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Podcasts

Myth Busters Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz discuss what AI is and isn’t, its shortcomings and strengths, and how it’s changing the turbomachinery and power generation industries. 

TurboTime Podcast: Turbomachinery in the Age of AI and ML

In part II of the two-part podcast on LNG, Myth Busters Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurtz dive into how liquefaction works, why there are so many different ways to liquefy natural gas, and some trends in the sector, such as smaller production facilities, floating offshore vessels, and an overgrowth in the industry.

 There are primarily two processes involved, and they aren't all that complicated. First, there's the reverse Rankine cycle. This cycle involves a phase change, which is similar to what occurs in a refrigerator or air conditioning unit. In this system, a refrigerant—such as propane or ethylene—flows through the cycle, and this process is also known as vapor compression. Typically, you have a compressor and a Joule-Thomson valve in this system. In theory, you could replace the Joule-Thomson valve with a liquid, and it is also possible to use a gas expander, although this is less common.

The second process is the ultra-reverse Brayton cycle, which operates solely with gas. This is akin to a gas turbine cycle in reverse, where you have both a compressor and an expander. This process can also utilize a Joule-Thomson valve, but it is more suited for a gas expander, as it provides a higher efficiency for energy removal. Generally speaking, gas vapor processes tend to be more compact because Brayton cycles are often more efficient. However, it's important not to generalize too much, as efficiency can depend heavily on the specific application.

 As Klaus has mentioned several times, achieving the right refrigeration temperatures in the cycle is crucial for closely matching the energy content of the gas being cooled. To do this, you typically select a specific refrigerant for the initial cooling phase—often propane or a mixed refrigerant. A mixed refrigerant is a combination of several gases designed to achieve a certain thermodynamic behavior.

In one or two stages, you can perform subcooling. This can be done using pure gases, such as ethylene for the first stage and methane for the second stage, or again, through a mixed refrigerant, which usually includes a blend of methane, ethylene, and propane, for example. This structured approach helps optimize the cooling process according to the desired outcomes.

Myth Busters Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz discuss how liquefaction works and dive into trends like smaller production facilities. 

TurboTime Podcast: Part II: LNG Trends, Liquefaction, and More

In part I of this two-part podcast, Myth Busters Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurtz give an overview of LNG’s value chain and dive, the production process, and the role of turbomachinery.

Let’s start with a basic overview of what LNG is and explore the value chain, including where turbomachinery plays a role.

 To begin with, let’s examine the entire natural gas value chain. This process starts with the production of natural gas, which then moves to processing facilities—often referred to as gas plants. After processing, the natural gas is transported to a liquefaction plant or LNG plant. This stage involves further processing, primarily refrigeration, followed by storage and loading onto marine transport vessels. Once the LNG is transported, it is unloaded and sent through pipelines to reach the end user.

The value chain includes a significant amount of turbomachinery. For every 1,000 horsepower of refrigeration in an LNG plant, there’s approximately 10,000 horsepower of other turbomachinery throughout the value chain.

On the production side, gas gathering machines are employed, followed by compression equipment for transporting gas to processing facilities. In gas processing, various operations occur, including acid gas removal, dehydration, and mercury removal, utilizing off-gas and boil-off compressors. There’s also the removal of natural gas liquids (NGLs)—which include heavier components like butane, pentane, and propane—that are sold as separate products.

After processing, the gas is transported through pipelines involving compression stations, and eventually, it reaches the LNG plant where refrigeration processes take place. These can include cascade types or mixed refrigerant processes, often utilizing reverse Brayton or reverse Rankine cycles (also known as vapor compression processes). From the plant, the LNG is stored, and off-gas or boil-off gas compressors are used again. Additional turbomachinery, such as pumps, is involved in the loading process.

Finally, the LNG undergoes regasification before being delivered to consumers. The entire process contains numerous turbomachines, which vary in size from small to large, and each plays a vital role.

The primary advantage of LNG is its ability to transport natural gas over long distances, far beyond what pipelines can accommodate. For example, transporting natural gas from North America to Europe via pipeline is impractical due to the complexity and length of the required infrastructure. By liquefying natural gas, which involves cooling it to approximately -260°F (where it condenses into a liquid), we significantly reduce its volume—making it about 600 times smaller than its gaseous state—allowing for easier transport. Once it reaches its destination, the LNG is regasified for use.

