Snam and Baker Hughes complete hydrogen fuel trial

Natural gas transport and storage specialist Snam and energy technology firm Baker Hughes have announced the completion of a trial to test the use of hydrogen as fuel in a gas compression station.

Having concluded in November 2022, the trial consisted of a series of tests designed to demonstrate the potential for hydrogen as a fuel to power gas turbines at Snam’s natural gas compression station in Istrana, Italy.

An integral part of the natural gas pipeline network, compressor stations help transport natural gas from producers to end users.

As the gas moves through a pipeline, distance, friction and elevation differences combine to slow the movement of gas and reduce pressure. By compressing the gas, these stations increase its flow pressure, channelling it to the next station in the network.

One of 13 such stations along Italy’s gas transportation network, the Istrana plant is the first Italian compression station in which a ‘hydrogen-ready’ turbine, the NovaLT12, has been installed.

Designed and built by Baker Hughes, the turbine was fuelled with a blend of natural gas and hydrogen (at 10%) and follows on from a previous design already in operation at the plant, the PGT25.