The GE Brief: May 25, 2021
A WIND TURBINE THAT FLOATS
We know how to build wind farms on land and in relatively shallow waters, but it’s an entirely different story in places where the continental shelf quickly drops off, like parts of the West Coast. A team at GE Research has developed a floating wind turbine concept that promises to make that possible. Unlike fixed-bottom offshore turbines that require depths less than 60 meters (200 feet), the new design would be safely tethered to the seafloor to keep it upright and steady.
Going deep: GE is partnering on the project with marine industry innovator Glosten. The team designed a 12-megawatt floating version of the Haliade-X, the most powerful offshore wind turbine in operation today. The concept turbines are 853 feet tall, with a rotor diameter of 720 feet, and can generate 67 gigawatt-hours of electricity a year. Just one such machine could produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of 16,000 American households. The proposal comes with advanced controls that could allow it to be installed in deep, coastal waters. The work is sponsored by the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E).
Learn more about GE Research’s floating wind turbine project here.
ANOTHER BIG LEAP
India’s IndiGo airline, one of the world’s fastest-growing low-cost carriers, has announced it will equip 310 new aircraft with the LEAP-1A engine from CFM International, a 50-50 joint venture between GE and Safran Aircraft Engines. The agreement, one of the largest in CFM’s history, includes 620 new installed engines and associated spare engines, as well as a multi-year service agreement. “This is a pivotal milestone that reflects our long-standing commitment to rapidly strengthen our network both domestically and internationally,” said IndiGo CEO Ronojoy Dutta. “This expansion will serve as a catalyst to boost India’s economic growth and the mobility of its people.”
Flying higher: CFM started developing the LEAP engine nearly two decades ago. Using advanced materials and technologies, the engineers were able to lower fuel consumption by 15%, reduce CO2 emissions and make it quieter than the engine’s predecessor, the CFM56. The LEAP engine has logged more than 10 million engine flight hours in less than five years of commercial service. IndiGo will use the LEAP-1A in its new fleet of Airbus A320neo, A321neo and A321XLR aircraft.
For more about the IndiGo-CFM deal, click here.
BASEBALL AFTER DARK
The list of cool things that GE researchers have invented over the years is long and deep. The innovations it’s currently working on include artificial intelligence that can learn as children do, a robotic “worm” that can dig a tunnel longer than five football fields, and a 5G lab. But did you know that GE electrical engineers, together with technicians from Cincinnati Gas & Electric — now part of Duke Energy — were also responsible for bringing us the first night baseball game in major league history exactly 86 years ago on Monday?
Flipping the switch: On May 24, 1935, the lights came on for the first time at Crosley Field in Cincinnati, where the Reds took on the Philadelphia Phillies (and beat them, 2-1). Prior to that first night game in 1935, only minor league games were played under the lights. Despite the ongoing Great Depression, fans kept showing up, so the Reds petitioned the league to give it a try. You know the result: night games won!
Bonus: Cincinnati has been home to GE Aviation for decades, and GE continues to work with Duke Energy on the future of the electrical grid, among other things.
Read more about MLB’s first night game.
THE COOLEST THINGS ON EARTH ?
1. Do The Write Thing
Stanford researchers found a way to “quickly convert [a person’s] thoughts about handwriting into text on a computer screen.”
2. Self-Destructing Tumors
Scientists at the University of Zurich have developed a cancer therapy that tricks tumor cells into destroying themselves without damaging healthy cells.
3. Gear Shift
A team of scientists in Bologna, Italy, created NanoGear, a microscopic structure complete with a rotor and axle, that could one day turn a molecular motor to power a nanoscale mechanical device.
Learn more here about this week’s Coolest Things On Earth.
— QUOTE OF THE DAY —
“Fixed-bottom wind turbines are limited to depths of 60 meters or less. With floating turbines, we would be able to dramatically expand the reaches of offshore wind power to areas with water depths of 60 meters or greater.”
— Rogier Blom, senior principal engineer in model-based controls, GE Global Research
Quote: GE Research. Images: GE Glosten, IndiGo, courtesy of Robert Payne.