Currently, natural gas is abundant worldwide, making it an effective energy carrier. It’s important to note that during the LNG refrigeration process, there is some energy loss—typically around 15% to 20%. In comparison, the entire value stream experiences a lower energy loss of about 5%. Overall, while refrigeration is energy-intensive, the convenience of transporting natural gas as LNG justifies the process.

 The heart of the LNG production process is the refrigeration process, which cools the feed gas (natural gas) to temperatures where it becomes a liquid at or slightly above ambient pressure. There are several different methods to achieve the low temperatures necessary for liquefying natural gas.

It's important to note that the gases used in the refrigeration process operate in closed loops and do not come into contact with the natural gas being liquefied. The two main methods for achieving these low temperatures are called vapor compression and expansion.

Vapor compression is similar to the method used in air conditioners or refrigerators. In this process, a gas is compressed, which raises its temperature. The gas is then cooled to a lower temperature before being expanded, which causes it to drop to very low temperatures. At this point, it can be used to cool another gas, in this case, liquefied natural gas.

The second method involves compressing the gas and then expanding it through expanders to achieve very low temperatures. A key point, as Klaus highlighted, is that a significant portion of the energy consumption in the liquefaction process within the LNG value chain occurs during liquefaction itself. Therefore, minimizing energy use during this stage is crucial.

Typically, the refrigeration process is conducted in multiple stages. First, one refrigeration loop pre-cools the natural gas to a moderately cold temperature. Then, another process is used for sub-cooling, followed by a third method—either by reducing the pressure of the natural gas or through a separate process—to achieve complete liquefaction.

Additionally, constructing LNG plants requires a substantial increase in activity related to building the natural gas pipelines that supply these facilities with large volumes of gas.

Myth Busters Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz discuss the LNG value chain, where and how turbomachinery fits in, and an overview of the market. 

TurboTime Podcast: Part I: The LNG Value Chain

In part II of the TuboTime episode on designing turbomachines, the Myth Busters, Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz, discuss the accuracy of these design tools, which benchmark testing is still required, and current state-of-the-art tools.

How accurate are these tools? Are the software limitations a part of the software, or are they human input issues?

 It depends on the software, right? There are situations where you need to be fairly accurate. Most finite element analysis (FEA) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) are reasonably accurate, depending on the input of your boundary conditions. You really need to consider what you're trying to accomplish. Structural FEA is more advanced than CFD. Additionally, the equations being solved are fundamentally more linear, and therefore, the expected results tend to be more precise. You can generally expect to be within a couple of percent. In contrast, with CFD, the equations, as Rainer mentioned earlier, the Navier-Stokes equations, are highly complex and nonlinear partial differential equations. These equations are difficult to solve, and you can end up with very inaccurate results because many approximations are made, especially regarding turbulence modeling and boundary layers. The fidelity of the model is essential since you can't delve down to a molecular level; there's a limit to the size at which you can operate before you must make turbulence assumptions and consider steady state versus transient conditions. There are numerous opportunities for error here, and those are some of the significant ones.

 The issue is fundamentally this: What problem are you trying to solve? If you ask a designer to create a new compressor stage that aligns with the experience level of that company's database, you can likely determine things like efficiency or head-making capability, particularly in terms of aerodynamics, probably within a few percent without ever testing it. However, if you are dealing with something for which there is no reference data—essentially operating in uncharted waters and relying solely on your code—the accuracy is significantly and dramatically lower than that.

How accurate are advanced computational tools like CFD and FEA? Find out in part II of designing turbomachines with the Myth Busters.

TurboTime Podcast: Designing Turbomachines - Part II

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, Myth Busters Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz discuss the design of turbomachines. They describe the typical design process for a turbomachine, outline the required engineering tools, and explain each analytical tool's function: finite element analysis, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and rotor and blade dynamics. They also discuss how compressors, pumps, and turbomachines were designed before these advanced computational tools existed.

TURBO: Can you describe the typical design process of a turbomachine and what engineering tools are required?

