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Podcasts

Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz break down the myth that electrification and electric-motor drives are decarbonized. 

TurboTime Podcast: Debunking Machinery Decarbonization Myths

During this episode of the TurboTime Podcast, Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz discuss how hydrogen is transported and its use as an energy carrier. They then discuss how ammonia is produced, its advantages and limitations, and for what industries it’s a suitable solution.

“We’ve previously talked about hydrogen in some of our Myth Buster podcasts and how it’s relevant to a decarbonized energy economy as an energy carrier. Unfortunately, hydrogen itself has a lot of nasty characteristics: it's hard to compress, highly flammable, as a gas it’s not easy to deal with, etc. From a transportation and storage perspective, it leaks, has many safety issues, causes hydrogen embrittlement, etc., making it difficult to transport.”

“Making ammonia is nothing new. We know how to how the process works, but it is an energy-intensive process. But ammonia is a very toxic gas. It causes skin burns rapidly if you touch it in liquid form. In vapor form, even at less than 100 PPMs, it’s very irritating, so it creates a lot of issues from the handling perspective.”

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, Myth Buster Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz discuss ammonia. 

TurboTime Podcast: Ammonia with the Myth Busters

In this episode of the TurboTime Podcast, we talk with Giuseppe Tilocca, Scientific Officer at ETN Global, a non-profit member association in the gas turbine technology space. ETN Global’s recent global report, 

Decentralized Energy Systems: Toward Carbon-Neutral Energy Solutions for Gas Turbines

, compares decentralized systems to centralized heat and power units and highlights its advantages—including modularity, the possibility to exploit waste heat avoiding energy transmission losses, and reducing energy distribution costs. Tilocca reviews these advantages in detail, as well as trends and emerging market opportunities, and he dives into gas turbines and how they fit into decentralized energy systems.

“Considering this specific report, we all know that the energy sector is transforming very quickly, and it's mainly driven by the increasingly high share of renewable energy sources,” Ticolla said. “In this scenario, which is dominated by variable sources whose daily, weekly, and seasonal flexibility are set to go dramatically, to meet the system requirements while accomplishing the ambitious decarbonization goals, we need to support traditional centralized generation with a mix of the centralized components.”

So, how does ETN Global define decentralized energy systems, and what are their advantages?

“Historically, we established centralized energy systems, meaning large plants located far from consumers,” Tilocca explained. “The reason behind it is merely economy of scale and efficiency, so it is cheaper to have one big plant than many small ones; however, with the increasing integration of variable renewable energy sources, which are inherently decentralized, we now need to adapt our infrastructure and incorporate technologies that are traditionally used for centralized energy. By definition, a decentralized energy system is located close to the consumption nodes—so on the end user side of the network—and therefore it's connected to the distribution grid rather than the transmission grid. The advantages of a decentralized energy system are mainly modularity, the possibility of exploiting waste heat, and a positive contribution to stability. In particular, one of the main advantages of being close to consumption nodes is avoiding transmission and distribution losses and also costs compared to centralized generation. Centralized energy systems are pivotal in meeting the pillars of the energy trilemma, which stress the principles of affordability, security, and climate neutrality and hence it aligns with the requirements for the transition toward 2030 but also 2040 and 2050.”

ETN Global’s Scientific Officer, Giuseppe Tilocca, talks about the association’s recent report on decentralized energy systems—their advantages and challenges, trends, and where and how gas turbines fit in.  

TurboTime Podcast: Decentralized Energy Systems with ETN Global 

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 

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, we are featuring part of an interview with Dr. Jeffrey Goldmeer, the Global Hydrogen Value Chain Leader at GE Vernova, recorded at POWERGEN 2024 with our assistant editor, James Cook. Dr. Goldmeer discusses the many pathways to decarbonization, including next-generation combustors that support hydrogen and ammonia.

Below is a quick snippet of the interview with GE Vernova's global hydrogen leader:

 In the United States, in the South and Southwest, there are only approximately 1,600 miles of hydrogen-ready pipeline. Why is there a lack of hydrogen infrastructure in the United States, and are there roadblocks for hydrogen development in other areas of the country?

