Assistant Editor, Turbomachinery International Magazine

Timothy Lukac

Steeped in a rich history of steelmaking, Bethlehem, PA, is home to Rotating Machinery Services’ (RMS) 30,000 square-foot facility with 25-ton crane capacity. Turbomachinery International visited its repair and maintenance (R&M) shop in May 2023, which handles machinery turnaround, overhauls, rerates, remaining life estimations, and failure and performance assessments. Opening in 1998, the Pennsylvania location features a machinery assembly bay, dynamic balancing, blasting booth, machining shop, tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding up to 250 amps, and OEM technical support. 

“A significant amount of business comes from the AC compressor line since we are the OEM,” said Joe Gross, VP and General Manager. “However, most of the machines we service were originally built by other manufacturers.”

Entering the shop floor, a neatly arranged collection of multi-OEM equipment is on display, including some from Ingersoll Rand and Elliott. “All turbomachinery operating in such harsh environments will end up with this kind of wear and tear after about 5-6 years,” said James Wieder, General Manager of Manufacturing. At any given time, there are dozens of compressors and expanders on the shop floor.

A key element of RMS is its labor division, which largely aligns its equipment with its engineers and personnel. The Bethlehem shop is home to roughly 20% of RMS’ 350 overall employees who provide guidance on proper machinery operation and maintenance, review operational data from various sites, and suggests future repairs and upgrades. The Bethlehem facility primarily houses its expander and axial compressor product lines. Other products from RMS’s portfolio, such as steam turbines, power turbines, and centrifugal compressors, are also present.

Manufacturing Manager James Wieder highlighted the importance of blade coatings in the FCC expander refitting process.

Virtual learning is another component to its labor force—it incorporates solid models of equipment captured through digital scanning. This method can accelerate learning by pairing realistic 3D models with the knowledge of product experts. “We are creating a more visual way of working so that customers can interact with a realistic 3D simulation of the intricate details associated with overhauling a complex turbomachine,” said Dirk Paraschos, VP.

Its second facility in South Houston, TX, MEPCO, handles the majority of its centrifugal compressors, oil-free screw compressors, and AC equipment, usually overhung-type compressors. Depending on the type of equipment that needs to be serviced, one facility may be preferred over another due to its workshop capabilities. RMS also has a 100,000 square-foot machining center on the northside of Houston along with a 45,000 square-foot specialized rotating equipment shop in Pearland, TX. This combination of locations allows RMS to efficiently manage customer needs with specialized locations.

A well-worn FCC expander rotor on the RMS shop floor.

The RMS Bethlehem facility’s ready-for-finishing section handles the meticulous process of inspecting, bringing-back-to-life, and analysis of compressors. “One of the techniques we use on a lot of rotors and stators is applying a hard coating on many of the surfaces,” Wieder said. “This allows for an extension of the equipment’s life, providing an erosion-resistant surface to preserve the blade underneath. The end customer can potentially reuse the blades in the future.” He explained that RMS brings the blades in for inspection, strips them of the existing coating, ensures they are still in good condition, and recodes and reinstalls them.

“Our refurbishment process is capable of extending the usage life of these components by one or two maintenance cycles,” he said.

Strategically drilled holes in active compressor components, such as the blades or stators, can provide an increase in frequency stability.

These blades, as well as stators, feature holes on the sides, which, according to Weider, mitigate the risk of blade failure. “By drilling into the tips of the stators and blades, it reduces the blade’s weight and frequency. We then conduct live testing pre-production and final production to confirm they are not in failure mode.” The way RMS approaches frequency analysis and blade balancing methods is rare in the R&M industry.

By providing this level of extended support, the quality of customer outcomes can be improved. 

Articles

Rotating Machinery Services’ shop in Pennsylvania is home to 30,000 square feet of turbomachinery repair and maintenance space.

RMS: A Multi-OEM Repair & Maintenance Shop

In part 2 of the TurboTime podcast on hydrogen, Myth Busters Rainer Kurz and Klaus Brun talk about the compression and transportation of hydrogen and the challenges each presents for mainstream usage. The duo also discusses a realistic timeframe for mainstream prominence, including use in fertilizers and for refineries and power generation.

