Hanwha, Korea Western Power to test mixed hydrogen combustion

Hanwha General Chemical Co. and Korea Western Power Co. joined hands for the first test in the country to use mixed hydrogen combustion technologies that burn liquefied natural gas (LNG) together with hydrogen to generate electricity.

The higher the proportion of hydrogen enriched combustion is, the lower carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are. That also improves energy efficiency.

Hanwha General Chemical plans to apply the technologies to an old 80-megawatt (MW) gas turbine provided by the local power supplier affiliated with South Korea's state electric utility KEPCO for the test.

The chemicals unit of Hanwha Group is set to modify the turbine to one which can take 50% or more of hydrogen by the first half of 2023 for the first time in South Korea.

Hanwha General Chemical plans to increase the proportion of hydrogen in the turbine to 100%, making the facility that does not emit CO2 eventually. The company aims to commercialize hydrogen combustion technologies by applying them to large capacity gas turbines of 200 MW or more. It is also seeking to convert fuel for eight gas turbines operated by Korea Western Power at a local power plant into hydrogen from LNG.

“With the world’s best mixed hydrogen combustion technologies, we will successfully complete this test and apply them to domestic LNG power plants, contributing to an early achievement of the government’s carbon neutral goal,” said Hanwha General Chemical CEO Park Seung-duk said.

In April, Hanwha General Chemical secured technologies to convert an LNG gas turbine into a hydrogen gas turbine by acquiring US-based Power Systems Manufacturing (PSM) and Netherland’s Thomassen Energy.

Other South Korean companies such as POSCO and Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co. are also developing mixed hydrogen combustion technologies as it allows to convert old gas turbines in LNG plants at low costs.

Write to Kyung-Min Kang at kkm1026@hankyung.com
Jongwoo Cheon edited this article.