 When you say lack of infrastructure, if you're here in the Gulf Coast, where most hydrogen in the United States is consumed and produced, I don't think they would tell you they have an infrastructure issue. What we're talking about is a future where we might see the production and use of hydrogen more decentralized, across the United States. So that might imply maybe there's a lack of infrastructure in those places, but those places today don't have large-scale hydrogen production and consumption, So, I don't think it's a lack of infrastructure; I think that we haven't developed the hydrogen ecosystem in those locations. Now that's not to say that hydrogen isn't produced locally and used locally around the world, even in the United States—I think about companies that are producing hydrogen to use in fuel cells and forklifts. but they're producing it and transporting it by truck because they don’t have the volume of needing a pipeline.”

 featuring more content from our interview with Dr. Goldmeer.

This episode of the TurboTime podcast features an interview with Dr. Jeffrey Goldmeer, the Global Hydrogen Value Chain Leader at GE Vernova. 

TurboTime Podcast: Hydrogen, Ammonia, Decarbonization with GE Vernova

In Part 2 of this episode of the TurboTime podcast on pumping/compressing CO

, Myth Busters Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz discuss the impact CO

has on centrifugal compressor performance and carbon sequestration.

The duo talks about how the pressure of CO

 in a pipeline, for example, affects centrifugal compressor performance. They also discuss carbon sequestration challenges and how the industry is optimizing these technologies for emissions control, specifically in terms of gas leakage and losses.

In Part 2 of this episode of the TurboTime podcast, Myth Busters Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz discuss the impact CO2 has on centrifugal compressor performance and carbon sequestration.

TurboTime Podcast: Part 2 - Compressing CO2

In Part 1 of this episode of the TurboTime podcast, Myth Busters Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz discuss pumping/compressing CO

can be captured pre-combustion or post-combustion (from the flue gas), and it then must be transported in a pipeline in which it would have to be re-pump or compressed, and then put into the ground at a geological site. The Myth Busters flesh out this process and explain in detail the process of pumping/compressing CO

 and how it plays into the hydrogen discussion. They also discuss why is it so important to know about the supercritical state of CO

In Part 1 of this episode of the TurboTime podcast, Myth Busters Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz discuss pumping/compressing CO2. 

TurboTime Podcast: Part 1 - Compressing CO2

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.

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

Ever-increasing energy demands are placing a harsh spotlight on the supply chain and workforce challenges plaguing the turbomachinery industry.

Gas Turbine Industry 10-Year Outlook

The company’s coiled-tube drilling operations include its CoilTrak bottomhole assembly system and enhanced reservoir analysis driven by the GaffneyCline energy advisory.

Baker Hughes Expands Coiled-Tube Drilling in Saudi Arabia’s Natural Gas Fields

The 2026 Handbook includes a comprehensive outlook of the U.S. power industry and gas turbine market, as well as an industry-wide directory and specifications listings.

Turbomachinery International: 2026 Handbook

The new power plant will deploy Mitsubishi Power’s M701 JAC gas turbine with 30% hydrogen co-firing potential, helping to meet the Singaporean net-zero emissions target by 2050.

Mitsubishi Power, Jurong to Build Largest Combined-Cycle Gas Turbine Plant in Singapore

Xdot Bearing Technologies’ product offerings will accelerate growth in high-performance markets with advanced pumps, compressors, and high-speed rotating machines.

Graham Corp. Purchases Specific Assets, Foil Bearings from Xdot

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.

Home Page Feature

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.

In addition to hosting the Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia (TPS) on a yearly basis, the Texas A&M Turbomachinery Laboratory is continuously engaged in high-end rotating equipment testing and research. 

, Director of the aforementioned lab, added valuable insight on the newly opened 

Propulsion and Energetics Research Laboratory

 (PERL) and some further discussion of TPS 2025.

On the conference side, Dr. Petersen highlights a few technologies which garnered major attention at the show: supercritical CO

 equipment and power cycles, hydrogen systems, and overall diagnostics and big data management. He also clarifies the role of TPS 2025, explaining that the conference allows participants to take lessons home, apply them, and then return in the following years with presentable results.

The 2025 Turbomachinery & Pump Symposia provides participants with up-to-date information on the latest technologies, including supercritical equipment, hydrogen systems, and AI.

Dr. Petersen Talks PERL Facility, Emerging Tech, and TPS 2025’s Impact on Industry

TURBO: Are there updates regarding the newly established PERL facility and Energy and Propulsion Research Consortium?

