Advanced materials research has long been a critical piece of GE Research’s technology portfolio, responsible for countless innovation breakthroughs over many decades to improve turbomachinery efficiency and performance in both the power generation and aviation industries.

Steady improvements have been made in both the temperature tolerance and durability of superalloys that in turn have enabled advances in power generation turbine and jet engine technologies. However, Akane Suzuki, a Principal Engineer at GE Research and project lead, says the material solutions being developed as part of this project could be a key enabler toward combined cycle gas turbine efficiency beyond 65%.

Suzuki noted that GE Research’s approach doesn’t rely on a single innovation, but several significant advances in the thermal coatings used to protect parts from heat and improve durability, the development of a new niobium (Nb)- based alloy for gas turbine blades that can withstand higher degrees of heat, and a scalable manufacturing process for producing internally cooled gas turbine blades.

Suzuki said, "Fortunately for us, we have a dedicated lab facility where we can develop and test the new materials and processes as part of our RAISE project. Materials innovation has at the core of past advances in gas turbine energy efficiency, and it’s programs like ARPA-E’s ULTIMATE that will allow the gas power sector to continue to make meaningful advances for the future."

GE already has set world records in gas turbine efficiency. It’s HA gas turbine technology, which includes some of the most highly advanced parts and components, has helped to deliver two world records - one for powering the world’s most efficient combined-cycle power plant, based on achieving 63.08 percent gross efficiency at Chubu Electric Nishi-Nagoya Power Plant Block-1 in Japan and another for helping EDF’s Bouchain Power Plant achieve 62.22 percent net combined cycle efficiency in France.

As part of this project, GE researchers will demonstrate proof of concept for its alloy composition, coatings, and manufacturing processes through modeling and lab scale testing. If successful, the team could receive additional funding to continue develop and further scale the development of their technology platform.

Source:  GE
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These most recent FPP renewals are for two food processing plants in the Venice region, with one producing artisan pasta and the other organic plant-based and fruit drinks. These two food production plants are key contributors to the region's recovering economy that exports throughout Europe and relies on Capstone's microturbines for heat recovered high-efficiency and low-emissions green energy.

"Capstone's innovative Factory Protection Plan helps customers who deploy our microturbines closely manage maintenance costs over the life of the contract, up to 20 years," stated Jeff Foster, Capstone's Senior Vice President of Customer Service and Product Development. "In this current environment of uncertainty as the world fights the COVID-19 pandemic, our FPP helps essential industries to keep producing with no additional operating cost risk," added Foster.

"Our Energy as a Service (EaaS) business, with its recurring revenue and higher margins, has proven critical during the pandemic and allowed us to deliver a positive adjusted EBITDA in the June quarter and generate positive cash from operations in the September quarter for the first time in eleven quarters," stated Darren Jamison, President and Chief Executive Officer of Capstone Turbine Corporation.

"Specifically, our FPP business has been especially resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic, generating consistent high-margin revenues for our stakeholders and peace of mind for our many essential industry customers. Today, Capstone's global FPP coverage rate of qualified fielded systems is approximately 57% and continues to grow despite the pandemic," concluded Jamison.

Capstone's innovative Factory Protection Plan, or FPP, is a comprehensive maintenance program designed to give Capstone customers financial peace of mind by providing product life cycle costs at a fixed rate for both scheduled and unscheduled maintenance of the life of the microturbine system. Additionally, the recently updated FPP protects microturbine customers from potentially dramatic future increases in life cycle costs associated with changes in replacement spare parts pricing, commodity price increases, import tariffs, and interest rate changes.

Source:  CAPSTONE
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In a statement on Tuesday, the deputy CEO of United Engine Corporation, Viktor Polyakov, said that the first M55R diesel-gas turbine engine to power Project 22350 frigates has been delivered. He noted, "The first power unit was dispatched in November. The dispatch of the second unit is scheduled for the first half of December. Therefore, our partners, the United Shipbuilding Corporation and the Severnaya Shipyard, will get a full-fledged power plant for the ship that will consist of two power units."

UEC is a subsidiary of a state-owned arms conglomerate Rostec.

Work began on a replacement engine in 2014, after the collapse of ties between Moscow and Kiev led to the latter canceling contracts for the supply of gas turbine engines for Russian warships. While engines had already been delivered for two frigates -- lead ship Admiral Gorshkov as well as Admiral Kasatonov -- the rest of the class will need to use the Russian-made alternative.

The engine will presumably be installed in the Admiral Golovko, the third ship in the class. It was launched at Severnaya Verf in May 2020. Several more frigates are various stages of construction, and the Russian Navy has considered purchasing further ships under a modernized design.

Polyakov stated, "We have confirmed that Russia can produce diesel/gas turbine engines independently. We have fully acquired the competence, which Russia previously lacked. As of today, the United Engine Corporation has the scientific and technical potential to develop, produce, test, install on ships and provide support for the whole range of diesel/ gas turbine engines during their entire service life."

Vladimir Artyakov, he first deputy CEO of Rostec, noted that the state conglomerate is "ready to meet the requirements of Russian shipbuilders for new gas turbine engines."

Source:  TASS Russian New Agency
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