 You begin with what's known as a 1D analysis, then move to a 2D analysis, also called a blade passage flow analysis. After that, you proceed to 3D and conduct some testing before refining your geometry. In essence, that's the aerodynamics part, right? However, there’s an initial step that is often overlooked, which is your own experience. You start your design based on your experience and your existing machinery portfolio. If you’re a turbomachinery manufacturer with 50, 60, or 70 years in the field, you’ve likely worked on various types of machines. Therefore, before designing a new machine, impeller, or expander, you review your existing portfolio; that's usually your starting point. You examine what's closest to your needs within that portfolio to determine if you can build upon it or if you need to start from scratch. Besides the aerodynamic design process, there's also a review of structures and dynamics that runs parallel to your aerodynamic process. You perform aerodynamic design followed by structural checks. Essentially, you assess the solids and dynamics to ensure there’s no risk of failure due to vibration. You conduct these evaluations throughout to avoid potential failures. These are generally well-known considerations. Additionally, a third aspect that often gets overlooked is manufacturability. It’s crucial to ensure that what you're designing can actually be manufactured, as it wouldn’t make sense to design an impeller or a machine that ultimately cannot be produced due to a lack of available technology or machinery. This consideration relates closely to materials, so manufacturability and materials fall into the same category, requiring a review of your materials, coatings, etc., throughout the design process to ensure that your design is feasible for production.

 I’d also like to point out that, as engineers, we don't design these machines out of thin air. There’s usually a use case, a customer, or a market assessment that indicates we need something that fits specific requirements. This could be a gas turbine that produces 20,000 horsepower or a compressor that can deliver more throughput than what my competitors can achieve within a given casing size, and so on. Then, we enter a process where engineering is asked, "Hey, can you guys do that?” Of course, someone also inevitably asks if we can achieve that at a cost that makes the project feasible. Yes, Klaus is absolutely right; this essentially defines the playground we work within. From there, we move from what could be considered a rough draft, using our experience, to increasingly refined concepts. Ultimately, you'll end up with some CFD simulations, and after building the first machine or prototype, there will be some testing to follow.

Do engineers overrely on computational tools? The Myth Busters deep dive into engineering tools, such as CFD and FEA, used to design turbomachines. 

TurboTime Podcast: The Turbomachinery Design Process - Part I

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.”

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 

In part two of this episode of the TurboTime Podcast, Klaus Burn of Ebara Elliott Energy, and Rainer Kurz of RKSBenergy LLC, discuss surge and choke on a compressor map. They explain where they occur on the map, what happens to the compressor when they operate in these extremes, and about transient operation of a compressor.

Brun explained surge: “On the left side of the map you have surge, and on the right side is choke, overload, or stonewall. The most basic definition of surge is the compressor head cannot overcome the system-imposed pressure, i.e., pressure on the outside on the suction and discharge, and the compressor is not making enough head to overcome that pressure differential. So instead of the flow moving forward through the compressor, the flow suddenly turns around and goes backward through the machine until that pressure balances again, at which point the machine can overcome that head. Then it starts a process again. And that becomes a circular process—you get into these surge cycles, and it's a fairly complex thing.”

Kurz emphasizes that surge is an interaction between the compressor and the system around it, “meaning the compressor by itself doesn't surge,” he said. “If the system forces the compressor to make more pressure ratio than under whatever conditions the compressor is going to make, then the gas thus what it wanted to do in the first place, which is go from the high pressure to low pressure, meaning it goes backward through the compressor. The tricky part with that is on the compressor map, we show what the compressor does. So, the map by itself and that surge line on the map is essentially something you derive from the compressor performance.”

The Myth Busters, Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz, talk about surge and choke on a compressor map. 

TurboTime Podcast: Part II: Surge and Choke with the Myth Busters 

In this two-part episode of the TurboTime Podcast, Klaus Burn of Ebara Elliott Energy, and Rainer Kurz of RKSBenergy LLC, discuss compressor maps. The duo explains what compressor maps are, what they are useful for, how they fit into the process, and where head, flow, and efficiency islands fit in.

“In its most basic form, a compressor map is a graphical representation of how a centrifugal compressor behaves,” Brun said. “It's somewhat of an oversimplification because more factors play into it; but overall, it gives an accurate representation of what a compressor does within the system that it operates. A standard compressor map has an X and Y axis. The Y axis has something called head—isentropic or polytropic head. Sometimes you also see pressure ratio or a discharge pressure or a fixed section pressure. On the X axis is flow, and most of the time it’s volumetric flow. Sometimes you see mass flow, but that's not very common. Compressor maps also have a surge line on the left and on the right side of the map you have a choke or stonewall area. And finally, you have efficiency islands, and they correspond to the efficiency of the compressor. Not all compressor maps show them.”

