In Japan, Yanmar Energy Systems Co. Ltd (Yanmar ES), a subsidiary of Yanmar Holdings, and Daigas Energy Co. Ltd (Daigas Energy), a subsidiary of Osaka Gas Co. Ltd, have announced the successful demonstration test blending of a 30 percent hydrogen fuel by volume into municipal gas using an EP400G municipal gas-fired cogeneration system manufactured by Yanmar ES.
According to a statement, the test was carried out from January 2024 to June 2024 at the cogeneration test site in Daigas Energy’s Carbon Neutral Research Hub ANNEX Torishima site, in Osaka City, Osaka Prefecture using a standard Yanmar EP400G cogeneration unit and hydrogen supply equipment from Daigas Energy.
It was confirmed that even when 30 percent hydrogen by volume is blended into the gas fuel, the system can operate with the same rated power output and power generation efficiency as when operating with municipal gas alone.
The test with hydrogen blend fuel showed that stable operation with low NOx emissions, comparable to municipal gas operation, is achievable by simply retrofitting the EP400G with additional hydrogen supply equipment.
Based on the test results, Yanmar and Daigas Energy will continue to work on further improving cogeneration systems using hydrogen fuel and other technologies, to commercialize hydrogen-blended cogeneration systems.
