Feasibility study of biofuels in efficient Humphrey cycle gas turbines

Sweden’s future electricity system will rely heavily on renewable but intermittent sources like wind and solar, which increases the need for flexible peak-load power plants. Gas turbines can provide this, but their efficiency and fuel choice must improve to meet climate goals. This project explores a new combustion technology, rotating detonations, that can make turbines significantly more efficient. Instead of burning at constant pressure, as conventional turbines do, the detonation combustor burns at near-constant volume, allowing higher efficiency and lower fuel consumption. We will study how renewable fuels such as methane, DME, HVO, or ethanol behave in such a system and design a modular lab-scale demonstrator for future testing. The project builds on our experience with rotating detonations, biofuels, and combustion modelling, and it supports the transition to secure, low-carbon electricity by improving the efficiency and fuel flexibility of peak-load power plants.

Photo: Thomas T, Unsplash