In terms of the Propulsion and Energetics Research Laboratory, I’m happy to say that it went online in June of this year – just a few months ago. It’s fully standing and we’re now in the process of getting it operational. We’re doing a shakedown of the facility and installing a new control room and associated equipment. We’re also coming up with some trial projects to test out the facility, so that’s our progress so far.

TURBO: What emerging technologies or research areas are you excited to see at TPS 2025?

I think you’ll see that the new technologies continue to garner major interest in the energy sector. Ammonia is very popular for use as an energy source or transportation (pumping) from Point A to Point B. We also have hydrogen-based systems, supercritical CO

 and power cycles, and then advanced diagnostics, big data management, and artificial intelligence. We’re seeing these become more and more prevalent in the turbomachinery industry.

 surveyed its readers about the state of the industry. One recurring challenge in our readers’ responses was labor shortages and skill gaps.

At Tubo Expo 2025, held June 17-18 in Memphis, Tennessee, we asked industry leaders about how they are collaborating with partners and academia, and networking at conferences to build a skilled workforce and address shortages.

Hear insights from Antonio Escamilla Perejon, Client Relationship Manager at ETN Global; Tim Allison, Director of R&D in the Machinery Department of Southwest Research Institute; Dr. Eric Petersen, Professor of Mechanical Engineering and Director of the Turbomachinery Laboratory at Texas A&M, Angelique Vesey, Senior Director of TEC Strategy & Operations at ASME; and Susan Scofield, VP of Business Operations for North America at Siemens Energy.

Energy Industry Outlook: Strategies to Tackle Supply Chain Issues, Power Demand, and Decarbonization.

Industry leaders discuss strategies—collaborating with academia, partners, and networking—to cultivate a skilled workforce and address labor challenges.

Building a Skilled Turbomachinery Workforce: Collaboration and Innovation

to listen to Ulrich Schmitz, Vice President of Marketing in the Gas and Processing Division at Atlas Copco, discuss pressing issues facing the turbomachinery industry. 

Susan Scofield, a co-curator for the Celebrating Women in Turbomachinery program at Turbo Expo 2025, shared her insights on how the industry can and does support women in the industry. Scofield is also the Vice President of Business Operations for North America at Siemens Energy, Vice Chair of the IGTI Strategy Department, and Executive Conference Chair of the Turbo Expo Organizing Committee.

At Turbo Expo 2025, Susan Scofield of Siemens Energy says great role models, mentoring programs, and building networks support women in turbomachinery. 

How Industry Can Support Women in Turbomachinery

How can the industry support and uplift women in turbomachinery?

Going into it, sometimes you fall into a great role model—a great mentor who gives you that boost of courage or just shows you what the future possibility is like. Other times, you have to be intentional around it. We have great opportunities with things like the ASME mentoring program and the Young Student Advisory Committee, which promotes what jobs and careers could look like in turbomachinery. And then sometimes you get lucky with professors like Jackie O'Connor at Penn State, who are just fantastic and do awesome work. You then get a chance to showcase what you've learned and build a bridge into an industry of what the future possibilities could be like for your own career. So, building these networks in the places that do exist—there are places that exist with a lot of great opportunity—is a key to helping the next generation of women and men be fantastic in the turbomachinery industry.

 to hear the biggest challenges for women working in the turbomachinery industry. 

At Turbo Expo 2025, Antonio Escamilla Perejon, Client Relationship Manager at ETN Global, sat down with 

rnational to discuss how micro-gas turbines are adapting to alternative fuels like hydrogen, their role in the push to decarbonize, and their inherent built-in features such as fuel flexibility and modularity. 

ETN Global's presentation at Turbo Expo. 

ETN Global says micro gas turbines are improving due to advances in heat recovery, fuel flexibility

Micro Gas Turbine Advancements and Market Dynamics

TURBO: How are micro-gas turbines adapting to alternative fuels like hydrogen, and what's their role in the push to decarbonize?

