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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 dive into electrification: what it is and debunk the myth that it and machines—such as hermetically sealed compressors and high-speed electric motor drives—hydrogen blending and others are decarbonized.

TURBO: Can you break down the assertion that that machinery electrification and electric-motor drives are a decarbonization myth?

 There are a lot of decarbonization myths that don’t just have to do with electrification and electric motors and hermetically sealed drives and high-speed motors, but they also have to do with hydrogen blending, unburned hydrocarbons and gas turbines, and other types of emissions that are part of the sustainable energy economy. What we set to do, however, is talk about electrification, which is basically when you take a turbomachine, a compressor or pump, and instead of running it with a driver—e.g., a gas or steam turbine, which has been done traditionally at a lot of compressor stations, pipelines, or in refineries, ethylene plants, or other places—you actually replace them with an electric motor. And, obviously, an electric motor does not have any emissions directly; it just shifts the responsibility of the carbon production from where you utilize the electric motor to where the electricity comes from. And the last time I checked, at least in most of the industrialized nations such as North America, 60% of all fossil electricity comes from fossil fuels, a mix of natural gas and coal. China actually has more—I think 70% of the electricity comes from fossil fuels, mostly coal, which is very dirty. Europe is not quite as bad. They now have about 40% alternative energies, but still a substantial part. So, you're really just shifting the carbon emission from one place to another, sometimes in a very, very inefficient way.

 In a way, this discussion is always about where you draw the emissions boundaries. Klaus is right: As soon as you can shift your emissions outside your boundaries, you can claim you are carbon-neutral, whereas, in reality, you just made somebody else deal with your carbon emissions. There are quite a few studies that address that one way or another and very clearly show if you make electricity while creating CO

 or other emissions, you may create more emissions with an electric driver than with a driver that’s driven by fossil-fueled engines.

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

TurboTime Podcast: Debunking Machinery Decarbonization Myths

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 

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

Myth Busters Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz join the TurboTime podcast to talk about turbomachinery factory and field testing—why are turbomachines tested, what’s standard, what’s extra, are the costs really worth it, uncertainty versus accuracy testing, different types of compressor-performance tests, how to test a gas and a steam turbine, and when is a full-string test necessary?

Brun explained: “When you make a machine of any kind, before delivering it to a customer, you want to make sure it actually functions, so standard tests are performed and then there are additional tests that some customers may require. Complex turbomachines—compressors, gas turbines, steam turbines, and even pumps—require some kind of factory testing to make sure the machine meets the basic functionality, it doesn't fly apart, and it performs at a certain level. From there, it gets a little more complicated, as each machine is different. For example, a gas turbine performance test can be performed in the factory or the field. In the factory, a prescribed test by API 616 could be used.

“A field test is a fundamentally different test where the machine is already installed, commissioned, started up, and sent to some engineers or technicians in the field to test under the conditions that may not necessarily be identical to the conditions that the machine was originally designed for or contractually agreed to or under factory testing conditions, so it's a more challenging test.”

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, Klaus Brun and Rainer Kurz discuss turbomachinery factory and field testing—what they are good for, cost, and more. 

TurboTime Podcast: Factory and Field Testing with the Myth Busters

During this episode of the TurboTime podcast, we discuss digital ecosystems with Jim Nyenhuis, the Performance Consultant at Emerson’s Power and Water Solutions Business. We focus on software, including AI-based software, detection and monitoring technologies, software’s influence on a turbomachine’s life, as well as cybersecurity and potential risks that power plants are exposed to.

Q: How does a digital ecosystem improve operational efficiency, plant safety, etc.?

 Digital technologies allow us to address all those issues. We work with customers to understand what operational efficiency means to them based on their objectives. Plant safety is without question built into everything we do. We want to understand and leverage what the underlying technology can tell us and let that information feed up through the digital ecosystem—how do we understand what's working well at the plant level, how do we identify if there are control problems or if individual pieces of equipment are having issues? A lot of that information is lying within the automation infrastructure, and I don't think we've leveraged that to the degree we want to. We find many customers do not understand the performance characteristics of their closed-loop controls or areas to drive additional improvement, efficiencies, etc.

Performance and control management is another big area that we look at. Our information, such as the automation system, will oftentimes track what operators are doing within the system. In the past, that information was stored in text-based logs, but there's a lot of valuable information stored in those log files that if we expose that information, we can understand how operators are interfacing with the system during different periods of operation, be it startup, shut down, various operating modes, etc., and based on that we can determine where operators are spending a lot of their time.