Kurz further described efficiency islands: “Efficiency islands refer to the fact that these maps are three-dimensional, but we can only put them in two dimensions on paper. The three axes you want to display are head, flow, and efficiency. You use the efficiency lines in a very similar way to elevation lines. Also, the coordinates of the map that are directly affected by the compressor aerodynamics are head and flow. You can translate head into pressures or pressure ratios, and you can translate actual flow into mass flow, but ultimately what happens aerodynamically in the compressor is described by head and actual flow.”

The Myth Busters, Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz, talk about compressor maps—what they are, how they are generated, and what they are useful for. 



TurboTime Podcast: Part I: Compressor Maps with the Myth Busters 

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

In this episode of the TurboTime Podcast, the Myth Busters discusses the role of turbomachinery in energy transport and storage, including how gas turbines maximize energy density. They dive into various forms of energy storage—including batteries, hydrogen, and mechanical and thermal energy—for various energy sources such as wind, solar, fossil fuels, etc., and more.

During the energy transport and conversion processes, for example in the case of hydrogen, there are significant energy losses. The lowest losses are with coal, then oil and fossil fuels. As a result of these losses, “Hydrogen is a viable solution for storage, but it’s not a great solution to power a large-scale electric power plant by itself,” Kurz said.

Really, energy comes down to sustainability, affordability, and sustainability of supply – and in this equation, renewables are typically intermittent and not a reliable full-time source of energy.

So where does turbomachinery fit into all of this?

“From a turbomachinery perspective, if you exclude electric—because as Rainer said, it's not always applicable, as you can’t transport energy from Venezuela to Florida along an electric line—then you have to convert your energy stored material, be it natural gas, oil, coal, or from an alternative source then you have to convert it into hydrogen or ammonia or something else, and then transport it,” Brun explained. “All these convergent processes utilize turbomachinery. We have maybe 100 years of experience transporting oil in pipelines and ships and trucks and that involves a lot of pumping—we're very good at pumping – it’s very efficient. We also have about a similar amount of time compressing natural gas, which over the last 40 - 50 years we've used a lot more centrifugal compressors for transporting natural gas. Now we're running into the challenge of sustainable alternative energies where basically you're saying, ‘OK, I'm going to take my wind and solar electric and convert them to let's say hydrogen or ammonia or dimethyl ether or methanol—there are a lot of fluids that you can make from electricity that are energy carriers—but then they have to be transported. Hydrogen is the lightest gas (We had a previous podcast where we talked about the challenges of 

). Similarly, ammonia is a liquid that has to be transported at slightly refrigerated temperatures, and it brings its own challenges because it's highly poisonous and very corrosive to a lot of materials. Dimethyl ether is not that hard to transport—it’s similar to diesel—but it's very expensive to make. Methanol is also highly poisonous. So there are a lot of other challenges that you now face with these energy carriers that you worry about when transporting your original form of energy to the end user.”

Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz dial into energy storage and transport—why they are necessary, how turbomachinery fits into these processes, and more. 

TurboTime Podcast: Energy Transport and Storage with the Myth Busters 

The September/October 2025 issue covers steam turbine optimization, a pump-centric conversation with the Hydraulic Institute, hybrid grid technology for stabilization, and much more.

Turbomachinery International: September/October 2025

In addition to servicing critical oil and gas safety systems, EthosEnergy’s Approved Repair Facility designation will enable faster turnaround times and localized support.

EthosEnergy Abu Dhabi Receives Approval to Repair MEYER-Fabritech Safety Systems

The TCT40 turbocharger features a newly developed radial compressor and axial turbine, reinforcing a compact and lightweight design with superior charging efficiencies.

MITSUI E&S, Everllence Produce First TCT Turbocharger in Japan

Due to the low mole weight of hydrogen, one must increase impeller tip speed to generate higher pressure ratios and reduce overall stages.

Q&A with Siemens Energy: Brian Grosso Talks High Tips Speeds for H2 Compression

Following expansion in New Mexico and Texas, Cardinal now owns and operates approximately 150 miles of natural gas infrastructure in the Delaware Basin.

Cardinal Midstream Expands Pipeline Network, Pecos River Processing Complex

Welcome to the seventeenth edition of the Turbomachinery News Network. I’m James Cook, associate editor at 

The Turbomachinery News Network, for the week of October 6, 2025, covers news from Turboden America, Siemens Energy, Ansaldo Energia, Everllence, and Rolls-Royce.