For more on hydrogen, check out our feature from the July/Aug print issue, 

The Future of Hydrogen as a Gas Turbine Fuel.

Podcasts

In part 2 of the TurboTime podcast on hydrogen, Myth Busters Rainer Kurz and Klaus Brun talk about the compression and transportation of hydrogen and the challenges each presents for mainstream usage. 

TurboTime: Part 2 - Compression, Transport of Hydrogen

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, Myth Busters Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz break down the different segments of the hydrogen rainbow. Hydrogen is a wonderful fuel for gas turbines, and it matters where it comes from in an operating condition context. This is because the compressibility and pressure change depending on their source. Different processes also introduce impurities, which can drastically change the physical properties of the gas. A key misunderstanding of hydrogen is that it’s not a primary energy source, which means it needs to be made because it’s not naturally present in sufficient quantities as say natural gas, oil, or coal. This supply-and-demand challenge is one of the big hurdles with hydrogen that the industry is currently seeking to overcome.

Be sure to check out the September/October issue of 

What are all the different colors of hydrogen? Each color has its own source—green hydrogen comes from solar, wind, and other renewable sources, for example. It’s important to know where hydrogen comes from as we map out the energy landscape to understand the implications of using certain types of hydrogen over others.

TurboTime: Part 1: The Hydrogen Rainbow

Caption: Hynes Convention Center. Credit: Turbomachinery International

The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Turbomachinery Technical Conference & Exposition celebrated its 67th confluence in Boston’s Victorian-era Back Bay, June 26-30, 2023. A host of turbomachinery experts, academia, and government converged at the Hynes Convention Center to present technical findings and tutorials and participate in panel discussions on the most pressing matters in the industry, all to the tune of sustainability. Conversations at this year’s show shifted away from the traditional oil and gas sectors toward alternative fuels and decarbonization.

“The theme of this conference is to showcase the sheer continuous collaboration and innovation taking place in the industry to innovate, empower, and propel energy toward a more sustainable future,” said Tom Costabile, ASME Executive Director and CEO.

Nearly 2,600 experts, 119 exhibitors, and 26 countries were represented in over 1,000 technical sessions, making it one of the most densely packed and informative ASME Turbo Expos to date. New at this year’s Expo was a student mixer, and, on a trial basis, ASME brought in 40 high school students from two different areas to give them exposure to turbomachinery sciences.

And besides being a hub of all things technical, another important theme of the show was its diversity and inclusion efforts. “Turbo Expo is striving for diversity and gender balance, with more women participating than ever before,” Costabile said. “This conference has set the groundwork for rich discussion and idea sharing.”

For example, GE and Cadence Design Systems hosted a “Celebrating Women in Turbomachinery” dinner during the Expo, which was vibrantly attended. Here, conference registrants were able to share their stories, network, and empower each other in a casual atmosphere, while promoting women working in the turbomachinery industry.

Gas Turbines’ Role in Decentralized Energy Systems

Day one featured a five-person expert panel on 

The Role of Gas Turbines as Part of Decentralized Energy Systems to Address the Energy Trilemma

. Panelists opened with a discussion on why decentralized energy systems have yet to be broadly adopted.

Alberto Traverso, Chair of Energy Systems at the University of Genoa, spoke about the World Energy Council's sustainable energy promotion and the Energy Trilemma Index, which includes 90 countries, each at different points on the path toward 2050 climate mitigation goals. He said ammonia may play a role in ship propulsion and power generation, although its ultimate use remains largely uncertain. Traverso stressed the importance of adaptation strategies for the gas turbine industry and emphasized the need for technologies, such as grid flexibility, distributed combined heat and power (CHP) energy storage, and gaseous clean fluids.

