氢焰在透平里稳住：纯氢燃机的微混燃烧与回火边界Hydrogen flame stabilized in turbines: Micro-mixed combustion and flashback boundaries of pure hydrogen engines

Zhuo Qiyan

At the moment of gas turbine ignition, what people in the control room often focus on is not the power, but the position of the flame in the combustion chamber. Natural gas burns a bit slower, allowing the flame to hover steadily in front of the nozzle; when switched to hydrogen, however, the flame propagation speed is several times higher, and if one is not careful, it can stick back to the nozzle face, causing the metal to erode rapidly under high temperatures. All the challenges of pure hydrogen turbines can be traced back to this moment when the "flame cannot hold its ground."

A recent list has brought this technical route to the forefront. The National Energy Administration released Notice No. 5 of 2026, announcing the sixth batch of major first-of-their-kind technical equipment in the energy sector. Mingyang Group’s holding subsidiary, Wuxi Mingyang Hydrogen Power Technology Co., Ltd., independently developed a 30MW-class pure hydrogen gas turbine, which was successfully selected. Previously, the core technology research project for this model had already been included in the 2026 Jiangsu Province Major Science and Technology Project.

The policy side is also tightening in sync. The National Energy Administration, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, and the State Administration for Market Regulation jointly issued the "Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Innovative Development of Gas Turbines," clearly proposing to accelerate technological breakthroughs and pilot applications of green hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol fuels in the field of gas turbines, with a focus on overcoming key technologies such as stable combustion of high-proportion hydrogen fuels and promoting the development of multiple fuels from co-firing to pure firing. By 2030, a fully independent and controllable 'research—manufacturing—verification—maintenance' full industrial chain system is to be established, and independent gas turbines are encouraged to apply for the first major technical equipment in the energy field.

From hydrogen co-firing to pure hydrogen, it is not simply a matter of increasing the fuel proportion. Hydrogen has a low volumetric heating value, so under the same power, the volumetric flow rate of fuel rises significantly, requiring a complete redesign of the fuel system, valves, and flow measurement caliber. Hydrogen molecules are small and prone to leakage, making the compatibility of sealing structures and materials a fundamental safety concern. On the combustion side, flame speed is fast, reducing the margin to flashback and flame blowout, making the design window for burners extremely narrow. Furthermore, with high flame temperatures, the difficulty of suppressing thermal nitrogen oxides also increases.

The partially premixed combustion scheme seeks solutions from the organization of combustion. It divides the fuel and air into many fine jets, mixes and reacts quickly on a very small scale, turning the flame into a series of uniformly distributed small flames rather than a concentrated high-temperature zone. This approach has two effects: the single-point flame scale is reduced, local high-temperature zones are flattened, and nitrogen oxide formation is suppressed; the mixing speed is higher than the flame propagation speed, cutting off the flashback path and making the combustion chamber more stable over a wide load range. Based on this, the developed partially premixed low-emission combustion technology further maintains combustion stability under partial load.

The depth of technological accumulation is supported by publicly available data. According to the information disclosed by the company, Mingyang Hydrogen Fuel has obtained 21 invention patent authorizations, published 9 papers in core journals, and has carried out joint technological research with Tsinghua University, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Beihang University, Harbin Engineering University, and other universities, continuously advancing research and development of key technologies such as turbine blades, intelligent control, and independently developed software. Beyond the combustion chamber, the high-temperature alloys and cooling structures of the turbine blades, as well as the fuel-switching logic of the control system, are also variables determining whether pure hydrogen gas turbines can operate for long cycles.

Engineering verification has gone beyond just the test bench. The world’s first 30MW-class pure hydrogen gas turbine hydrogen storage demonstration project, jointly developed by Mingyang Group and Shenzhen Energy, is located in the Qipan Jing Industrial Park in Otog Banner, Inner Mongolia, and serves as a supporting project for Shenzhen Energy's 505MW wind and solar electrolytic hydrogen to green ammonia project. The project deeply integrates wind power, photovoltaics, and water electrolysis hydrogen production systems, constructing an "electricity—hydrogen—electricity" energy conversion model of 'green electricity producing green hydrogen, and green hydrogen generating electricity again,' and has been included in the first batch of national hydrogen energy pilot projects in the energy sector.

