Turbomachinery News Network: Air Liquide, ITT, MHI Thermal Systems, and more

Welcome to the 23^rd edition of the Turbomachinery News Network. I’m James Cook, associate editor at Turbomachinery International.

Air Liquide successfully kickstarted the world’s first industrial-scale ammonia cracking unit at the Port of Antwerp-Bruges, Belgium. The unit features a 30-tons per day ammonia to hydrogen conversion capacity, demonstrating a viable pathway for converting ammonia into hydrogen and transporting the molecule. The ammonia cracking technology benefitted from several key enhancements in process safety, material testing, advanced catalysis for ammonia cracking, ammonia combustion, and efficient molecule separation.

ITT Inc. completed Phase Two of its approximately $25 million project to expand the Industrial Process manufacturing facility in Dammam, Saudi Arabia, doubling the company’s capacity and bolstering its position as a preferred supplier to Middle Eastern customers.The current expansion work increased the site’s total land area to approximately 30,000 m² in anticipation of future growth. ITT is expected to begin the third phase in 2027, which will establish additional manufacturing capacity.

Vertiv and Caterpillar signed a strategic collaboration to provide advanced energy-optimization solutions for data centers. Vertiv will integrate its power distribution and cooling technologies with Caterpillar’s and Solar Turbines’ power generation and combined cooling, heat, and power products. The combination will deliver pre-designed architectures to simplify deployment, accelerate time-to-power, and optimize performance for data center operations.

Enea Group ordered two of GE Vernova’s 9HA.01 gas turbine combined-cycle blocks for the gradual replacement of coal-fired power at Kozienice station in Poland, assisting with the country’s energy transition toward natural gas. Each block includes a 9HA.01 gas turbine, an STF-D650 steam turbine, a W88 generator, integrated Mark VIe distributed control system, and a three-pressure level with reheat heat recovery steam generator.

MHI Thermal Systems unveiled its newly developed ETI-N centrifugal chiller for the Japanese market, now integrated with magnetic bearing technology. The ETI-N features a magnetic bearing compressor that suspends and supports the rotating shaft within the unit using magnetic levitation forces. The oil-free design eliminates the need for a lubrication oil system and prevents wear on sliding parts.