Rainer Kurz, Manager of Gas Compressor Engineering at Solar Turbines, highlighted the importance of balancing supply and demand, especially given the increasing fluctuation in renewable energy supplies. He said that energy sources like natural gas are effective at supplying stable, reliable power. However, he underscored the challenges posed by geographical locations—the areas abundant in solar and wind resources are often not located where energy is most needed, which introduces transportation challenges for gases like natural gas, CO

Peter Kutne, Head of the Gas Turbine Department at the German Aero Center (DLR), argued for the role of gas turbines in supporting decentralization, emphasizing their fuel flexibility and load flexibility, especially with hydrogen and other renewable gases. He elaborated on the potential benefits of decentralized systems, including reduced infrastructure requirements and the possibility to retrofit existing power plants for decentralized use as a hydrogen entry point.

Jim Kesseli, Principal Mechanical Engineer and Founder of Brayton Energy, emphasized the economic aspect of decentralization, which interestingly touched on how cogeneration will play a role. He acknowledged the challenges of introducing new products into the decentralized power generation sector, stressing that these installations must compete with utilities in terms of capital costs to be viable. He touched on gas turbine co-production with hydrogen and ammonia, the importance of peak-load power plants in connection with renewables, and the opportunities presented by small nuclear reactors in the energy mix. Most importantly, so-called “dirty” power—power generation with high emissions—will likely remain the best choice for emergency power. This is in contrast with renewable sources, which are more intermittent in nature.

And finally, Justin Rathke, President and Founder of Vergent Power Solutions, expressed concern about market conditions. He emphasized the role policymakers play in shifting the market and pointed out that geographical location is critical in this discussion. In essence, certain regions have policies that either deter or support certain strategies, such as more renewables, initial capital costs, and others. He also added that combustion technology remains necessary for base-load power. In certain applications, microturbines could be more economical than renewables.

On day two, another panel of experts, featuring executives from Pratt & Whitney, GE Aerospace, Siemens Energy, and Rolls-Royce, discussed the challenges and opportunities of sustainable aviation. Dr. Kathleen O'Brien, Vice President, Technology & Innovation at Siemens Energy, addressed the power-generation sector and how Siemens Energy is addressing net-zero goals and some of the challenges and technologies available.

“As an electrical engineer, I can relate to the fact that demand growth and decarbonization can seem to contradict,” she said. “Through both electrification and starting to use hydrogen in some of our gas turbines, we can power clean loads with clean energy.”

Siemens Energy views a clean-energy future through the lens of four different focus areas (decarbonization, demand growth, decentralization, and digitalization), and using what the company calls “the five fields of action,” it develops technology to address these focus areas.

Power-to-X (e.g., hydrogen-powered gas turbines)

Decarbonized heat and industrial processes (e.g., electrical heat pumps and heat waste recovery)

Caption: At MIT’s Gas Turbine Laboratory booth, a historic Junkers Jumo 004B turbojet engine was on display—the world’s first operational turbojet used in 1940. Credit: Turbomachinery International

In relation to net-zero goals, Siemens Energy has “technology that allows more renewables to get on the power grid, which allows us to integrate more renewables quicker and to then take advantage of regional ecosystems with hydrogen and other technologies to do things at a much faster pace,” O'Brien said.

Other technologies being developed include electrolyzers and fuel cells that can help the industry more efficiently and more cleanly run heavy-duty vehicles or trucks as well as technologies that address hydrogen from a cost perspective.

O’Brien said that it is a lot easier to do a hydrogen-based gas turbine on land, relative to challenges faced by aircraft applications. Currently, the company’s gas turbines co-fire between 15% and 75% hydrogen by volume, depending on the turbine frame. There is a lot of interest in hydrogen co-firing on gas turbines even though the infrastructure and the business case are not there today. The company also has a technology path to operate its gas turbines at 100% hydrogen by 2030.

She highlighted a recent collaboration between Siemens Energy and Constellation that offered real-world insights into hydrogen blending with natural gas. In the demonstration, they reached 38% by volume hydrogen blend in Siemens’ SGT6-6000G turbine, allowing them to produce over 36 MW on the gas turbine and 54 MW on combined cycle from the energy content of the hydrogen. It stayed within the required NO

 emissions levels without steam or water injection.

