emission through combustion reactions. To develop a gas-turbine combustor, which burns a combination of NH3 and natural gas with controlled emissions, combustion characteristics have been studied experimentally and numerically by using a swirl-burner, which is typically used in gas-turbines. Detailed exhaust gas compositions of the burner have been measured under atmospheric pressure and fuel lean conditions. As…

Presentation

Ammonia is expected not only as hydrogen energy carrier but also as carbon free fuel. For an industrial use of ammonia combustor, ammonia flame stabilized on a swirl combustor should be clarified. However, in order to realize an ammonia-fueled combustor, there are some issues to be solved, such as a difficulty of flame stabilization and reductions of NOx and ammonia emission. In this study, stabilization and emission characteristics of ammonia / air flames stabilized by a model swirl burner are investigated. The outer and inner diameters of the swirler are 24 mm and 14 mm, respectively, and the swirl number…

Power Generation and Flame Visualization of Micro Gas Turbine Firing Ammonia or Ammonia-Methane Mixture
Presentation

A demonstration test with the aim to show the potential of ammonia-fired power plant is planned using a micro gas turbine. 50kW class turbine system firing kerosene is selected as a base model. A standard combustor is replaced to a prototype combustor which enables a bi-fuel supply of kerosene and ammonia gas. Diffusion combustion is employed to the prototype combustor due to its flame stability. 44kW power generation was achieved by 100% heat from ammonia gas. Although NOx concentration in the exhaust gas of ammonia combustion exceeded 500ppm, NOx removal equipment reduced NOx concentration below 10ppm. Over 30kW power generation…

Japan's Fourth Strategic Energy Plan
Article

The Cabinet of the Government of Japan adopted the country’s Fourth Strategic Energy Plan in April 2014. The Plan includes a Strategy for Hydrogen & Fuel Cells which is being executed by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). The accompanying H2/FC Road Map includes an investigation of three materials that can carry the energy embodied in molecular hydrogen: liquid hydrogen, organic hydrides such as methylcyclohexane, and ammonia.

Nuon - Power to Ammonia
Article

In March 2016 the Dutch utility Nuon announced that it will study the possibility of storing "seasonal surplus" electricity from wind and solar in the form of ammonia. The study by Nuon and Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) is part of the project "Power to Ammonia." The study will be conducted at Nuon's Magnum power station.

Displacing Diesel Fuel with Carbon-Free Anhydrous Ammonia
Article

The team at the University of Minnesota announced last month the award of funding for a demonstration project entitled "Clean Vehicles Fueled by Hydrogen from Renewable Ammonia." This project builds on years of research and investment in renewable ammonia at University of Minnesota, most visibly the prototype wind-to-ammonia production plant operating since 2014 at West Central Research and Outreach Center. Their focus now, however, is shifting to the use of ammonia as a fuel. "The overall objective of the project is to displace up to 50% of the diesel fuel used in tractors with anhydrous ammonia produced from renewable resources."

Study on Reduced Chemical Mechanisms of Ammonia / Methane Combustion under Gas Turbine Conditions
Article

On September 1st, academic journal Energy & Fuels published a new paper that features research coming out of the UK's Cardiff University and Ireland's University of Limerick. This study demonstrates a "reduced mechanism" for simulating the "robust numerical analyses with detailed chemistry" necessary for the "industrial implementation" of ammonia in gas turbine combustion for "future power generation." Here's the abstract:

Presentation

Fundamental flame characteristics must be required for the design of ammonia fueled combustors. However, few studies of ammonia combustion have been conducted. In this study, fundamental ammonia/air premixed laminar flame characteristics, such as NO formation/reduction mechanisms and laminar burning velocity, were experimentally and numerically investigated. NO mole fraction in burned gas from ammonia/air premixed flames were investigated using a stainless-steel nozzle burner. Experiments were conducted at various equivalence ratios and pressures. As a result, NO mole fraction in burned gas reduced with the increase in equivalence ratio and pressure. Formation/reduction mechanisms of NO were numerically investigated. Laminar burning velocity and…

Presentation

The problems of ammonia fuel are a low combustion qualities compared with the combustion qualities of hydrocarbon fossil fuels. In this study, the laminar burning velocity was used as the indicator of the combustion quality. Since the laminar burning velocity of ammonia fuel is low compared with that of other fossil fuels, it is necessary to increase the combustion quality in order to utilize the ammonia as an alternative fuel in conventional combustion systems. In this study, the oxygen-enriched combustion was applied to an ammonia/N2/O2 premixed flame for achieving higher burning velocity. The effects of the oxygen-enriched combustion on the…