Washington, D.C. – Today, the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) announced $4 million in funding to advance the development of ceramic-based materials to improve the efficiency of hydrogen-fueled turbines that may one day be used in clean power plants. Electricity made from clean hydrogen—whether produced from renewable resources or from fossil or carbon-based waste resources, coupled with pre-combustion carbon capture and durable storage—will help in achieving the Biden-Harris Administration's goal of a zero-carbon U.S. power sector by 2035.
Potential projects selected under this funding opportunity announcement (FOA) will focus on the research and development (R&D) of ceramic matrix composite (CMC) components, which allow hydrogen turbines to operate at higher working temperatures, ultimately improving cycle efficiency. Specifically, this R&D will enable operation at 150 degrees Celsius (°C) higher than current CMC technology and 450 °C higher than existing nickel-based materials allow, while reducing the amount of cooling air required. These improvements will lead to increased turbine efficiency, ultimately resulting in reduced electricity costs, as well as lower greenhouse gas emissions as clean hydrogen displaces natural gas as the turbine fuel.
Projects will be selected under two areas of interest:
- Benchmark of CMC Performance with Predictive Modeling
- Improvement to Temperature Performance of CMC Materials
Read the full FOA here.
FECM funds research, development, demonstration, and deployment projects to decarbonize power generation and industrial sources, to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and to mitigate the environmental impacts of fossil fuel production and use. Priority areas of technology work include point-source carbon capture, hydrogen with carbon management, methane emissions reduction, critical mineral production and carbon dioxide removal. To learn more, visit the FECM website, sign up for FECM news announcements and visit the NETL website.