“What this means is 16% of the total MW generated were generated by hydrogen,” O’Brien said. “This reduced the carbon emissions by 16%, but without any increases in NO

Gas Turbines’ Role in the Decarbonized Power Generation Portfolio

, in which energy companies revealed their strategic shift toward integrating hydrogen into gas turbines. This session was part of the broader conversation on navigating the energy transition.

In the scope of the growing recognition of hydrogen's potential as a synthetic fuel, Peter Stuttaford, CEO of Thomassen Energy B.V., revealed his company’s intent to retrofit natural gas systems with hydrogen. Europe's decision to adopt its pipeline systems to facilitate hydrogen and potentially ammonia transport underpinned these discussions. This transformation, part of the “Backbone 2025” project, aims to equip power plants with easy access to hydrogen, much like natural gas.

The idea of importing and storing ammonia/hydrogen in vast salt caverns was also addressed, highlighting an approach to gigawatt-scale energy storage. Presenters emphasized the need to retrofit existing power plants with low-carbon solutions, and the possibility of achieving high-efficiency rates of up to 80-90% in CHP applications.

Ghenadie Bulat, Siemens Energy's Head of New Technologies Gas Division, argued that "the energy system of tomorrow is a mix of different energy carriers," and predicted that by 2050 electricity will account for half of energy consumption. Bulat noted that although gas will likely persist in the energy mix post-2030, regional policies will shape diverse decarbonization approaches.

Bulat emphasized the importance of managing the residual load—the gap between demand and available renewable energy. He identified gas turbines as critical in this role, maintaining energy security in times of renewable volatility and providing rapid grid balancing. He also pointed out the opportunities for carbon capture and storage (CCS) in natural gas plants, steam methane reforming, wind hydrogen, and hydrogen derivatives like ammonia, methanol, diesel, and biofuels.

Caption: GE Aerospace booth. Credit: Turbomachinery International

Echoing Bulat's sentiments, Fabien Codron, Technical Director - Hydrogen Solutions for Decarbonization at GE Vernova, stressed that decarbonization would require bespoke solutions that consider each region's unique resources and needs. Codron also discussed the challenges of using hydrogen as a fuel, expressing optimism that technological hurdles could be overcome with research and development.

Carlos Koeneke, Chief Technology Officer of Mitsubishi Power, also presented a roadmap for decarbonization, suggesting improvements in efficiency, the integration of ammonia in boilers, the implementation of CCUS, and the use of hydrogen and ammonia in gas turbines.

The presentation concluded with discussions on the upcoming combustion tests for ammonia at a facility in Nagasaki, and the establishment of the Takasago hydrogen park, a site for hydrogen technology verification. The ongoing challenges associated with the capacity constraints of transitioning to hydrogen were also recognized, underlining the industry's urgency to find solutions.

Day three ended with a panel discussion featuring several OEMs and a discussion about innovations and various applications of gas turbines and machinery in the future of energy systems.

Caroline Marchmont, Director, R&D Execution at Ansaldo Energia, said the next major milestone in the industry’s pathway to net zero is moving gas turbines to hydrogen, which is expected to happen sometime between 2030-2040. Further, “Once we replace the coal plants, that will reduce the CO

 emissions for that plant by about half,” she said.

Another factor to consider is the sustainability of existing assets.

“What can we get out of what we already have?” Marchmont said. “And how can we reuse technology as well as advancing technologies to improve on the existing assets?” And this includes adapting existing technologies to support renewables.

Improving existing assets or retrofitting can be tricky, but with its MXL3, Ansaldo Energia upgraded the first two stages of the low-pressure turbine. The company already has a combustor that's capable of 45% hydrogen, and it’s updated the compressor to optimize the performance and better match the turbine. With all of this, it gets up to 35 MW and 1.6% combined-cycle efficiency improvement.

Marchmont said this, among other advancements/upgrades, is possible through collaboration and cooperation, which was stressed by many presenters throughout the conference.

Dan Reitz, Manager of Product and Technology Strategy at Solar Turbines, outlined the company’s strategic plan to reduce emissions and enhance the use of alternative fuels. Reitz mentioned how the company is prioritizing four areas: operational efficiency, methane abatement, hydrogen fuel flexibility, and CCUS.

