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Articles

Torque wrench indicates calibration requirements

Specifying coupling and gear units for compressors in high-pressure service

Preventing bearing fluting in VFD drives

Turbine lubrication: Practical guidelines

Practical anti-surge systems for turbocompressors

Enabling flame-free pipe joining in seconds

Self-lubricating bearings

Dry gas seals: Problems and solutions

Seals for LNG processing

Using moisture recovery units in water washing

Anti bog-down control system for turbine-compressor systems

Measuring Turbine Oil Varnish Potential

Axial clearance in thrust bearings

In this episode of the TurboTime Podcast, Myth Busters Klaus Burn of Ebara Elliott Energy, and Rainer Kurz of RKSBenergy LLC, discuss root-cause analysis (RCA), including what it is, the philosophy and methodologies behind it, what actions should and should not be taken, and more.

Brun said: “RCA, some folks call it root-cause failure analysis, looks at something that failed: Your machine had a catastrophic failure, or you’re missing performance by a percent or two—something is not as you would expect in a compressor or gas or steam turbine, and you want to figure out what it is. So, you perform an RCA based on certain symptoms. In most cases, RCA starts with a review of the machine’s operation that may have preceded the failure and in some cases a metallurgical investigation, which is one of the best indicators as to what failed. It can indicate it was high-cycle fatigue, sudden overload, corrosion or erosion, for example. Then you figure out what excitation may have caused the high-cycle fatigue or what in your process gas may have caused corrosion or erosion.”

Kurz said: “In a way, this is a bit like a detective story. You find something failed, aka the dead body, and then you gather evidence. One of the key things in root-cause failure analysis is that you not only gather evidence, but you also document it. One of the key problems when these reports are written is you have a failure in 2015, for example, and you conduct an RCA, and the next similar failure isn’t for another 10 years. (These events don’t happen that often.) And if you haven't documented what you did for the first one, you can’t use it as a starting point.”

Podcasts

Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz discuss root-cause analysis—what it is, its methodologies, and why it’s so important to managing turbomachines.

TurboTime Podcast: Root Cause Analysis with the Myth Busters 

This episode of the TurboTime podcast features an onsite interview from our Turbo Tour of EthosEnergy’s Light Gas Turbine and Performance Center Facility in Houston. Assistant Editor James Cook talks with Daniel Tegtmeier, Director of EthosEnergy's Performance Center, about remote monitoring and operations, the changing energy landscape, and the benefits of remote start/stop and virtual capabilities.

Q: How does remote monitoring keep simple-cycle assets viable in a market focused on renewable energy?

 If you think about a machine built 20+ years ago and its efficiency, it still has a place in the market when competing with renewables. It’s not like it used to be though—these units used to run wide-open, 24/7. They’re now intermittent assets competing with renewables and zero-cost fuels, but once the wind stops blowing and the sun stops shining, that load is gone.

These are simple-cycle configurations, so they can come online quickly and be at 100 - 120 MW in less than an hour. So, you’re going to staff a facility 8,000 hours per year in case they call you up? That’s part of what we do and the justification for remote operations—you need the intermittent load from simple-cycle assets in rapid fashion, but you can’t afford to staff these places full-time.

Q: In addition to that justification, are there any safety improvements delivered through remote start/stop and control capabilities?

 Economics seems to drive most decision processes behind whether you’re remotely operating a facility or not; however, there’s a huge safety aspect. You don’t need people there 24 hours a day around equipment with a lot of pent-up energy, so exposure levels drop dramatically. For the most part, these machines are designed so well and over-engineered from day one that they’re conducive to [remote monitoring].

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, Daniel Tegtmeier, Director of EthosEnergy’s Performance Center, talks about remote operations and monitoring. 

TurboTime Podcast: Remote Monitoring with EthosEnergy

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz talk about turbine degradation. They define terms such as fouling, corrosion, erosion, and rubbing and dig a little bit into what causes degradation, how it can be measured and minimized, and the difference between recoverable and non-recoverable degradation.

