OBJECTIVE
The overall objective of the H2-IGCC project is to provide and demonstrate
technical solutions which will allow the use of state-of-the-art
highly efficient, reliable gas turbines (GTs) in the next
generation of Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC)
plants. The goal is to enable combustion of undiluted
hydrogen-rich syngas with low NOx emissions and also allowing
for high fuel flexibility. The challenge is to operate a stable
and controllable GT on hydrogen-rich syngas with emissions and
processes similar to current state-of-the-art natural GT
engines. The H2-IGCC project aims to tackle this challenge as
well as fuel flexibility, by enabling the burning of back-up
fuels, such as natural gas, without adversely affecting the
reliability and availability.
TO PAVE THE WAY FOR COMMERCIAL DEPLOYMENT OF
EFFICIENT, CLEAN, FLEXIBLE AND
RELIABLE IGCC PLANTS WITH CCS BY 2020
In March 2007 the European Council concluded that the 20% CO2 reduction
targets by 2020 are not achievable without carbon capture and
storage (CCS), the only technology available to mitigate
emissions from large-scale fossil fuel usage. CCS is also
endorsed by the European Commission’s Strategic Energy
Technology Plan (SET-Plan) as a vital technology to reach the
emission reduction goals and to build a low carbon economy with
reduced dependence on external fuel supply.
The target year of 2020 for CCS deployment is only achievable if different
parts of the efficiency chain are improved in building near zero
emission power plants. The technology for the next generation of
IGCC plants with CCS is promising but still requires development
and demonstration of hydrogen GT technology as well as overall
process integration. This process integration approach used in
the H2-IGCC project will enhance confidence and significantly
reduce deployment times for new technologies and concepts
developed in this project.
Over the past decade, a number of initiatives on clean coal technology and
IGCC have started around the world. Successful mitigation of
climate change requires global efforts. Therefore, international
knowledge sharing is essential to significantly reduce the time
and the cost of bringing CCS to the market. Research findings
and results of the H2-IGCC project will be publicly disseminated
at international conferences and on this website.
The H2-IGCC project brings together 24 partners from industry
and academia with the common goal to increase gas turbine
efficiency and fuel flexibility without affecting the
reliability and availability in a pre-combustion IGCC-CCS plant
configuration. A successful outcome of this project will be an
important step towards opening up the market for a commercial
implementation of IGCC-CCS technology.
In order for industry to invest in the next generation of IGCC plants with
CO2 capture systems, both technical and commercial risks need to
be quantified and minimized, specifically those associated with
the gas turbine. Enabling combustion of undiluted syngas derived
from coal in advanced gas turbines will enhance the conversion
efficiency, which in turn will partly compensate the efficiency
loss occurred during the CCS process.