Solar Turbines is leveraging a digital platform to optimize operational efficiency and has developed an integrated mobile solution for methane abatement. In terms of hydrogen fuel, the company is expanding its capacity in collaboration with several energy companies. The aim is to gradually mix hydrogen into their products up to 100%.

In terms of CCUS, Solar Turbines is focusing on technology to enhance CO

 concentration in the exhaust stream, which will make the capture process more cost-effective. They're also testing a pilot project in partnership with Chevron. Despite uncertainties in the energy landscape, Solar Turbines remains optimistic about the potential of market-driven solutions and legislative incentives to advance low-carbon goals.

Michael Hughes, Hydrogen Combustion Technology Integration Leader at GE Vernova, stressed the role of gas turbines in transitioning toward renewable energy. The push for decarbonization has prompted a shift toward efficient natural gas plants, but the role of these plants is evolving. Hughes predicts they'll increasingly serve as flexible power sources—for example, starting multiple times a day or load-following as required. Pertinently, Hughes stated that gas turbine core components will not need extensive changes to accommodate these alternative fuels like hydrogen or ammonia.

According to Hughes, GE has developed combustors for hydrogen fuels, and it is confident about the potential of axial fuel staging systems in this application. He touched on how the company is collaborating with Shell to create a 100% hydrogen-capable E-class system. Further, a Department of Energy (DOE)-funded program is in place to develop a similar system for H-class turbines. Hughes acknowledged challenges such as maintaining operability across a range of hydrogen levels and ensuring flashbacks don't occur. The aim is not just to transition to renewable fuels, but to do so in a way that integrates seamlessly with existing infrastructure and operations.

Alternative fuels stole the show this year, as the industry ramps up decarbonization discussions.

Turbo Expo 2023: Gas Turbines’ Role in a Sustainable Future

On Wednesday, June 28 at Turbo Expo 2023, a panel of OEMs discussed their innovations and different applications of gas turbines and machinery in the future of energy systems.

Caroline Marchmont, Director, R&D Execution at Ansaldo Energia, said the next major milestone in the industry’s pathway to net zero is moving gas turbines to hydrogen, which is expected to happen sometime between 2030-2040. Further, “Once we replace the coal plants, that will reduce the CO2 emissions for that plant by about half,” she said.

Marchmont said this, among other advancements/upgrades, is possible through collaboration and cooperation, which was stressed by many presenters throughout this week’s conference.

Dan Reitz, Manager of Product and Technology Strategy at Solar Turbines, outlined the company’s strategic plan to reduce emissions and enhance the use of alternative fuels. Reitz mentioned how the company is prioritizing four areas: operational efficiency, methane abatement, hydrogen fuel flexibility, and carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS).

On Wednesday, June 28 at Turbo Expo 2023, a panel of OEMs presented at the Pathway Forward: Future Gas Turbine Products & Technologies–OEM Perspective session. 

Turbo Expo 2023: OEMs Innovate for a Greener Future

 spoke with Dr. Nate Weiland, senior fellow at NETL, at Turbo Expo 2023 about how the government is supporting turbomachinery operators in the journey to net-zero carbon emissions. The Bipartisan Infrastructure bill adds a number of hub programs to demonstrate these technologies.

Videos

Dr. Nate Weiland from NETL talks about government initiatives that can help the industry tackle emissions as well as market trends in carbon-capture technologies following recent legislative changes.

Part 2: Interview with NETL: Tackling Emissions

 spoke with Dr. Nate Weiland, senior fellow at NETL, at Turbo Expo 2023 about the lab's work on the hydrogen value chain, including hydrogen blending, storage, hydrogen carriers such as ammonia, and more. He also spoke about NETL's function at Tubo Expo.

At Turbo Expo 2023, Turbomachinery International spoke with Dr. Nate Weiland, senior fellow at NETL, about its function at Tubo Expo and what's new at NETL. 