Micro-gas turbines are well-suited to lead the transition to cleaner fuels due to their inherent fuel flexibility and modularity. We can already find some models on the market that operate with hydrogen blends, and research and development are underway to enable operation with up to 100% hydrogen and stable combustion. Regarding low NOx, we want to achieve net zero. We also need to target those hard-to-electrify industries where micro-gas turbines can be robust solutions. In this case, these sectors require both heat and power, and many times they lack grid reliability. Within ETN Global, we support hydrogen readiness through our hydrogen working group and various cross-sector collaboration projects. We believe in the unique potential of micro gas turbines as a bridging technology to achieve net zero. Additionally, some ETN Global members are using micro-gas turbines to develop and validate concepts such as hydrogen combustion and carbon capture and sequestration. These smaller systems allow for faster iterations, lower experimental costs, and serve as a foundation for developing concepts that can later be scaled for larger gas turbines. This bottom-up approach can really accelerate the energy transition.

TURBO: What are your clients' top priorities regarding micro-gas turbines, and how is ETN Global directly supporting these needs?

: End users are primarily focused on reliability, lifecycle costs, fuel flexibility, and a clear path toward lower-carbon operations. There is a bit of a concern about market fragmentation, as there is a need to standardize interfaces, build up trust, and scale deployments. ETN Global is addressing this by setting up a collaborative and competitive environment that accelerates shared learning and supports technology development. ETN Global acts as a neutral facilitator connecting OEMs, operators, suppliers, research institutions, and policymakers to identify barriers and drive innovations. Our support for the European Micro-Gas Turbine Energy Forum can help amplify the visibility and momentum of the micro-gas turbine.

Antonio Perejon of ETN Global says micro-gas turbines are well-suited to lead the transition to cleaner fuels due to their inherent fuel flexibility and modularity. 

Micro-Gas Turbines Support Hydrogen, Modularity, Hard-To-Electrify Industries

At Turbo Expo 2025, Michael Smiarowski, Manager Steam Turbine Modernizations at Siemens Energy, shared with Turbomachinery International what’s driving steam turbine modernizations, and how have these drivers have changed in recent years. He spoke about decarbonization efforts impacting steam turbine modernization projects, particularly those regarding efficiency upgrades and fuel flexibility.

steam turbine customers in nuclear are focused on optimizing output and staying carbon-free, and fossil’s focus is reliability and modernization. 

Steam Turbine Modernizations Driven by the Need for Green, More Power, and Reliability 

What are the primary drivers for steam turbine modernizations, and how have these changed in recent years?

Our nuclear customers are really focused on optimizing their output. It starts with a thermal uprate to increase steam production. With that, you need to look at the steam turbine to determine if it can handle the additional steam. Sometimes, you must change out turbine components to support that. The overriding driver for our nuclear customers is the need for additional power, as well as green, carbon-free power generation.

For fossil units, mainly combined-cycle units on the steam side, we're seeing customers whose equipment is reaching 25 years of operation, where they encounter lifetime and reliability issues. They are looking to modernize the turbine to extend its lifespan for another 25 to 30 years, trouble-free. There are obviously options for this; you can continue repairing and maintaining what you have, but that comes with an increasing risk of future problems.

How are decarbonization efforts impacting steam turbine modernization projects, particularly regarding efficiency upgrades or fuel flexibility?

For nuclear plants, any increase in output is a carbon-free contributor to power generation, so that helps our overall greenhouse gas reduction, which a lot of nuclear customers are focusing on right now.

When you talk about the fossil fleet, specifically gas turbines, and even some existing coal-fired steam turbine plants, you run into some challenges. We're involved in working with customers on unique designs to support carbon-capture and sequestration efforts driven by the need to decarbonize, which have been funded by the government. We're taking care of the steam turbine portion. Overall, steam turbine modernization focuses on increasing the efficiency of operating units—increasing efficiency essentially allows you to generate more power with less fuel. So, overall, it helps with the decarbonization focus.

Michael Smiarowski of Siemens Energy said steam turbine customers at nuclear plants focus on optimizing output and staying carbon-free, and fossil’s focus is reliability and modernization. 

Steam Turbine Modernizations Driven by the Need for More (Green) Power and Reliability 

At Turbo Expo 2025, Tim Allison, Director of R&D in the Machinery Department at the Southwest Research Institute (SwRI), sat down with 

Tim Allison of SwRI shares how the institute is working to improve turbomachinery reliability and material compatibility of hydrogen and sCO2 oxy combustion. 

Hydrogen

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