The value of such projects lies in linking two types of resources. Wind and solar power output have obvious time variability; hydrogen production units operate at full capacity when electricity is abundant and reduce load when electricity is tight. Pure hydrogen gas turbines act as an outlet to "turn hydrogen back into electricity," providing a dispatchable endpoint for long-term energy storage. Compared to batteries, hydrogen storage operates on a longer time scale and has higher energy density, with the trade-off being lower round-trip efficiency. Therefore, it is more suitable for seasonal regulation and peak shaving rather than frequent daily charge and discharge.

From an industry chain perspective, the degree of domestic production of pure hydrogen gas turbines determines project costs. Combustion chambers, turbine blades, control systems, and fuel supply modules each have critical points; the maturity of basic capabilities such as high-temperature alloys, thermal barrier coatings, and precision casting directly determines the reliability and maintenance cycle of the whole machine. The significance of the first unit/order list lies in this—it uses engineering orders to connect the verification chain, giving suppliers the incentive to adjust process parameters properly.

Changes on the fuel supply side are often underestimated. Hydrogen has a low volumetric energy density, requiring a higher flow rate for the same power output, which means pipes, valve sizes, and flow meter selections must all be recalculated for hydrogen; hydrogen molecules are small and highly permeable, making flanges, threads, and welds potential leak points, and sealing materials must be compatible with hydrogen, with detectable measures at connection points; the pressure levels and safety distances in storage and transportation also determine whether the overall layout of the power station can be accommodated.

Combustion stability is the most time-consuming aspect in engineering verification. Premixed combustion tends to exhibit thermoacoustic oscillations as the hydrogen content increases, manifesting as pressure fluctuations that can, at a minimum, affect emissions and, at worst, damage the combustion chamber structure. The usual solution involves a combination of adjustments to burner structure, fuel staging, and air distribution, complemented by active control measures to suppress oscillations. These parameters do not have a universal solution and must be tested point by point for each type of combustion chamber to build an operating map covering load and ambient temperature conditions.

The control path for nitrogen oxides also needs to be redesigned. The flame temperature of hydrogen combustion is high, and thermally generated nitrogen oxides form quickly. Measures such as diluted combustion, water or steam injection, and staged combustion are all options, but each comes with a trade-off in efficiency and structural cost. Under partial load conditions, how to simultaneously maintain emission limits and combustion stability is a dilemma that both pure hydrogen turbines and hydrogen-blended retrofits must face.

Compared with fuel cells and hydrogen internal combustion engines, pure hydrogen turbines are positioned in terms of power level and duration. Fuel cells are suitable for distributed and high-efficiency scenarios, hydrogen internal combustion engine retrofits have a low threshold but do not excel in efficiency or emissions, while heavy and medium turbines can provide adjustment capabilities at the hundred-megawatt level for long continuous operation. In the new type of power system, these three technologies each have their place, and none will completely replace the others.

The economic viability ultimately depends on the price of green hydrogen and the number of operating hours. Units in the demonstration phase are mainly aimed at validating the technology, and the business model has not yet been closed; only when the cost of green hydrogen declines along with the prices of electrolyzers and green electricity will the opportunities for pure hydrogen gas turbines truly open up in scenarios of 'long-duration storage and peak power generation.' Until then, hydrogen blending retrofits are a more realistic transitional path.

The next questions to answer are very specific: Can the whole unit transition smoothly during fuel switching? How much will the service life of the combustion chamber’s hot components differ from the design value after long-term operation? Can nitrogen oxide emissions stay within limits under partial load? Can the operation and maintenance system support the daily maintenance of a hydrogen energy storage power plant? These answers are written in operational logs, not on certification documents.

(Source: China Energy Network, National Energy Administration, Mingyang Global Group official website, Shenzhen Energy)

[Research Support Organization: Energy and Dual-Carbon Research Center, China Industrial Newspaper | China Energy Industry Development Network]