Turbo Expo 2023: Interview with NETL: Hydrogen Value Chain

During Turbo Expo 2023, energy companies revealed their strategic shift toward integrating hydrogen into gas turbines during the session 

Gas Turbine’s Role in the Decarbonized Power Generation Portfolio

. This session was part of the broader conversation on navigating the energy transition.

The idea of importing and storing ammonia/hydrogen in vast salt caverns was also addressed, highlighting an approach to gigawatt-scale energy storage. Presenters emphasized the need to retrofit existing power plants with low-carbon solutions, and the possibility of achieving high-efficiency rates of up to 80-90% in combined heat and power (CHP) applications.

Ghenadie Bulat, Siemens Energy's Head of New Technologies at Gas Services Division, argued that "the energy system of tomorrow is a mix of different energy carriers," and predicted that by 2050, electricity will account for half of energy consumption. Bulat noted that although gas will likely persist in the energy mix post-2030, regional policies will shape diverse decarbonization approaches.

Bulat emphasized the importance of managing the residual load—the gap between demand and available renewable energy. He identified gas turbines as critical in this role, maintaining energy security in times of renewable volatility, and providing rapid grid balancing. He also pointed out the opportunities for carbon capture and storage (CCS) in natural gas plants, steam methane reforming, wind hydrogen, and hydrogen derivatives like ammonia, methanol, diesel, and biofuels.

Echoing Bulat's sentiments, Fabien Codron, Tech Director, H

 Solutions for Decarb at GE Vernova, stressed that decarbonization would require bespoke solutions that consider each region's unique resources and needs. Codron also discussed the challenges of using hydrogen as a fuel, expressing optimism that technological hurdles could be overcome with research and development.

At "Gas Turbine’s Role in the Decarbonized Power Generation Portfolio" session at Turbo Expo 2023, industry leaders outline strategies for a sustainable future.

Turbo Expo 2023: Hydrogen, Gas Turbines Take Center Stage in Decarbonization

 interviewed Concepts NREC about turbomachinery design software. 

David Pincince, ​Business Development & Marketing Manager, Advanced Turbo Products at Concepts NREC, shared common mistakes that are made when engineering gas turbine designs, mitigation strategies to overcome these errors, and key challenges the industry is trying to overcome in developing more effective turbomachinery design software.

At Turbo Expo 2023, Turbomachinery International interviewed Concepts NREC about common mistakes that are made when engineering gas turbine designs and challenges in creating turbomachinery design software.

Turbo Expo 2023: Gas Turbine Design Software with Concepts NREC

On Monday at Turo Expo 2023, a five-person expert panel discussed 

. Panelists opened on why decentralized energy systems have not been broadly adopted yet.

Caption: The session panelists engaging with the session moderator.

Rainer Kurz, Manager of Gas Compressor Engineering at Solar Turbines, highlighted the importance of balancing supply and demand, especially given the increasing fluctuation in renewable energy supplies. He said that energy sources like natural gas are effective at supplying stable, reliable power. However, he underscored the challenges posed by geographical locations, with areas abundant in solar and wind resources often not being where energy is most needed, which introduces transportation challenges for gases like natural gas, CO

Caption: Dr. Kurz touched on the transportation aspects of distributed power generation.

While Jim Kesseli, Principal Mechanical Engineer and Founder of Brayton Energy, emphasized the economic aspect of decentralization, which interestingly touched on how cogeneration will play a role. He acknowledged the challenges of introducing new products into the decentralized power generation sector, stressing that these installations must compete with utilities in terms of capital costs to be viable. He touched on gas turbine co-production with hydrogen and ammonia, the importance of peak-load power plants in connection with renewables, and the opportunities presented by small nuclear reactors in the energy mix. Most importantly, so-called “dirty” power—power generation with high emissions—will likely remain the best choice for emergency power. This is in contrast with renewable sources, which are more intermittent in nature.

Caption: According to Rathke, the world will continue to need gas turbines to follow the decarbonization pathway.

Panelists at Turbo Expo 2023 discussed the challenges and opportunities that are created by implementing decentralized energy solutions.