In this episode of the TurboTime podcast, we talk about digital ecosystems, including AI-based software, cybersecurity, and more with Jim Nyenhuis from Emerson. 

TurboTime Podcast: Software & Cybersecurity with Emerson 

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, 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

The company is seeking investments in its supply chain and is moving through evaluations conducted by the U.K. nuclear industry’s independent regulators.

Rolls-Royce SMR Sends Final Tender to Compete in Great British Nuclear Trials

The Goi Thermal Power Station, retired in 2018, came back online with equipment from Toshiba and GE Vernova, adding 2.3 GW of electricity to Japan’s grid.

Goi Thermal Plant Enters Operation with GE Vernova’s H-Class Turbines, HRSG Tech

Although torsional vibrations in turbomachinery trains are usually well-controlled, issues should be addressed proactively during the design process.

Myth: Torsional Vibrations – No Problem

The new hydrogen power plant will replace a coal-fired unit and fuel oil-fired gas turbines and will be completely decommissioned by mid-2026.

EnBW Commissions Gas Turbine Hydrogen Power Plant in Germany

The four-year refurbishment operation upgraded the plant’s waste treatment capacity to 579 tons per day and reduced CO2 emissions.

MHIEC Refurbishes Waste-to-Energy Facilities at Eco Clean Plaza Miyazaki

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

The Turbomachinery News Network, for the week of April 14, 2025, covers news from EnBW, the Port of Rotterdam, Venture Global, MAN Energy Solutions, and GE Vernova.

EnBW Commissions Plant, Rotterdam Conducts Pilot, Calcasieu Pass Enters Operation, MAN Supplies Propulsion, GE Vernova Equips Plant

EnBW commissioned a power plant equipped with hydrogen-ready gas turbines, one of Germany’s first, at the 

 waste incineration site. EnBW modernized the site with a 62-MW turbine construction featuring waste-heat boilers and hot-water boilers. The new plant will generate 124 MW of electrical energy and 370 MW of thermal energy for Stuttgart.

 between two vessels that transferred 800 cubic meters of liquefied ammonia at -33 ºC. It took approximately 2.5 hours alongside a newly constructed concrete quay. The demonstration validated the Port of Rotterdam Authority’s safety system for ammonia bunkering, with the first ammonia-bunker-fueled ships arriving in 2026 - 2027.

 export facility into commercial operation, allowing long-term customers to offtake low-cost LNG just 68 months after reaching final investment decision. The facility, among the fastest greenfield LNG projects completed to date, holds numerous multi-billion-dollar contracts with key European trade allies. These customers will receive North American LNG for 20-year terms.

In the maritime sector,MAN Energy Solutions will deliver 10 

 to Hindustan Shipyard in India, which will build five fleet support ships for the Indian Navy.

 in Japan kicked off operation using three GE Vernova 9HA.02 gas turbines, three heat recovery steam generators, and steam turbines and generators from Toshiba. The HRSGs were manufactured as pressure part modules in GE Vernova’s factory in South Korea and assembled into prefabricated supermodules in Tongyeong before maritime shipment to Japan. The Goi Thermal Power Station may reduce CO

 emissions by 16% compared to the original plant.

At POWERGEN 2025, Billy Sanez, Director of Global Marketing at SpotSee, spoke with 

about protecting aerospace components, turbines, and other power generation equipment during transport with impact and temperature monitors. The risks during transport are high, but machines may be identified and addressed if operators know where to look.

Impact and temperature fluctuations are major transport-related risks, and Sanez speaks a bit about SpotSee’s monitoring capabilities that allow end-users to deploy maintenance teams for exact fixes.

According to Sanez: “When it comes to the transportation of turbines and transformers, you must be very careful when you ship them. There are some components inside that, when they break, it becomes very expensive to monitor. We bring impact monitoring, the moment it happens, to the end-user so they can find a solution quickly.”

“Temperature fluctuations can have a huge impact on transformers or electronic components, so you need to make sure temperature is maintained,” said Sanez. “If you do not have an active monitoring system, we have Thermax labels, which are irreversible temperature indicators. If a threshold temperature is hit, it gets recorded.”

Billy Sanez of SpotSee also explains how temperature fluctuations may damage transformers, steam turbines, and other power generation equipment during transport.

Impact Recorders Identify Damage During Power Generation Equipment Transportation

Conference Coverage

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. 

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