Alternative fuels for industrial gas turbines (AFTUR)

Environmentally friendly, gas turbine driven co-generation plants can be located close to energy consumption sites, which can produce their own fuel such as waste process gas or biomass derived fuels. Since gas turbines are available in a large power range, they are well suited for this application. Current gas turbine systems that are capable of burning such fuels are normally developed for a single specific fuel (such as natural gas or domestic fuel oil) and use conventional diffusion flame technology with relatively high levels of NOx and partially unburned species emissions. Recently, great progress has been made in the clean combustion of natural gas and other fossil fuels through the use of dry low emission technologies based on lean premixed combustion, particularly with respect of NOx emissions. The objective of the AFTUR project is to extend this capability to a wider range of potentially commercial fuel types, including those of lower calorific value produced by gasification of biomass (LHV < 25% natural gas in line with the European Union targets) and hydrogen enriched fuels. The paper reports preliminary progress in the selection and characterisation of potential, liquid and gas, alternative fuels for industrial gas turbines. The combustion and emission characteristics of the selected fuels will be assessed, in the later phases of the project, both in laboratory and industrial combustion chambers.