Burn explained: “A gas turbine system consists of a compressor, combustor, and one or several turbines, so degradation at its highest level is simply measured by what power output and efficiency to expect under certain operating conditions from a new machine and how much less power and less efficiency do you get after that machine has been running for thousands or tens of thousands of hours. The primary measurement is really on a macro level.”

During this episode, the Myth Busters break down the many terms associated with degradation, what components degrade, how it can be measured and minimized, and more. 

TurboTime Podcast: Turbomachine Degradation with the Myth Busters

Myth Busters Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz join the TurboTime podcast to chat about additive manufacturing. They dive into its history in the industry, its advantages as a viable technology, its limitations, and new advancements that could drive the technology further.

Brun explained: “About 40 years ago, additive manufacturing technology started coming out based on using materials such as polymers and resins that were heated up and layered on top of each other using some kind of robotic arm or plotter that in the 3D space. It wasn’t all that relative from a turbomachinery perspective at the time because yes, you could use that to make a mold for a cast, but other than that, it wasn’t realistic. About 20 years ago, we started seeing additive manufacturing using metals. There are a number of techniques, but the most popular ones are direct metal sintering or selective metal-laser sintering—these techniques are when you have a layer of metal and a heat source, and you put the heat source on the powder-metal layer to create a 3D geometry in 3D space. That technique has developed over the last 20 years—it came out with lots and lots of promises, some of which held up while other promises didn't hold up."

“From a turbomachinery perspective, there are many parts in a compressor, for example, or a gas or steam turbine, that are relatively standard pieces; you would probably not use additive manufacturing for those pieces because they're always the same, so you would cast them or quickly machine them. But then there are certain pieces that are either very intricate in geometry, so they require many smaller pieces to be put together or that are customized like impellers for centrifugal compressors. So here, theoretically, additive manufacturing should have an advantage because additive manufacturing provides you with the potential to build customer parts.” 

What’s the history of additive manufacturing, how is it used to manufacture turbomachines, and does it really have a future in the turbo industry? Find out more from the Myth Busters in this episode of the TurboTime Podcast. 

TurboTime Podcast: Additive Manufacturing with the Myth Busters 

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, we talk about geothermal power generation with Joseph Bonafin, sales and business development manager at Turboden, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group. We dive into the history of geothermal power, how it’s grown over the past 20 - 25 years, and how it fits into the decarbonization journey. We also look at what’s next for geothermal power generation.

Bonafin said there are several innovations in the pipeline for Turboden and geothermal power: “The integration of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) technology with other innovative geothermal technologies, such as enhanced geothermal systems (EGS), closed-loop geothermal systems, and lithium extraction from geothermal brine, can improve efficiency, sustainability, and economic viability.

“EGS generates electricity from hot dry rock locations, enhancing the heat exchange by circulating clean water through artificially engineered fractures. This efficiently converts moderate temperature into electricity, expanding the geographic applicability of ORC projects to previously inaccessible heat sources, especially for large-scale projects.

“Closed-loop geothermal systems provide environmentally friendly alternatives by creating a thermosyphon effect by drilling multiple lateral wells underground. Integrating ORC with closed-loop systems minimizes the environmental impact and reduces water consumption,” he continued.

“Lithium extraction from geothermal brine, crucial for electric batteries, is a sustainable source. ORC technology works as a cooler for the lithium extraction process in the shared infrastructure, contributing to a more economically viable and environmentally friendly process. Sale of electricity is added on top to the additional revenue stream coming from lithium extraction, promoting a cleaner and more profitable energy supply chain.

“In summary, the amalgamation of ORC technology with EGS, closed-loop systems, and lithium extraction from geothermal brine creates a holistic approach to geothermal energy production. This synergy enhances diverse resource utilization, promotes environmental sustainability, and contributes to the production of rare materials required for emerging technologies. This integrated approach underscores geothermal energy's potential in a sustainable and diversified global energy portfolio.”

Joseph Bonafin, sales and business development manager at Turboden, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Group, joins the TurboTime podcast to discuss geothermal power generation.  

