ASME Turbo Expo 2007 to include sessions on microturbines.
Press Release Summary:
At ASME Turbo Expo 2007 in Montreal, Canada, May 14-17, engineers and scientists will report on new research directions and experimentation in microturbine technology, as well as uses for small engines in distributed generation markets. Conference will include session by William E. Lear, Ph.D., designer of microturbine that generates electricity and provides cooling power, as well as sessions on structural dynamics, materials, and diagnostics and instrumentation.
Original Press Release:
Microturbines to Receive Strong Attention at ASME Turbo Expo 2007
NEW YORK, Apr. 3, 2007 - Microturbines and small engines will be covered in seven sessions within the technical program of ASME Turbo Expo 2007 in Montreal, Canada.
In the sessions to run May 14-17, engineers and scientists will report on new research directions and experimentation in microturbine technology, as well as potential new uses for small engines in distributed generation markets.
New uses for the microturbine, according to experts in the power business, will hinge on continuing improvements in component design, fuel utilization, and efficiency.
"Microturbines today have very narrow applications, typically as backup power sources in distributed energy configurations" notes William E. Lear, Ph.D., a researcher at the University of Florida, Gainesville, and chair of one of the sessions on microturbines at Turbo Expo. "In most of these applications in which the microturbine runs on a limited scale, the waste heat is not utilized, significantly reducing efficiencies."
Lear's session at the conference, Energy Market Opportunities for Microturbines, will include four presentations on technical innovations that could drive new applications and new market pathways for the microturbine. "The papers in the session will examine innovations in small-cycle systems as well as the results of experiments with novel fuels, such as digester gas from a wastewater treatment facility," says Lear.
Lear and his colleagues at the University of Florida have designed and successfully tested a microturbine that generates electricity and provides cooling power in one compact system. "Our system has efficiency advantages because it utilizes the waste heat from electrical energy generation for refrigeration," said Lear.
The system, which also produces potable water, runs on conventional fossil fuels as well as biomass-produced fuels or hydrogen. Future applications might include remote military bases or emergency disaster sites.
Lear believes the engine also could be the model for what the researcher calls "the power grid of the future" - compact 1 Mw energy systems running on locally produced biomass fuels and producing electricity along with other resources, while providing good efficiencies. He will present a paper on the University of Florida microturbine at Turbo Expo 2007.
The conference, which will take place at the Palais des Congres, also will include technical sessions on structural dynamics, materials, diagnostics and instrumentation, and other topics - along with an exhibit of the latest products and services in the industry.
Founded in 1880 as the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, ASME is a not-for-profit professional organization promoting the art, science and practice of mechanical and multidisciplinary engineering and allied sciences. ASME develops codes and standards that enhance public safety, and provides lifelong learning and technical exchange opportunities benefiting the engineering and technology community.
