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Cutting-edge flow control technology
As one of the key suppliers to large gas turbine companies , it is no surprise that PRUSS is at the forefront of innovation of flow control equipment for gas turbine applications .
“ In the past few years , we have developed special fuel gas control valves with emergency shut-off function for hydrogen service in gas turbines ,” says Mr . Drehmel . “ These products meet ultrahigh , Class VI leakage requirements – even after an endurance test of 20,000 cycles under operating conditions . Furthermore , our valves are available with rangeabilities of up to 350:1 , allowing exceptionally precise flow control . What this means in practice is that they are also able to control the ignition phase , which in turn means greater reliability and efficiency as well as lower investment and installation costs .”
“ Currently , we have orders for six projects , two for pure ( 100 %) hydrogen and the remaining four for up to a 70 % hydrogen blend ,” explains Mr . Drehmel . “ The two 100 % hydrogen projects are for testing purposes at existing plants , while the other four are for large-scale new installations , the largest of which has an output of more than 590 MW . These projects are currently being developed for customers who plan to initially operate their plants using natural gas but want the option to blend it with hydrogen in the future .
“ We are currently working on obtaining type approvals for our new valve version , which will be used in these projects . The project scope includes hydraulically actuated fuel gas control valves for all burner stages and the relevant emergency shut-off valves , which are pneumatically actuated . To implement these projects , we need to run an endurance test and conduct detailed characteristic testing , which is currently being done in-house .”
Another recent product development is a fuel gas metering valve for pure hydrogen service , which has been designed to provide maintenance-free operation for at least five years . This valve is currently undergoing endurance testing .
Valves for large-scale electrolysers
PRUSS offers a diverse product portfolio to meet flow control needs throughout the hydrogen value chain , from green hydrogen production plants to pipelines and underground storage facilities . Its valve solutions for hydrogen service include process valves for water electrolysis , gas-liquid separation , pressure control and safety shut-off valves for various applications , and blow-off and anti-surge valves for compressor protection . Both static seals and moveable sealing parts are designed in such a way that all these valves are in principle maintenance free , decreasing operational costs and preventing downtime .
As large-scale electrolysers are becoming a reality , some of the processes associated with green hydrogen production may have to
12 Hydrogen Tech World | Issue 9 | April 2023