TurboTime Podcast: Geothermal Power Generation with Turboden

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, the Myth Busters, Klaus Brun, the Director of R&D at Elliott Group, and Rainer Kurz, a recent retiree from Manager of Gas Compressor Engineering at Solar Turbines, discuss turbomachinery codes and standards. The two differentiate codes versus standards, which are important for turbomachinery, and what to do if an operator or manufacturer disagrees with a standard.

Brun broke down the four components: standards, codes, specifications, and guidelines. “A standard is somewhat of a generic requirement; you can almost call it the minimum requirement that industry associations agree on for a piece of equipment,” he said. “There's a lot of gray area between here. Next are specifications—they are often related to a specific customer—one of the major oil companies may have its own specifications, and they often tie in standards. For example, let's say Shell or Chevron has their own machinery specification, and they may refer to standards, such as American Petroleum Institute (API) 616 or the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) standards, material standards, etc. And then you get into things like codes, where the gray area becomes even bigger. But codes traditionally refer to something a little stricter. These can be test codes, where there is a process that you have to follow, and you don't deviate from this process. There are codes related to OSHA requirements or legal requirements. Codes tend to be a little more rigid, more relevant, and more richly followed. Finally, there are industry guidelines from the API and other professional societies. They give advice and guidance on how to handle testing processes, design, etc.”

Kurz stressed that standards are not legally enforceable unless included in a purchasing agreement: “What makes a standard enforceable is if a customer in the purchase specifications says ‘Thou shalt follow such and such API requirement or these ASME standards.’ And then it becomes part of the contract and enforceable” he said.

Kurz also pointed out that one purpose of codes and standards is for system integration. “If you build a refinery, there's one manufacturer who builds the compressor, then there are people who build the pressure vessels, others who build the piping, and maybe the steam turbines. So, there are a lot of different parties involved that have to come together. And one thing that these codes and standards do is create a reasonable definition of the interfaces. At the end of the day, somebody needs to integrate all that equipment.”

The Myth Busters, Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz, discuss turbomachinery codes and standards on the TurboTime podcast. 

TurboTime Podcast: Turbomachinery Codes and Standards with Myth Busters

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz talk about methane leakage in the oil and gas industry, which is only one of the many sectors that contribute to methane emissions in the United States. The biogas sector, including landfills and agriculture, contributes to methane leakage as do coal mines. That said, our industry still accounts for a percentage of methane emissions. The Myth Busters discuss where and how it occurs in the oil and gas industry, how different types of compressors compare in terms of leakage, the role of dry gas seals, and more.

“Methane leakage, in our industry, is primarily from natural gas; and natural gas is called natural gas because it is natural—it is naturally occurring and naturally created,” Brun said. “So, if you talk about methane leakage in the oil and gas industry—really what we should be talking about is natural gas leakage—it is a relatively small part overall of the total natural gas leakage in the world. It is roughly three times smaller than natural gas that is created by natural sources being wetlands and swamps and whatever. The oil and gas industry contributes about three times less than what natural sources do. Also, agriculture contributes about twice as much natural gas. The actual amount of leakage of natural gas into the environment due to the oil and gas industry is somewhat debated and a lot of numbers are floating around, but typically you're talking somewhere between 10 - 20% of the total natural gas that is emitted into the environment comes from oil and gas. The rest is, as I mentioned before, from natural-occurring sources, such as wetlands and agriculture.

“When you look at the oil and gas process, which basically means you're getting oil and gas out of the ground at a well, and then that oil and gas is transmitted to pipelines, and then it goes to either a consumer, you and me, or it goes to industrial places, or it goes to power plants,” Brun continued. “And so, there are many places in that process where it can leak. For very basic economic reasons, nobody wants this gas to leak, right? It costs a lot of money to get it out of the ground, and it costs a lot of money to transport it, and it costs a lot of money to do something with it. So, nobody really wants it to leak, so there is a natural desire by our industry to keep this gas from leaking, but it does.”

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, Myth Busters Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz talk about methane leakage. 

TurboTime Podcast: Methane Leakage with Myth Busters 

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, Myth Busters Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz close out our two-part discussion on compressor drivers. Brun and Kurz talk about gearboxes—their advantages and disadvantages, and why are engineers afraid of them. They also discuss dual-drive compressors and compressors with both drivers and generators in a string—when are they used, and where they fit best.

