DecarbTech - Issue 6
ABB Motion
ABB Motion, a global leader in motors and drives, is at the core of accelerating a more productive & sustainable future.
The editor's picks
Looking around ABB it’s not difficult to observe our dedication to decarbonization in everything we do. In this new issue of DecarbTech I am happy to introduce the approach to decarbonization from two different angles that are changing today’s practices for a low-carbon future.
First up is green hydrogen, the highly desirable zero-emissions fuel that is being proven as an alternative to fossil-based components in several chemical reactions. Nora Han, Ph.D. , VP of Product Group Hydrogen, discusses how electrification underscores the critical importance of energy efficiency and reliability during green hydrogen production in a recent H2TechOnline podcast.
Our second story focuses on the hard-to-abate operations in production processes such as those in petrochemical, oil & gas, metals and others. These processes requires huge quantities of energy which has been largely powered through fossil fuels. However, Thilo Trabner from the Variable Speed Drives Systems team, highlights the environmental and efficiency benefits of using electric drives and motors instead of traditional steam or gas turbines.
Compelling insights again in this issue so please enjoying reading them.
Pasi Mannisto , Global Segment Manager, ABB Motion System Drives
Navigating green H2 innovations with Nora Han of ABB
In a recent podcast with H2TechOnline , Nora Han, Ph.D. , VP of Hydrogen Product Group shares her thoughts on the contrasting hydrogen strategies in North America and Europe as she navigates her business in this market.
She explains ABB’s role in electrifying the hydrogen economy and underscores the critical importance of energy efficiency and reliability during green hydrogen production.
“If we never need to consume that much energy, then we do not need to produce that much energy, this is called energy efficiency.” She explains that a power electronic product's performance over its lifetime is a key indicator of enabling decarbonization through energy efficiency.
She believes hydrogen producers have immense potential to implement advanced technologies that optimize energy use and reduce emissions.
If we never need to consume that much energy, then we do not need to produce that much energy, this is called energy efficiency
For the full podcast episode, listen here:
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Turbine to Electric
by Thilo Trabner, Variable Speed Drives Systems, ABB
Many of the world’s fuel sources, such as natural gas, that we require for power and heating in commercial and residential facilities is found in remote locations. For example, the Gorgon gas field is about 130 kilometers off the north-west coast of Western Australia, while the South Pars/North Dome field is located offshore in the Persian Gulf between Qatar and Iran. To move that natural gas, compressor stations are strategically stationed along vast pipelines to maintain pressure and also in the liquification process to LNG for transportation. These compressors have historically relied on gas turbines as the mechanical driver, and with around 90 percent of compressor stations still using these traditional turbines, there remains inherent challenges such as high emissions, low efficiency, and complex maintenance.
However, a pivotal shift is underway across the energy industry as well as other carbon-intensive sectors such as petrochemicals, metals production and even food & beverage. Ambitious targets set by national governments and industry bodies are the catalyst for this shift. One of the actions that companies are taking is the replacement of steam and gas turbines being used in production applications with solutions that combine electric motors controlled by frequency converters – a solution commonly known as Variable Speed Drives Systems (VSDs) or in this case specifically called Turbine-2-Electric within ABB.
Given an increasing momentum for sustainability, Turbine-2-Electric has recently emerged as a compelling solution to reduce emissions as well as save energy and reduce costs. While turbines were favored in the past due to their capability to utilize relatively low-cost gas from the pipeline itself as the fuel source - making them particularly suitable for remote locations - already today electricity is much more accessible and also becoming more renewable.
The energy efficiency gains of electric drives and motors versus turbines are undeniable. Electric VSDS generally have an efficiency above 95 percent when compared to turbines where the efficiency can be as low as 40-45 percent even in modern single-cycle gas turbines. That means there is a lot less wasted energy when using an electric driver.
One example can be seen in the transforming petrochemicals industry in China. The industry electrifies its process, which makes no more process steam available to fuel steam turbines. Instead utilizing well-proven ABB VSDS technology converts ethylene compressors to electric driven ones. Production now has a reliable and sophisticated approach to producing ethylene, whilst being able to decarbonize operations and improve energy efficiency.
Confirmed by studies and an increasing number of reports; the immediate future is clear - electrification technology for compressors is leading the transition of the energy, petrochemicals and other critical industries to a more sustainable, low-carbon future. Electrification is becoming the norm in production facilities across the world as operators are favoring electric drivers over mechanical drivers such as gas and steam turbines, motivated by the higher efficiency, greater uptime, and lower carbon emissions.
Marine Engineering Instructor at AAST
3moGreat effort
Mechanical Engineer RTO 30146
4moGuys I have to say that to be honest we need to take in the current change in the acceptance of nuclear in the picture and make sure that you are not left behind 👍