ORegen Waste Heat Recovery System from GE Oil & Gas is First ecomagination Product to Originate from Munich Research Center
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Innovative Technology Produces Extra Power without Additional Emissions
COLOGNE, GERMANY-May 26, 2009-An innovative waste heat recovery system from GE Oil & Gas, which can enable a gas turbine to produce additional power without any additional emissions and no water use, recently became the first GE ecomagination-certified product to originate from GE's Global Research Center near Munich, Germany. Ecomagination is GE's corporate-wide initiative to help customers meet environmental challenges.
GE's new ORegen* waste heat recovery system, coupled with a simple-cycle gas turbine, generates electricity from waste heat while consuming no additional fuel or water and avoiding associated CO2 emissions. A gas turbine equipped with the ORegen system operating more than 8,500 hours a year, compared to the same turbine operating in a combined-cycle system, generates additional electricity while avoiding the consumption of more than 11,000 cubic meters of water per year- equivalent to more than four Olympic-sized swimming pools. When joined with a GE PGT25 gas turbine, an ORegen unit can provide up to 25% additional power.
In addition to the support of the Munich Global Research Center, the ORegen technology resulted from GE's partnerships with German universities including the Technical University in Munich and the University of Applied Sciences in Regensburg.
"This development effort was designed to help our customers address the challenges of rising fuel costs and the increased demand for more efficient power systems and industrial plants that have less impact on the environment," said Claudi Santiago, president and CEO of GE Oil & Gas.
"Many industrial processes generate waste energy that passes out of plant stacks into the atmosphere and is lost. Energy recovered from waste heat streams can supply part of the electric power required by a plant, at no additional cost. Therefore, heat recovery offers a great opportunity to conserve by productively using this waste energy to reduce overall plant consumption and simultaneously decrease CO2 emissions," Santiago added.
Based on the Organic Rankine Cycle, the ORegen system is ideal for use in locations where water is scarce or cannot be exploited. It does not require on-site manned supervision and can operate at very low ambient temperatures.
The development of the ORegen system is part of a broader GE research program that designs waste heat recovery systems for a wide range of applications. "This underlines the importance of the research center in Munich as a center of excellence for low-grade heat recovery technologies," said Santiago.
The ORegen system joins a growing family of products that have been certified under ecomagination since GE launched the initiative in 2005. To earn ecomagination certification, a product is evaluated for its ability to significantly and measurably improve the customer's environmental and operating performance.
About GE Oil & Gas
GE Oil & Gas is a world leader in advanced technology equipment and services for all segments of the oil and gas industry, from drilling and production, LNG, pipelines and storage to industrial power generation, refining and petrochemicals. GE Oil & Gas also provides pipeline integrity solutions, including inspection and data management. As part of 'Innovation Now' customer focus and commitment, GE Oil & Gas leverages technological innovation from other GE businesses, such as aviation and healthcare, to continuously improve oil and gas industry performance and productivity. GE Oil & Gas employs more than 12,000 people worldwide and operates in over 70 countries.
About GE
GE is a diversified global infrastructure, finance and media company that is built to meet essential world needs. From energy, water, transportation and health to access to money and information, GE serves customers in more than 100 countries and employs more than 300,000 people worldwide. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.ge.com. GE is Imagination at Work.
For more information contact:
Nigel O'Connor
GE Oil & Gas
t: + 44(0) 207 302 6941
e: Nigel.O'Connor@ge.com
Ken Darling
Masto Public Relations
t: +1 518 786 6488
e: kenneth.darling@ge.com
Tom Murnane
Masto Public Relations
t: + 1 518 786 6488
e: tom.murnane@mastopr.com
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