New engines and applications

Supported by joint research findings with the LEC at Graz University of Technology, GE Jenbacher has developed a completely new engine that sets a new record for efficiency. The researchers at the Large Engines Competence Center (LEC) laid the foundations for this engine by optimizing the design of the combustion process. Since the finished engine met the performance parameters predicted by simulation exactly, the cycle of development was able to be shortened significantly.

Through increased generation of wind and solar power, the demand for decentrally produced energy to stabilize the network is growing considerably. GE’s Jenbacher gas engines are ideally suited for this. Another current trend is the liberalization of the gas market, which results in great fluctuations in gas quality in the grid. In both areas, gas engines must continue to be developed and adapted to meet new challenges, and this requires intensive research into the fundamentals of all engine technology. In Austria, it is possible to build on the experience of excellent research institutions. The LEC at Graz University of Technology is the first place we go for combustion concepts.   –Stephan Laiminger, GE Distributed Power

Cooperation in innovation

Successful cooperation with the Institute of Internal Combustion Engines and Thermodynamics at Graz University of Technology stretches back over twenty years.

As part of this collaborative research, engines have been significantly improved, and numerous new combustion concepts for special gases have also been developed. To further intensify cooperation in the next few years, GE Jenbacher will be heavily involved in the research program of the COMET-K1 center LEC EvoLET in Graz.

Stephan Laiminger, Engineering Manager at GE Distributed Power and Andreas Wimmer, CEO of the LEC, in conversation with ABA Invest in Austria