In Part II of our TurboTime podcast on compressor drivers, the Myth Busters discuss gearboxes and dual-drive compressors.

TurboTime Podcast: Part II: Gearboxes + Dual Drives

In our two-part podcast episode on compressor drivers, the Myth Busters give a detailed account of various drivers, including gas turbines, steam turbines, and electric motors. Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz talk about the general features of each driver, the advantages and disadvantages of each, and how to match a compressor with a driver when factoring in fuel sources, power, speed, the type of compressor, and other determining factors. They also dive a little into gearboxes and why they are, at times, needed.

“First, we need to look at what is the compressor?” Brun said. “A compressor is used to compress the gas; it is a machine that requires some kind of driver that puts energy into the compressor. So, you need a device that the compressor wants to run at a certain speed and certain power. There has to be some kind of input device that can be divided by application, fuel source, power source, and so on. So, let's say you have a centrifugal compressor—you probably want something that spins, right? An electric motor drive, a gas turbine, a steam turbine …if you're driving a reciprocating compressor, you would like something like an engine that also reciprocates because that tends to match a little better. But you can also use an electric motor.

“Then the question becomes—before you get into the technical stuff—what fuel is available? Let's say you are running a centrifugal compressor on a natural gas pipeline. Then the obvious choice is a device that can burn natural gas as a fuel, and that's typically a gas turbine. Similarly, if you're in a refinery or some kind of petrochemical application where you have a lot of steam available because you have boilers and other processes that require steam, then you would select a steam turbine as your driver. In many cases, because electricity is available or other restrictions keep you from running a gas or steam turbine, you would choose an electric motor drive, which presents advantages and disadvantages. But you have to remember that an electric motor drive does require quite a bit of electric power.”

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, the Myth Busters break down the types of compressor drivers—their advantages and disadvantages, optimal applications, and more.

TurboTime Podcast: Part I: Myth Busters Talk Compressor Drivers

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, James Montgomery and John Mason of Rolls-Royce talk about micro-reactors. Microreactors are compact, portable rectors that produce thermal energy, which can be used as heat or converted to electric power. Micro-reactors can be quickly deployed and installed, and when they utilize a responsive design concept, they can prevent overheating and require fewer components, fewer operators, and less maintenance.

Montgomery is the Chief Design Engineer for the Rolls-Royce novel nuclear team in the United Kingdom. He is responsible for the design of the overall micro-reactor plant. Mason is a Systems Design and Integration Technical Specialist working within the Novel Concepts team in Bristol within Future Programs. His responsibilities are around the power-conversion system that goes with micro-reactors—i.e., the turbomachinery that takes heat from the reactor and converts it into usable electrical power.

“Micro-reactors are very small scale, in the range of 1 MW - 10 MW electrical, and that’s compared to a typical grid-supplying power plant that's in the gigawatt range and also with the new generation of small modular reactors that are in the 1/2 GW range, so we're much smaller than that,” Montgomery explained. “We have two potential applications for the microtechnology we're working on in the United Kingdom: The first one is the terrestrial variant for supplying power to different applications on Earth; and the second is the space micro-reactor that has potential applications for the lunar base as part of the space program and, in the longer term, for power and propulsion applications on satellite and deep-space missions.”

Montgomery also explained the process of designing a micro-reactor: “At Rolls Royce, we have a great pedigree in designing complex systems like this, so the first step in that process is to work with potential end users to understand the user requirements and use cases where we can get value from the technology. Then we'll work through the process of preliminary design and size of the plant, understanding what the technology can do and where the technology gaps might be. That then launches us into a technology program to acquire the technologies we need.

“The microreactor plant is really interesting from that point of view because it's genuinely a new product for us at Rolls-Royce as with the rest of the industry,” Montgomery continued. “So, we've pieced together some of our pedigree from the nuclear side and the turbomachinery side that we have developed over many years for aerospace and industrial applications.”

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, James Montgomery and John Mason of Rolls-Royce talk about micro-reactors. 

TurboTime Podcast: Micro-Reactors with Rolls-Royce

This project will enable oil and gas operators, tribes, and other U.S.-based entities to reduce, monitor, measure, and quantify oil and gas methane emissions.

