The MARPOWER project (Carbon-Free Gas Turbine Energy Production System for Marine Transportation) has achieved key advancements aimed at reducing carbon emissions in the marine transportation industry. Established with the support of the European Union, this project focuses on developing a gas turbine-based energy conversion system for electricity generation and cogeneration on ships. The system is designed to operate with various sustainable fuels and contributes to overall efficiency improvements.
Design Details and Technological Advancements
Two years after the project's initiation, the overall design and system have been completed, and detailed designs for its main components have been developed. Several key technologies have reached the production and experimental testing stages, and the Digital Twin model is gradually becoming more complex. These advancements include the optimization of compressors and turbines and the successful testing of a combustion chamber prototype using 100 percent hydrogen.
The performance of the MARPOWER system depends on the performance of its compressors and turbines. The design for both low and high-pressure compressors has been completed, and aerodynamic and cooling designs for the high-pressure turbine, as well as design and optimization for the low-pressure turbine, have also been carried out. The development of this system must consider the specific architectural features of MARPOWER, including a dual-shaft configuration where both shafts operate at the same angular speed.
Fuel Flexibility and Thermal Optimization
Fuel flexibility is one of the key features of the MARPOWER concept. This system has been developed to accommodate sustainable and carbon-neutral fuel options such as hydrogen, ammonia, renewable methanol, and renewable methane. The MARPOWER combustion chamber prototype using 100 percent hydrogen has been built and tested in a laboratory environment.
Experimental results, along with further simulations, now support the design of a second prototype. This design includes a flexible air distribution system and further geometric optimizations that contribute to increased fuel flexibility.
Overall efficiency improvements of MARPOWER are not only dependent on the performance of the gas turbine itself but also relate to the greater utilization of thermal energy available within and downstream of the cycle. A large-scale recuperator prototype has been built and assembled, successfully undergoing non-destructive testing and pressure testing at 22.3 bar (approximately 22 times atmospheric pressure). This recuperator recovers heat within the gas turbine cycle.
The MARPOWER project integrates recuperation with a Waste Heat Recovery System to make better use of excess output heat. The design of this system includes the WHR boiler and its associated cycle.
The use of active magnetic bearings (AMBs) in high-speed rotating machinery is another strength of the MARPOWER project. These bearings support the rotor without mechanical contact, allowing for active position control. A new axial AMB has been designed and built and integrated into an existing test device.
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