New Ammonia Gas Turbine Burner Passes Pressure Test
The 10-bar burner design from Siemens Energy and SINTEF reduces emissions while enabling pure ammonia use in power turbines.
Updated on Oct. 26, 2026 in Energy
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Siemens Energy and SINTEF researchers published a burner design in September 2026 that enables pure ammonia combustion in gas turbines. This research-stage technology achieves stable operation at pressures up to 10 bar while minimizing harmful emissions.
Why it matters
Ammonia is a potential carbon-free fuel, but its combustion often releases excessive nitrogen oxides. This burner design provides a pathway to decarbonizing large-scale gas turbines by managing combustion chemistry at high operational pressures.
The burner sustains pure ammonia combustion at pressures reaching 10 bar, more than doubling the 4-5 bar threshold of previous experiments. It produces 47 ppm of nitrogen oxides and 1 ppm of nitrous oxide while leaving no measurable unburnt ammonia.
The players
Siemens Energy
An energy company specializing in gas turbine manufacturing and power generation technology.
SINTEF
A Norwegian research organization focused on applied science, technology, and industrial innovation.
The details
The system utilizes two-stage combustion to mitigate emissions, limiting air in the primary zone before introducing the remaining air in the second stage. This method prevents the formation of hydrogen cyanide during fuel switching, while metal walls cooled to the minimum required temperature manage extreme heat. Main components were fabricated using 3D printing techniques in Finspång, Sweden.
Timeline
2021: Ammonia combustion tests began at the HIPROX facility in Trondheim, Norway.
September 2026: The research team published the burner solution results in Applications in Energy and Combustion Science.
October 26, 2026: The article detailing the new ammonia burner design was published.
The Tech Race
This development marks a significant advancement over the historical 4-5 bar pressure limit seen in prior ammonia combustion experiments. It positions the Siemens Energy and SINTEF team ahead of standard benchmarks for nitrogen oxide control in high-pressure gas turbines.
This research remains in the testing phase and does not currently impact commercial power generation or fuel infrastructure. Future deployment will depend on successful heat transfer studies and large-scale durability testing.
The takeaway
The team plans to conduct further computer simulations and heat transfer studies to refine wall cooling requirements. Watch for updates in future publications from the SINTEF and Siemens Energy research collaboration.
Further reading
For broader context on current decarbonization efforts for industrial power, visit Energy.
Source note: This article includes information reported by SINTEF.
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