INNIO goes big into hydrogen

Engine maker INNIO said its Type 4 Jenbacher gas engines are now available for operation on 100% hydrogen or mixtures of natural gas and hydrogen.

The company also said that, as of 2022, all of its engines will be offered with a “Ready for H H2” option, meaning they will be capable of running with up to 25% volume of hydrogen in pipeline gas and be able to be readily converted from natural gas to 100% hydrogen operation. In addition, most of the currently installed INNIO Jenbacher natural gas-fueled fleet can be upgraded to operate with up to 25% volume of hydrogen in pipeline gas or converted from natural gas to 100% hydrogen operation, the company said.

“I am proud of INNIO’s announcement of the first ‘Ready for H2’ product portfolio in the 200 kW to 10.4 MW power generation space,” said Carlos Lange, president and CEO of INNIO. “Our broad portfolio of innovative and fuel flexible Jenbacher gas engines—capable of operating on natural gas, carbon-neutral biogas or hydrogen-rich fuels—are helping to pave the way to a greener energy future.

“Jenbacher gas engines running on natural gas today can be converted to H2 operation when hydrogen becomes more readily available. This means that customers who invest in Jenbacher natural gas engines today, are also investing for the future.”

The Type 4 engine portfolio covers a range with an approximate output of 500 to 900 kW.

Jenbacher engines are typically used for onsite power, heat and cooling for a variety of commercial, industrial and municipal applications – particularly renewable and waste-to-energy, industrial power generation and cogeneration/CHP (combined heat and power), and oilfield power generation.

INNIO said its “Ready for H2” portfolio is built on a long history of innovation with more than 30 years of experience and expertise in the use of renewable fuels and hydrogen-rich fuels, such as syngas and process gases for power generation.

Jenbacher Type 4 gas engines are now available as “Ready for H2” engines, able to operate on up to 100% hydrogen. As of 2022, all other engine types are offered as “Ready for H2”, with the option to operate with up to 25%(v) of hydrogen in pipeline gas.

Twenty years ago, the first Jenbacher 150 kW pilot engine ran on 100% hydrogen at a demonstration plant in northern Germany. In 2020, following several additional demonstration projects, INNIO and HanseWerk Natur collaborated on the application of industrial-scale hydrogen-fueled gas engines. The companies demonstrated a flagship project using variable hydrogen-natural gas mixes including 100% hydrogen on the world’s first 1-megawatt (MW) gas engine.

With about 90 hydrogen-rich fuel projects across 28 countries, INNIO has more than 30 years of experience with engines running on up to 70% volume of hydrogen in the fuel, yielding more than 250 MW. These installations can be found on all continents with various INNIO Jenbacher Type 2, Type 3, Type 4 and Type 6 gas engines.

The power of hydrogen

Green hydrogen, as an energy carrier for storage of volatile renewable energy, can store renewable energy for months or seasons. This will make renewable energy sources reliable and dispatchable and support the acceleration of fossil fuel replacement across the energy sector.

INNIO said it is committed to leading the deployment of H2-engines which will facilitate the acceleration and transformation from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Typically, INNIO Jenbacher hydrogen-fueled gas engines will be operating in a combined heat and power configuration, achieving around 90% hydrogen fuel utilization.