Source:
https://www.powermag.com/ge-debuts-giant-9ha-02-gas-turbines-at-1-4-gw-plant-in-malaysia/
"Two GE 9HA.02 gas turbines—the largest model of GE’s second-generation H-class heavy-duty gas turbine fleet and one of the largest gas turbine models on the global market—on Feb. 24 began commercial operation at Southern Power Generation’s (SPG’s) 1,440-MW Track 4A Power Plant in Pasir Gudang, Johor, Malaysia.
The combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) plant, built under an engineering, construction, and procurement (EPC) contract with Taiwan-based global engineering services firm CTCI, comprises two 720-MW single-shaft generating blocks.
Each is equipped with a 9HA.02 gas turbine and an STF-D650 steam turbine driving a W88 generator—and for the first time in a GE H-class plant, a GE horizontal once-through heat recovery steam generator (HRSG).
The plant, notably, will also be controlled by GE’s Mark VIe integrated plant control system.
... Track 4A’s commercial start is a pivotal milestone for GE, which began developing its H-class technology in the early 1990s.
... GE’s 9HA.02 is the “most efficient and advanced gas turbine in the 50-Hz market,” said Amit Kulkarni, senior executive, general manager, and head of GE’s Large Block Utility Product Management business.
The 9HA.02, rated at 575-MW under ISO conditions, pushes net efficiency “beyond 64% combined cycle efficiency,” and boosts GE’s efforts to reach 65% by the early 2020s, he said.
Kulkarni said the marked efficiency boost comes from a simplified air-cooled architecture, advanced materials, and economies of scale by the high-power density of the gas turbine.
... Hot-day output, Kulkarni noted, is a “critical” performance parameter in Asian markets owing to their unique climate conditions.
“When we think about the global market today, the 25 to 30 GW total gas market, Asia is surely one of the biggest areas where there is significant growth, and that’s driven by a lot of coal plant retirements right now,” he explained.
“But when we think about dependable capacity, it’s going to be a combination of gas with renewables."
The improved performance, Kulkarni noted, stems from “higher H-class firing temperatures that still maintain emissions levels required from a regulatory standpoint.”
But the advanced dry low–NOx features also provide a “wider operability range,” he said.
“We can go to better combustion dynamics, and because of that, the technology allows us to go to up to 50% hydrogen blends.”
... “We know that hydrogen may not be the only path toward decarbonization of gas turbines—it’s probably going to be some combination of hydrogen as well as post-combustion carbon capture systems that really get us into the decarbonized world.
... Customers are replacing coal plants and even in some cases, nuclear plants.
... And that’s where the 9HA.02 focus has been,” he said. "