Kawasaki and Kobe Steel launch next-gen hydrogen supply system for power generation
In the UK, Fuel Cells Works reported that Kawasaki Heavy Industries and KOBE Steel announced the start of operation of a next-generation hydrogen fuel supply system for hydrogen power generation, and the world’s first supply of hydrogen fuel to a power generating facility using a hydrogen Intermediate Fluid Vaporizer (IFV)combined with a liquefied hydrogen pump capable of pressurizing above its critical pressure.
The report noted that the two companies are working on the NEDO subsidized project “Technology development to improve the efficiency and performance of the hydrogen fuel supply system in a hydrogen CGS regional model” to systemize the design and operational know-how of a hydrogen fuel supply system consisting of a liquefied hydrogen pump, IFV, and hydrogen gas turbine, based on a hydrogen gas turbine generator demonstration facility installed at Kobe Hydrogen Energy Center, Port Island, Kobe.
For this demonstration, Kawasaki is responsible for improving the efficiency of the fuel supply system for the gas turbine generator, which utilizes a liquefied hydrogen pump to boost pressure, while Kobe Steel is developing an IFV that enables the utilization of the cold energy derived from liquefied hydrogen, the report stated.
In demonstration tests that began in January, hydrogen fuel was successfully supplied to a wet-type combustion gas turbine. Moving forward, the companies plan to implement the supply of hydrogen to a dry-type combustion gas turbine, the confirmation of operating performance under severe summer conditions, and the verification of the long-term reliability of the liquefied hydrogen pumps, the report added.
Category: Fuels
