Volume 63

Synergistic Integration of Ammonia-Fed Gas Turbines and Concentrated Solar Power to Improve Power Plant Efficiency Pashchenko Dmitry, Zhang Boyan

Abstract

Ammonia, a carbon-free fuel from renewable sources, faces low combustion efficiency in gas turbines. Converting it into hydrogen-rich gas improves efficiency. This study explores integrating ammonia-fed gas turbines with concentrated solar power (CSP), using solar energy to decompose ammonia into hydrogen-rich fuel on-site. Replacing ammonia with this fuel enhances thermal and combustion efficiency. The research evaluates operational parameters, showing a thermal efficiency increase of up to 3.5%. A thermodynamic analysis assesses efficiency and heat balance, while flame speed dependence on hydrogen-rich gas composition, pressure, temperature, and equivalence ratio is examined. Under gas turbine conditions, flame speeds reach 20–30 cm/s for a 1:3 ammonia-hydrogen blend. The findings demonstrate the potential of solar driven ammonia cracking to optimize gas turbine performance.

Keywords Ammonia, Hydrogen, Gas turbine, Renewable energy, Thermodynamic analysis