Moisture Recovery and Heat Integration for Efficient Methanol Reforming in Marine Gas Turbine Systems

الملخص

This study presents the results of an experimental investigation into integrating moisture recovery and secondary heat exchange systems into the steam reforming cycle of methanol for marine gas turbine power plants. A pilot installation based on a 3.9 MW Siemens SGT-100 unit was used to simulate realistic maritime operating conditions. The experiments demonstrated that optimizing the water-to-methanol molar ratio, along with effective condensation and heat exchange strategies, significantly improved fuel efficiency and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. At a molar ratio of 4.0 and reforming temperature of 660 K, the hydrogen content in the syngas reached 64.1%, with water recovery at 82% and thermal recovery up to 780 kW. These enhancements increased overall thermal efficiency to 44.4% and reduced specific fuel consumption by 15%. Emission measurements showed a 37.3% decrease in CO₂ compared to direct methanol combustion. The system also maintained combustion stability and temperature control under transient conditions, confirming the viability of the proposed approach for maritime applications. Unlike prior marine reforming studies that addressed moisture management and heat recovery in isolation, this work experimentally demonstrates, using a 3.9-MW-class gas turbine rig, a combined moisture-recovery and secondary heat-integration loop that delivers up to 82% water recovery and 780 kW of thermal recirculation with stable transients.