Turbomachinery News Network: Turboden, Ansaldo Energia, Siemens Energy, and more

 for Fervo Energy’s Cape Station geothermal project in Utah. Turboden will deliver equipment for three 60-MWe Organic Rankine Cycle units, totaling 180 MW of clean dispatchable power. With an additional three Gen-2 units, Turboden’s technology will generate 300 MWe of power at the Cape Station site, forming one of the largest geothermal installations globally.

Siemens Energy will deliver 10 large-scale gas turbines and associated generation equipment to support Xcel Energy’s 

, reinforcing grid reliability in its Southwest service territory. The new facilities will add 2,088 MW of dispatchable generation capacity, providing flexible on-demand power during peak usage and turbulent market conditions.

 combined-cycle power plant, including modifications to the gas turbine, steam turbine, and generator. The project, completed within the agreed-upon timeframe, improved operational flexibility and allowed the plant to operate with up to 25% hydrogen. Prior to the upgrades, the company anticipated a 43-MW power increase, 0.9% efficiency improvement, and a reduction of over 10,000 tons of CO

MITSUI E&S and Everllence unveiled the first TCT turbocharger to be produced under license domestically—the 

. In 2022, MITSUI agreed to build Everllence’s TCT axial-turbocharger series to replace older turbocharger models for two-stroke engines. The TCT40 features a newly developed radial compressor and axial turbine tested with the latest simulation technologies, establishing a compact and lightweight turbocharger design.

Beginning in 2026, Rolls-Royce will launch an updated 

 for the 60-Hz market. With a new fast-start capability, the genset will deliver 2.8 MW in 45 seconds to power data centers and stabilize the grid. Compared to the previous model, performance has been increased by 10% and the genset does not require a gearbox, allowing data center operators to achieve notable space savings. Rolls-Royce’s fast-start engines can supply emergency power in data centers, but also continuous power in combination with diesel models.

Welcome to the sixteenth edition of the Turbomachinery News Network. I’m James Cook, associate editor at 

The Turbomachinery News Network, for the week of September 29, 2025, covers news from Mitsubishi Power, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Baker Hughes, bp, and Rotating Machinery Services.

Turbomachinery News Network: Mitsubishi Power, Baker Hughes, RMS, and more

Mitsubishi Power will deliver a 100-MW gas turbine combined-cycle power plant, driven by a 

, for Jiangsu Lihuai Steel’s plant in Huai’an City, China. The M100S turbine fires blast furnace gas and will be deployed as a core component of the GTCC plant. Jiangsu Lihuai Steel will begin GTCC operation in 2027, with the turbine and related equipment manufactured and supplied by Takasago Machinery Works.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries announced the world’s first commercial launch of a 30% 

hydrogen co-firing large-scale gas engine

. Since October 2024, KHI has been conducting operational verification at Kobe Works, testing an 8-MW gas engine power generation system that can co-fire natural gas mixed with up to 30% hydrogen as fuel. The verification, completed in September 2025, focused on hydrogen supply, maintainability, and other operational factors.

Bechtel Energy awarded Baker Hughes a contract to deliver 

 for Sempra Infrastructure’s Port Arthur LNG Phase 2 project in Jefferson County, TX. The supply scope includes four Frame-7 turbines and eight centrifugal compressors for two LNG trains, as well as two electric motor-driven compressors for the plant’s booster services. These new assets support a nameplate capacity of approximately 13 MTPA.

 in the Gulf of America. The new oil and gas production hub features a floating production platform with the capacity to produce 80,000 barrels of crude oil per day, including six wells in the Tiber field and a two-well tieback from the Guadalupe field. The 100% bp-owned hub will begin production in 2030.

Rotating Machinery Services officially opened an over 150,000-square-foot facility in Pasadena, TX, dubbed 

, within the Houston Ship Channel’s industrial corridor. It serves as a hub for end-to-end turbomachinery solutions like blade manufacturing, engineering, and field services. Also, BAB is the new headquarters of RMS’s Global Technology Services, hosting advanced laser scanning, virtual assembly, metrology, and other technology-driven capabilities in one location.

Brian Grosso of Siemens Energy’s Advanced Compression Systems continued the conversation surrounding its new 

, which passed performance and mechanical testing up to high-speed operation in a closed-loop facility. Grosso contributed a technical analysis of how Siemens Energy achieved high impeller tip speeds and its benefits for hydrogen compression applications.

