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GAS TURBINE FUEL CONVERSION CAPABILITY SOLUTIONS
The flexibility to operate reliably and efficiently on lower-cost fuels—saving customers money.
Turbine Fuel Technologies
For more than 50 years, GE has cultivated close relationships with owners, operators, and fuel suppliers, so we can understand new fuel trends, expand our capability for existing turbine fuels, qualify new fuels, and actively invest in new combustion technologies. As a result, we have the broadest experience to reliably convert the full spectrum of fuels to mechanical, electrical, and thermal energy. Over the last decade, GE experts have performed over 20,000 hours of combustion testing to validate our technology as well as develop new technologies and expanded fuel capabilities.
Modern gas turbines can operate on a wide variety of fuels, which helps power generation in industrial and utility-scale applications where natural gas or light distillate fuels are not available. This fuel flex capability could play an increasing role in a future low- or zero-carbon energy ecosystem.
Expertise
GE has more than 400 gas turbine fuel and combustion experts that are leading the industry in developing solutions for expanded fuels capability. Our experts can test nearly any fuel used in gas turbines at our world-class facilities, like the Greenville Combustion Lab.
Equipment
GE offers combustion technologies, hardware, and controls to help our customers utilize a broad range of gas turbine fuels and solutions. Our Dry Low NOx (DLN) combustion systems are continuously evolving to meet new customer challenges. GE's range of combustion systems have accrued over 190 million fired hours combined.
Experience
GE has the broadest experience reliably converting fuels to mechanical, electrical, and thermal energy, giving us the capabilities to deliver solutions to meet our customers’ fuel needs.
DECARBONIZING POWER GEN: HYDROGEN-FUELED GAS TURBINES
One path towards a reduced carbon energy system being discussed is the use of hydrogen as a gas turbine fuel. Hydrogen-fueled gas turbines could potentially allow both new and existing power plants to continue operating for decades to come while reducing their carbon emissions. GE’s gas turbines have nearly 30 years of experience operating on a variety of fuels that contain hydrogen totaling over 4 million operating hours with hydrogen concentrations ranging from 5% to 95% (by volume).
Learn more about our hydrogen fuel capabilities and experience here
FUEL TOOLS TO HELP YOU GET STARTED
GE’s gas turbines operate on a wide variety of gaseous and liquid fuels, and the process of choosing the right fuel for electrical power generation can be a complex task, influenced by factors like fuel price and availability.
Could using an alternative fuel save you money? Let’s crunch some numbers.
Fuels Capability: Case Studies
Jeffrey Goldmeer, Ph.D., is an accomplished leader in the energy and power generation industries with more than 20 years of expertise in combustion and fuels. In his current role, Jeffrey is responsible for the strategic development of new combustion technologies and expanding gas turbine product capabilities for emerging fuel applications.
Download Jeff’s published case study on the application of Arabian Super Light (ASL) Crude Oil, and a new case study "Enabling ethane as a primary gas turbine fuel: an economic benefit from the growth of shale gas."
GE POWER'S VARIETY OF FUELS
- Arabian Extra Light Crude Oil (AXL)
- Arabian Super Light (ASL)
- Biodiesel Condensate or Natural Gas Liquids (NGL)
- Dimethyl Ether (DME)
- Distillate Oil #2 (DO2)
- Ethane (C2)
- Heavy Crude Oil
- Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO)
- High H2
- Hydrogen Blends
- Kerosene (Jet A or Jet A-1)
- Lean Methane
- Light Crude Oil (LCO)
- Liquid Natural Gas (LNG)
- Liquefied Propane Gas (LPG)
- Medium Crude Oil
- Methanol / Ethanol (Alcohol)
- Naphtha
- Natural Gas (NG)
- Sour Gas (H2S)
- Steel Mill Gases
- Syngas
Fuel Profiles
These 23 comprehensive gas turbine fuel types outline the recommended fuel conditioning processes, provide fuel attributes and baseline fuel comparisons, and details GE’s experience and gas turbine options by class.
Fuel Conditioning
Due to varying compositions and contaminant levels, all gas turbine fuels require some level of conditioning for safe and reliable operation in a gas turbine. GE's Fuel Conditioning Appendix provides additional details on our fuel conditioning processes.
System Schematics
These Fuel System Schematics help illustrate where the fuel conditioning processes are applied along the liquid and gas fuel systems; from the point of fuel delivery, to gas turbine operation, and prior to heat recovery steam generator emission.
Impacts Matrix
Some turbine engine fuel conditioning processes have nominal impacts, while others can have significant impacts on CapEx, OpEx, and performance (output and efficiency). This matrix indicates the degree of impact for each process.
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