Micro-Turbines for Hydrogen Fuels

Dear Colleagues,

Sustainable and clean decentralized energy generation systems are required for future carbon-neutral smart cities. Currently, most greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions derive from the burning of fossil fuels, particularly in the energy industry, which accounts for more than 45% of global CO₂ emissions. The application of alternative and renewable fuels, including biogas and hydrogen, has the potential to be a mid-term sustainable and environmentally-friendly solution for low carbon energy production. Decarbonizing, or reducing the carbon content of, the natural gas supply, and utilizing hydrogen and hydrogen-rich fuels in gas turbines and boilers at all scales can be the future carbon-neutral technology to support society in achieving ambitious energy and climate targets. Based on the recent report from the European Turbine Network (ETN), the gas turbine industry has strongly committed to developing gas turbines operating with 100% hydrogen by 2030.

Furthermore, the use of microturbines for distributed generation can lead to improved efficiency and lower energy costs, particularly in combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP) applications. The use of hydrogen as the operational fuel in microturbines will further lower the environmental impact of these systems. For domestic decentralized heat and power generation, hydrogen-fueled micro gas turbines (with overall combined efficiencies of around 90%) can comprise a large proportion of the expected share of the microturbine market. This Special Issue aims to publish the latest research works on the introduction of clean hydrogen fuel into the microturbine industry, which will ultimately contribute to the penetration of hydrogen in the global economy.

The overall aim of this Special Issue is to provide the latest developments in utilizing pure H₂ or H₂-rich fuels in the micro gas turbine industry by presenting original research works on modelling and experimental studies in this field. Integration of small-scale hydrogen generation systems (e.g., electrolyzers, methane steam reformers, etc.) with microturbines (MT) for efficient, sustainable, and clean energy production would be an innovative approach for decentralized heat and power generation in smart cities. The outcome of these types of research can significantly help in decarbonizing the gas network and achieving net zero targets by 2050 and beyond.

The Special Issue invites important and original research work on micro-turbines for hydrogen fuels that include feasibility analysis, process simulation, engineering design, combustion CFD modelling and optimization, and combustion experimentation for the development of hydrogen-fueled micro gas turbines (MGT). The issue will cover design, optimization, and application of novel fuel-flexible combustion systems to adapt to the use of renewable/alternative clean fuels, and to effectively optimize the microturbine energy gensets. Contributions focused on hybrid micro gas turbine and fuel cell power generation with hydrogen production and CO₂ capture are also of interest for publication in this Special Issue.

Prof. Hamidreza Gohari Darabkhani
Guest Editor

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• micro gas turbine (MGT)
• microturbine (MT)
• micro combined heat and power (mCHP)
• combined cooling, heating, and power (CCHP)
• hydrogen fuel
• methane
• H₂/Natural gas mix
• biohythane
• biogas fuel
• syngas fuel
• blended fuel
• hydrogen generation
• hydrogen combustion
• combustion instabilities
• CFD modelling
• flameless combustion
• low NOx burners
• hybrid systems
• fuel cells
• CO₂ capture
• electrolyzers
• methane steam reformers
• greenhouse gases (GHGs)
• energy sector
• renewable fuels
• microturbine genset
• low carbon systems
• microturbine range extender
• gas generators
• H₂ safet