He also disclosed some performance and rotordynamics testing results, which displayed multiple levels of API compliance across power tolerance, allowable vibration, and performance on the operating map. Lastly, Grosso explains the purpose of gaseous helium in compressor mechanical testing and why pure hydrogen testing may be required for future generations of high-speed machines.

For mechanical testing, the compressor met API’s allowable vibration limit and performance guarantees, validating the design for high-speed applications.

Siemens Energy’s Brian Grosso Unveils Compressor Testing Results with High Impeller Tip Speed

TURBO: What is the role of gaseous helium in this closed-loop hydrogen compression system?

Helium is the closest inert gas in mole weight to hydrogen, and it’s typically used in compressor mechanical testing. As the closest inert gas, we can test it at a high fraction of the compressor speed to ensure safety before we tested with hydrogen. At some point, when you start adding enough head and more stages to the machine, testing with helium would get too hot at full speeds. To fully test the capabilities of these machines in the future, it’s anticipated that you’ll need to test using hydrogen gas.

TURBO: Can you speak on the performance and rotordynamics testing results?

We met stricter than API 617 performance guarantees in terms of the power tolerance. We did work to analyze the effect of the semi-open impeller shroud gap on performance throughout the operating map. The mechanical test results were also very positive: The API allowable vibration limit decreases with speed, but we were able to meet the allowable vibration limit during these tests – even up to approximately 28,000 rpm.

Conference Coverage

 served as a showing ground for many emerging hydrogen technologies, projects, and demonstrations, with Siemens Energy’s single-piece centrifugal compressor rotor design potentially answering a pressing question: How can hydrogen compression be conducted at industrial scale? Kirk Lupkes, Head of Future Technologies – Compression at Siemens Energy, sat down with us to offer more insight on the design and overall market.

According to Lupkes, the high-speed design was tested at a dedicated closed-loop facility and demonstrated significant mechanical and aerodynamic promise, offering a solution with high-pressure ratio for storage and transportation applications. Despite successfully developing, testing, and validating the new technology, the Trump Administration’s policies slowed down U.S.-based hydrogen activity, but Siemens Energy will be technologically ready when the fuel comes around.

Although hydrogen projects have slowed down since the Trump Administration took office, Siemens Energy will continue technology demonstrations to ensure future-fuel readiness.

Kirk Lupkes of Siemens Energy Outlines Hydrogen Compression Challenges, Market, and New Demo

TURBO: What are the operational and cost-based challenges associated with industrial-scale hydrogen compression applications?

Compressing hydrogen at industrial scale certainly presents many challenges. When we look ahead to the markets we’re anticipating, with hydrogen and green hydrogen production in particular, you’ll have widely fluctuating flows and hydrogen produced at relatively low pressures. This requires an extremely high-pressure ratio in the compressor for storage or transport via pipeline, presenting some unique challenges for centrifugal compressors.

TURBO: How was the test facility configured for this demonstration? What impact may this new compressor have on drivetrains?

 for compressor testing. Its construction was required to validate the technology we’ve developed in the advanced rotor. Although we can use helium in certain phases of testing, when you’re validating new high-speed technology, it requires running on the actual gas – there’s really no good way to simulate hydrogen to produce the mechanical and aerodynamic results we need for our customers.

In terms of drivetrain implications, we’ve worked with a number of OEMs and there’s a number of commercially available technologies, in terms of motors and gears, that can perform at the speeds we need. We’ve been specifically working with Voith and its E-Pack system, as its one of the drive solutions in the market that may be well-suited to hydrogen applications.

The 2025 Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia (TPS 2025) kicked off yesterday in Houston, TX, and 

got a chance to speak with Dr. Eric Petersen of the Texas A&M Turbomachinery Lab about the conference’s overall focus and new programs. Petersen said that the primary focuses are the basic practical aspects of turbomachinery, with some specific subtopics concerning compressors and diagnostic capabilities.

In terms of new aspects at TPS 2025, Petersen discussed two new short courses held on Monday – one on screw compressors and another regarding diagnostics and condition monitoring. Also, for the first time in TPS history, John Crane sponsored the 

 which covered the energy trilemma: affordability, security, and sustainability.

Dr. Eric Petersen, Director of the Texas A&M Turbomachinery Lab, discusses a focus on centrifugal compressors, vibration and reliability, and new short courses at TPS 2025.

Texas A&M’s Dr. Eric Petersen Highlights Industry Focus, New Developments at TPS 2025

TURBO: What is the overall focus of TPS 2025? What are the most prevalent topics?