DOE Grants Envana $5.2M to Enhance Methane Detection, Mitigation

Svante will capture, compress, condition, and liquefy CO2 emissions, and Tenaska will manage CO2 transportation and sequestration.

Svante Technologies, Tenaska to Develop Industrial CCS Solutions

Brightmark partners with farmers to produce RNG through anaerobic digestion to collect and digest organic waste to extract methane and upgrade it into RNG for use as fuel.

Chevron’s Brightmark RNG Produces First Gas Across 10 Midwestern Projects

The facility will produce up to 800,000 MTPA of clean ammonia and connect to nearby natural gas and CO2 sequestration infrastructure.

Avina Clean Hydrogen Concludes FEED, FEL-3 for Gulf Coast Clean Ammonia Facility

Celeros and Flowserve will develop high-pressure injection packages for ADNOC’s Habshan gas plant, capturing and storing 1.5 million tons of CO2.

Flowserve, Celeros Support ADNOC’s Carbon-Reduction Initiative

’s visit to EthosEnergy’s Houston-based light gas turbine workshop, Philip Booth, the Engineering Manager, shared his favorite part of day-to-day operations and offered insight into the available tools used in reverse engineering.

EthosEnergy’s Engineering Manager Philip Booth discusses available technology in reverse engineering for rotating equipment.

Reverse Engineering Adapts with Advanced Technologies

Q: What progress has been made over the last 10 - 20 years in available technology relating to engineering/reverse-engineering capability for rotating equipment?

The technology from OEMs has become increasingly complex, so reverse engineering must follow that complexity. Some of the available tools used to be computerized maintenance management systems (CMMs) where you get low-density data; we’re now using the most advanced blue-light scanning technology to capture the fit, form, and derive the function of parts.

We have a lot of technology available that is way beyond replicating a part. But we need to engineer solutions into that part so that we can make advancements to avoid early-life failure and bring that to bear so that our products are equal to anything from OEMs in the marketplace.

Q: What is your favorite part of day-to-day operations at your facility?

 It’s the range of subjects we cover. From an engineering point-of-view, the team can be looking at performance data in the morning; they can be working on a repair development program at lunch; we’re supporting the workshop in the afternoon; and we might be supporting a field-service technician across the world in the evening. I love being part of those conversations and being part of the problem-solving process.

Check out our video interview with EthosEnergy on 

Aftermarket, Repairs, and Overhaul Market.

Reverse Engineering Adapts with Advanced Technologies 

Turbomachinery International visited one of EthosEnergy’s Houston-based facilities: the light gas turbine workshop and performance center. During our tour, we spoke with Philip Booth, the Engineering Manager at EthosEnergy’s light turbine facility. He shares the changes he’s seen in the past several years in the repair and overhaul market and the impacts decarbonization has had on aftermarket repairs.

On our Turbo Tour of EthosEnergy, Engineering Manager Philip Booth spoke about the repair, overhaul, and aftermarket markets.

Aftermarket, Repairs, and Overhaul Market with EthosEnergy

Q: What changes have you seen over the past 5 – 10 years in aftermarket repair/overhaul? What trends are you seeing?

From an engineering point of view, we are increasingly seeing customers looking to aftermarket for our technical and engineering expertise. We answer questions about the turbines, yes, but increasingly [it’s about] balancing their plant—trying to support the customers, optimize the efficiency and effectiveness of their plant, extend the time between overhauls to bring down lifecycle costs.

Q: How has decarbonization impacted, if at all, aftermarket repairs?

 We've seen this two ways: The obvious one is as emission limits have dropped, OEMs have responded accordingly, developing new technologies. In the aftermarket, we've had to respond to that, so we're quite comfortable overhauling and testing all the technologies—conventionally fired units or wet NOx abatement engines—but increasingly we can test and overhaul right up to the sub 10 PPM NOx engines. So, we're comfortable supporting the most advanced technologies in the workshop.

