Andrea Ciani
Keynote Speaker
Andrea Ciani is Hydrogen Combustion Program Manager at Ansaldo Energia, and Coordinator of the EU and Swiss funded FLEX4H2 project. He is a Mechanical Engineer with a PhD on combustion diagnostics from ETH Zurich achieved through a cooperation with the Paul Scherrer Institute. Before joining Ansaldo Energia (2016), he worked as R&D Engineer first and then as Team Leader and Project Manager at Alstom Power. Through his various roles, he focused on the development of novel technologies for low emission combustion of both traditional and alternative fuels, (co)authoring over 30 active patents and various journal and conference publications. Currently, Andrea Ciani also serves as a lecturer at ETH Zurich, teaching the course on gas turbine combustion and thermodynamics.
Keynote 5: Hydrogen combustion in gas turbines as a pathway to dispatchable CO2-free power generation
Wednesday, January 17th
15:00 – 15:30 HG F 30 | Audi Max
Abstract:
As the world moves towards net-zero power generation with increasing reliance on renewable energy sources, decarbonization of gas turbine assets via low-carbon or carbon-free fuels is playing a vital role in the transition of the energy landscape, allowing them to continue offering unmatched operating flexibility and energy storage services.
This puts a focus on hydrogen as an alternative to natural gas, making it an essential “energy pillar” in the transition by enabling low carbon, or even CO2-free dispatchable power generation.
Practicalities of Switching from Natural Gas
The goal of maintaining high engine efficiency and low emissions while switching from natural gas to hydrogen as a GT fuel is ambitious because of important technical challenges, such as avoiding flashback, controlling NOx emissions, maintaining flame stability, broadening fuel and load flexibility.
Technological Advancements
Research in the field of hydrogen combustion, thanks to the improved understanding of key combustion properties of hydrogen and the impact of such fuel on flame stabilization mechanisms, enabled great progress in the technology development to cope with growing needs for fuel flexibility. As an example, staged/sequential combustion demonstrated the potential of having the same (low emission) system for burning natural gas, hydrogen, and every blend of the two.
The key to success of such systems lies in the complementary behavior of two combustion stages, one stabilized by flame propagation, the other by auto-ignition. Having already reached a maturity for engine implementation with H2 contents up to 70%, the development of sequential combustion systems is being accelerated to widen the application of this technology to cover the full range of natural gas and hydrogen, including 100%H2, while maintaining low emissions and firing temperatures applicable up to H-class gas turbines.
The high-pace advancement in low emission technologies for hydrogen combustion and the dispatchable power associated with GTs pave the way to a realistic energy transition, enabling massive renewable energy sources, by nature fluctuating, to be integrated in the future energy mix.