If you start at the top, there’s been a focus on reliability, maintenance, and the basic practical aspects of the turbomachinery industry. This applies to pumps that put work into fluid flow and turbines that extract work from the fluid flow – our primary focuses. Some detailed aspects include centrifugal compressors, vibration and reliability, and advanced diagnostic techniques. These have been a main focus of the existing symposium.

TURBO: Has the Texas A&M Turbo Lab installed any new programs for TPS 2025?

In terms of courses, what comes to mind are two relatively new short courses we offered on Monday. We had a short course on screw compressors and then another on diagnostics and condition monitoring, both of which came into play during Monday’s event.

The 2025 Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia in Houston emphasizes the practical aspects of turbomachinery, focusing on reliability, maintenance, and advanced diagnostics. Key topics include centrifugal compressors, vibration, and reliability. New initiatives include short courses on screw compressors and diagnostics, enhancing the educational offerings. Notably, John Crane sponsored the opening keynote, addressing the energy trilemma of affordability, security, and sustainability. These elements highlight the symposium's commitment to advancing industry knowledge and addressing contemporary challenges in turbomachinery and pump technology.

Welcome to the fourteenth edition of the Turbomachinery News Network. I’m James Cook, associate editor at 

The Turbomachinery News Network, for the week of September 8, 2025, covers news from GE Vernova, Mitsubishi Power, Rolls-Royce, and NextDecade.

Turbomachinery News Network: GE Vernova, Mitsubishi Power, NextDecade, and more

The Electricity Supply Board of Ireland contracted GE Vernova to execute a life extension and modernization project at the 

, installing its GT26 high-efficiency upgrade and SEMIPOL, static excitation equipment, and startup frequency converter technology. The project intends to improve performance, reliability, output, and support Ireland’s energy transition goals. Completion is slated for 2026.

In cooperation with Doosan Enerbility, Mitsubishi Power will deliver two M701 JAC gas turbines and auxiliary equipment for Petrovietnam’s 1,155-MW 

 gas turbine combined cycle plant in Can Tho, South Vietnam. The O Mon 4 power plant, once operational, will generate stable electricity for the Mekong Delta region under the Block B – O Mon gas-to-power project.

 expanded their international partnership by signing a new collaboration agreement, allowing them to engage with the Edgewing joint venture for the Global Combat Air Program. Through these collaborations, the partners aim to accelerate the development of power and propulsion systems for next-generation fighter aircraft. Currently, they are progressing on the engine demonstrator, technologies for additive manufacturing, cooling systems, high-pressure compressor design, and more.

The Taiwan Power Co. also granted Mitsubishi Power and CTCI a $5.2 billion contract to execute a full turnkey project at its 2,800-MW 

 in Miaoli County, Taiwan. Mitsubishi Power will deliver five units with M501 JAC gas turbines, steam turbines, and auxiliary equipment, while CTCI performs engineering, procurement, and construction and balance-of-plant work for the project.

NextDecade completed the positive final investment decision and closed financial transactions for 

 at Rio Grande LNG, with the company also progressing Train 5 toward FID in Q4 2025. NextDecade issued Bechtel Energy full notice to proceed with turnkey engineering, procurement, and construction on Train 4 and associated assets.

Welcome to the tenth edition of the Turbomachinery News Network. I’m James Cook, associate editor at 

The Turbomachinery News Network, for the week of August 11, 2025, covers news from Rolls-Royce, FS-Elliott, ConocoPhillips, Everllence, and TerraFixing.

Rolls-Royce Unveils G06, FS-Elliott Launches P650 DF, ConocoPhillips Deploys Optimized Cascade, Everllence Forms Methanol Partnership, Canada Builds Carbon Capture

MTU Yuchai Power, a joint venture between Rolls-Royce and Yuchai Diesel, finalized production for the new mtu 

 at its Suzhou, China facility. Rolls-Royce signed multiple contracts with regional power generation OEMs and will deliver engines shortly. It is specifically designed for mission-critical operations, demonstrating increased power density, optimized fuel efficiency, and reliability.

FS-Elliott a dual-inlet, double-flow centrifugal air compressor—dubbed the 

—applicable to industries such as biofermentation, pneumatic conveying, petrochemical and refinery operations, chemical production, water treatment, and industrial gas. For high-flow, low-pressure operations, the P650 DF demonstrates high capacity within a compact, oil-free, and cost-effective design.

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