Second, it's more about the life of the equipment—people are much more inclined to try to extend that as long as possible, so we have a repair-centric methodology for the overhaul process. We work with our other businesses in the Ethos network to develop advanced repair technologies, such as a part that would’ve been thrown away years ago, we're repairing and making sure it still has its effectiveness so that it's good for another four to five years of operation.

On our Turbo Tour of EthosEnergy, Engineering Manager Philip Booth spoke about the repair, overhaul, and aftermarket markets. 

 spoke with Dag Calafell, the Advisory Committee Chair of Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia (TPS) and Asia TPS, about the new research consortium and laboratory at Texas A&M. He also talked about the differences between TPS and Asia TPS.

TURBO: Are you excited about any upcoming or underway projects at the Texas A&M Engineering Experiment Station?

You may have heard from Dr. Eric Peterson, the Director of the Turbomachinery Laboratory at Texas A&M, that a whole new laboratory space is being created that will deal more with systems instead of traditional machinery components. The turbomachinery laboratory research has been traditionally on component work, but now we will be looking at systems overall. That facility is scheduled to open at the end of this year. There will be a new research consortium with topics such as carbon capture and greenhouse gas emissions.

TURBO: Do you have plans for the next Asia Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia?

The Asia event is every two years, and we have found there is a difference in focus between TPS and Asia TPS. TPS is a little more practical, more 

—what do we have, what do we do with it, and how do we optimize our facilities? Whereas Asia TPS a broader event where we talk about research, upcoming products, product development, etc. We are seeing Asia TPS develop in that direction, going from case studies on optimizing machinery to what solutions should we be developing for the future and for some of the problems that we have today.

Dag Calafell of TPS talks about the new wing of the Turbomachinery Lab at Texas A&M and its shift in focus to systems versus components and plans for Asia TPS. 

Research Consortium at Texas A&M, Asia TPS

Dag Calafell of TPS talks plans for Asia TPS and the new wing of the Turbomachinery Lab at Texas A&M and its shift in focus from components to systems.

Conference Coverage

Research Consortium at Texas A&M, Updates on Asia TPS

Turbomachinery International spoke to Klaus Brun, Ph.D., the Director of Research and Development at Ebara Elliott, at Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia (TPS) 2024 in Houston. He shared insight into Elliott Group’s rebranding under Ebara Corp. and how the new entity will tackle industry challenges with an upcoming portfolio of sustainability-focused products.

“Elliott, like any other company in our industry, must follow what our customers do and what our market does. We’ve seen a significant transition in the energy industry over the last 10-15 years. We’ve seen more sustainability and more green energy, and so our products need to change with that market. That doesn’t mean we’re neglecting our current customers or the industry we’ve been serving for over 100 years, but we do have to address the changes we see in the energy industry. Our new name is Ebara Elliott Energy Co., with a specific focus on the energy market and not just on products.”

TURBO: What are the biggest challenges facing the industry?

“Everybody’s talking about decarbonization of the industry, so we’re looking at hydrogen and CO

. These are very new products that need to be developed—they currently don’t exist or are not as optimal as they should be. To meet these drastic market changes, we must develop new products and it’s not just the products, but the entire organization. As our customers change toward decarbonization and sustainability, we must change with them.”

Dr. Klaus Brun of Ebara Elliott addresses the company’s rebranding, prominent industry challenges, and upcoming products for sustainability and green energy at TPS 2024. 

Ebara Elliott Discusses Rebrand, Upcoming Projects for Industry Challenges

At TPS 2024, Klaus Brun of Ebara Elliott addresses the company’s rebranding, prominent industry challenges, and upcoming products for sustainability and green energy. 

Ebara Elliott Discusses Rebrand, Upcoming Products for Industry Challenges

interviewed James Brooks, Director of Engineering at Valley Forge & Bolts, who showcased the company's new compression-based load-indicating fasteners at POWERGEN 2024. 

Turbomachinery International interviewed James Brooks, Director of Engineering at Valley Forge & Bolts.

