Baker Hughes unveils hydrogen gas turbine 'milestones'

Hydrogen test centre in Florence at heart of gas turbine innovations

Energy company Baker Hughes used its annual meeting in Italy this week to unveil what it called “milestones to support the growth of the hydrogen economy”.

Chief executive Lorenzo Simonelli said the advancements in hydrogen marked significant progress in the company’s vision for a “new landscape of energy”.

At the heart of the announcements is Baker Hughes’ Hydrogen Testing Facility in Florence, which Simonelli officially unveiled this week.

The centre has been built to validate the company’s NovaLT gas turbines to run on both blended and 100% hydrogen.

100% hydrogen gas turbine operation

The new facility – which I visited this week – includes a test bench to allow full load testing, with complete fuel flexibility up to 100% hydrogen and features a 300-bar pressure and 2,450 kg storage capacity.

Bakers Hughes says the facility will “serve as a hub for collaboration with customers in the growing hydrogen economy”.

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And the first product of that collaboration is already on its way to one customer. Baker Hughes has completed manufacturing and testing of NovaLT turbines for a Net-Zero Hydrogen Energy Complex in Edmonton, Canada, operated by gas and chemical company Air Products.

The 16 turbines underwent full load testing at the new Florence testing facility and are now ready to deployed for a variety of industrial applications, including combined heat and power, as well as for pipeline and gas storage operations.

Saudi hydrogen project

Baker Hughes also used the annual meeting – which took place in Florence Opera House – to report progress on another key Air Products’ hydrogen project: a joint venture in Saudi Arabia with ACWA Power, Air Products and NEOM.

The first two trains of advanced hydrogen compression solutions have been delivered to the NEOM green hydrogen project in Saudi. Baker Hughes is expanding its manufacturing site in Modon in th country to support Saudi projects with local testing and packaging solutions.

Simonelli said: “These low-carbon and carbon-free energy advancements illustrate how the urgency of the energy transition has transformed customer relationships into comprehensive partnerships for innovation across several projects.”

“There is no path to net-zero without innovation and collaboration,” he added.