The GE Brief – October 28, 2021
Taking Off With Sustainable Aviation Fuel
By switching from petroleum to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), the aviation industry could reduce its carbon contribution from fuel by up to 80%, taking into consideration the entire life cycle of the fuel. One person who knows a lot about this task is Gurhan Andac. As GE Aviation’s engineering leader for aviation fuels and additives, Andac has devoted his career to researching SAF. Today only a fraction of 1% of the fuel consumed in aviation is SAF; he thinks that could jump to around 10% in 10 to 15 years. Find out more.
The XA100 is an adaptive cycle engine that has been engineered to automatically adjust to nearly any situation a military jet encounters — “all without the pilot pushing a button,” says David Tweedie, general manager for advanced combat engines at GE Edison Works. Designed for future use in the Lockheed Martin F-35A and F-35C, the engine improves fuel burn on long patrols and increases thrust in combat situations. When Tweedie’s team fired up the second prototype at GE’s altitude test facility in August, it generated “a tremendous amount of excitement,” he says. Learn more about the XA100 here.
Is The 'Flexible Transformer' The Grid’s New Superhero?
“The grid is the largest industrial system built by mankind,” says Vera Silva, chief technology officer at GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions unit. And its job is getting harder. It needs to bring more renewables online while dealing with extreme weather. But in September, GE and Prolec GE, a subsidiary of a 50-50 joint venture between GE Renewable Energy Grid Solutions and the private company Xignux, successfully activated what is believed to be the world’s first “flexible power transformer” in Columbia, Mississippi. It holds the promise of transforming the grid and bringing it into the 21st century. Read about it here.
Breaking The Circuit Of High Carbon Emissions
Most of us know that the energy transition to a less carbon-intensive future involves stuff like wind farms and solar panels. But other components of the electrical grid need attention, too. This week, GE Renewable Energy received $3.7 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency-Energy (ARPA-E) to decarbonize high-voltage circuit breakers. The key: using a gas insulator with a much lower warming potential than existing insulators. See our story here.
'I’m Encouraged By Our Performance'
Following release of third-quarter earnings on Tuesday, GE Chairman and CEO Larry Culp published a letter on LinkedIn in which he pointed out that the company delivered another strong quarter as orders, margins and cash improved. “We still have work to do, and as we do it, we’re operating from a position of strength, serving customers in vital global markets with a focus on profitable growth and cash generation,” Culp said. Read the letter here.
— Quote Of The Day —
“Sustainable fuel is not a research project that we are doing on the side. It is happening. We are flying today with SAF blends."
— Gurhan Andac, GE Aviation’s sustainable aviation fuels leader
Quote: GE Reports. Images: GE Aviation, GE, GE Research.