The need to reduce NOx emissions in open cycle gas turbines
Global pressure on the use of traditional fossil fuels and the emission of greenhouse gases such as CO2 is enormous. However, not only CO2 and greenhouse gases cause negative emissions. Nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions from power plants have emerged as a significant environmental concern due to their detrimental effects on human health and the ecosystem. This abstract summarizes the imperative need for reducing NOx emissions from open cycle gas turbine (OCGT) plants globally.
Governments worldwide have implemented stringent emission standards to mitigate NOx pollution. These regulations compel power plants to adopt technologies such as Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) and Low-NOx burners to reduce NOx emissions to permissible levels. Increased concern about public health, environmental impact, air quality standards and more international standards on emissions drive countries to implement stricter NOx emission regulations on the short term. Also, the move from natural gas towards hydrogen as fuel will drive the needs to reduce NOx emissions further.