Video: Valley Forge & Bolt at POWERGEN 20024

"Yes, Valley Forge is most well-known for load-indicating externally threaded fasteners. We take the mystery out of torque-based load indicating and we have direct tension or direct load-indicating fasteners. This year we are launching an industry first compression-based load-indicating fastener. To date, for many years our fasteners have been tension-based load indicating and this year we’re launching a compression-based load-indicating fastener. The application is related to power generation. This is a housing assembly that was installed on the original series of General Electric’s wind turbines. We have a bolt that is placed in the assembly and the bolt is under compression, as opposed to being under tension. We have adapted our load-indicating technology to enable the same SPC-4 configuration we typically utilize, but this time the bolt is in compression instead of tension."

Turbomachinery International interviewed James Brooks, Director of Engineering at Valley Forge & Bolts, who showcased the company's new compression-based load-indicating fasteners.  

Video: Valley Forge Talks Compression-Based Load-Indicating Fasteners

Turbomachinery International interviewed Jay Palmer, Account Manager/Technical Sales at Valley Forge & Bolts, at POWERGEN 2024. 

Video: Meet Valley Forge & Bolts at POWERGEN 2024

What are you showcasing at this year's show?

"This year at POWERGEN we’re showcasing load-indicating fasteners and the ability to hit design clamp load on any type of fastener."

What are your top takeaways from this year's show?

"I’m rather surprised that we’ve not seen the larger producers here. Typically, in the past there were some large booths with Siemens, Mitsubishi, and so forth. We have not seen that for the past couple years. Beyond that though, we had some good activity prior to lunch today, so things were moving pretty well."

Video: At POWERGEN 2024: Meet Valley Forge & Bolts 

At POWERGEN 2024, CEO Thomas Mee of Mee Industries talked with Turbomachinery International about the company's upcoming projects, what's on display on the show floor, and more.

At POWERGEN 2024, CEO Thomas Mee of Mee Industries talked with Turbomachinery International 

At POWERGEN 2024 with Mee Industries

Does Mee Industries have any upcoming projects?

"Oh gosh, we have a lot of projects upcoming this year. We have a lot of units in Texas where they need extra power to follow the wind and solar, especially for when the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing. We have a big project upcoming in Iraq, mostly because they need more power there. We have a project coming up in Jordan for seven gas turbines and Iraq is 18 turbines. We’re working all over the world."

"This is a high-pressure water atomizer. We pressurize water to 2,000 psi, about 140 bar, and atomize using a special atomizer nozzle. It makes this very fine fog so there are no issues with blade erosion or damage to the gas turbine. We’ve actually been doing this for 33 years and have over 1,000 installations from 1 MW to 400 MW gas turbines."

"Mostly it seems like the industry is picking up. It’s good for the people of the world to have electricity."

At POWERGEN 2024, CEO Thomas Mee of Mee Industries talked with Turbomachinery International about the company's upcoming projects, what's on display on the show floor, and more. 

Video: Mee Industries Talks Fogging Systems at POWERGEN 2024

Thomas Mee, CEO of Mee Industries, spoke with Turbomachinery International at POWERGEN 2024. 

POWERGEN 2024 Video: Mee Industries

 "We do inlet air clogging for gas turbines. It’s called evaporative cooling or wet compression. We inject this fog into the inlet of the turbine, which cools the air and increases the mass flow."

Video: Live at POWERGEN 2024 with Mee Industries 

Keeping Operations Running at Their Best

At Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia (TPS) 2023, 

 spoke with Phillip Schuepbach, Business Development Manager at Rotoflow, An Air Products Business. Topics covered in this video, sponsored by Rotoflow, include the company’s 24/7/365 global support offering, how Rotoflow is the total solution for manufacturing, operating, and support, as well as how Rotoflow operates as a full-service OEM for service in the field, a reliable spare parts inventory, or a provider of quick systems upgrades. Rotoflow keeps turbomachinery operating at peak performance.

Sponsored Content: At TPS 2023, Turbomachinery International spoke with Phillip Schuepbach, Business Development Manager at Rotoflow, An Air Products Business.

Interview with Mike Hedger, Director of Engineering at CDI Products

CDI Products: Value of Strategic Partnership

Sponsored Content: At TPS 2023, Turbomachinery International spoke with Mike Hedger, Director of Engineering at CDI Products.

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