On May 11th, 2023,the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed new carbon pollutionstandards for coal and natural gas-fired power plants. The proposal would setlimits for newly established gas-fired combustion turbines, existing coal, oiland gas-fired steam generating units, and certain existing gas-fired combustionturbines. For different types of turbines, EPA has listed different pathwaysfor these engines to meet the standard of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissionsreduction.
According to theproposal issued by the EPA, the content of “the co-firing of 30 percent (byvolume) low-GHG hydrogen by 2032, and ramping up to 96 percent by volumelow-GHG hydrogen by 2038” is one of the feasible pathways as potential bestsystem of emissions reduction (BSER) to address greenhouse gas (GHG) emissionsfrom new and reconstructed fossil fuel-fired combustion turbines and existingfossil fuel-fired stationary combustion turbines.
In respond withthe trend of hydrogen as a green fuel in the U.S., retrofitting existingequipment, facilities, and infrastructure to utilize certain low level ofhydrogen blended natural gas to generate electricity is a crucial transitionalstep towards carbon neutrality. Before the successful development and broadadoption of 100% hydrogen combustion turbines, employing mixed gas combustionstands as the most cost-effective and immediately practicable method. However, despite thelow concentration of mixed hydrogen, co-firing hydrogen and natural gas still encounterthe severe challenge of ensuring a stable ratio of mixed gases before enteringthe combustors. To ensure safe and stable operation at regulated temperatureand pressure conditions, stringent demands are placed on the precision andsteadiness of hydrogen concentration when blended with natural gas. Therefore, operators of gas-fired electricitygeneration units (EGU) should adopt advanced technologies that can accuratelyand continuously measure hydrogen concentration.
CubicInstruments a leading manufacturer of gas analyzers, has leveraged Cubic maturetechnology platform of Laser Raman spectroscopy technology, and developedadvancing gas analyzer, LRGA-3100, which is capable of rapid online measurementof multi-gas concentrations, including homonuclear diatomic molecule H2.
Based on LaserRaman spectroscopy technology, LRGA-3100 is specifically designed to addressthe challenges of rapid and simultaneous monitoring of multiple gases. It iscapable of automatically providing online continuous measurement for allcomponents of alkanes, such as CH4, C2H6, C3H8, C4H10 and so on, as well ashomonuclear diatomic molecules, including H2, N2, O2, and more. In addition,LRGA-3100 excels in providing high-precision measurements with exceptionallylow drift, ensuring reliable measurements for monitoring hydrogen and methaneconcentrations. Moreover, LRGA-3100 effectively mitigates the risk ofmeasurement errors caused by manual operations, which could occur when applyingtraditional GC-MS methods. With its accurate and rapid gas measurements,LRGA-3100 empowers operators to promptly respond when hydrogen concentrationapproaches or exceeds allowable thresholds, ensuring the stability of thecombustion process and maintaining safe operational standards.
Given itscommendable performance and superior measurement capabilities, CubicInstruments innovative Laser Raman gas analyzer,LRGA-3100, emerges as an ideal solution for hydrogen and natural gasconcentrations monitoring in gas-fired combustion turbines. LRGA-3100 offersunprecedented efficiency, proving to be a valuable asset for the smoothfunction of industrial gas-fired combustion turbine systems.
EMAIL
